Chief Child Protection, P5, Fixed Term, Islamabad, Pakistan, #52322 (Open to non- Pakistan nationals only)

Pakistan Country office is seeking an experienced Chief of Child Protection responsible for managing and leading all stages of child protection programmes/projects from strategic planning and formulation to achieving concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development, and well-being as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, a future

How can you make a difference? 

The Chief of Child Protection reports to the Representative or Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction. The Chief is responsible for managing and leading all stages of child protection programmes/projects from strategic planning and formulation to achieving concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development, and well-being as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies.

The Chief is responsible for leading and managing the child protection section and establishing the plans of action to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable programme/project results, according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM), and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Managerial leadership

• Establish the section’s annual work plan with the child protection team; set priorities/targets and performance measurements. Monitor work progress and ensure results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Establish clear individual performance objectives, goals, and timelines; and provide timely guidance to enable the team to perform their duties responsibly and efficiently. Plan and ensure timely performance management and assessment of the team.

2. Programme development and planning

• Lead the planning and updating of the situation analysis to ensure that current and comprehensive data on child protection issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy advocacy, intervention, and development efforts on child rights and protection, and to set programme priorities, strategies, design, and implementation plans.
• Consult and collaborate with national and global colleagues, partners and allies to develop partnership frameworks to address specific needs and to leverage resources for enhancing and scaling up child protection programmes/projects. Ensure synergy, integration, coherence, and harmonization of programmes/projects with UNICEF Strategic Plans and priorities, donors’ development strategies/policies, national priorities/competencies, and UN System development interventions/initiatives.
• Ensure emergency preparedness taking into account multiple levels/ dimensions of vulnerabilities,  is contained in national programmes/projects to ensure the protection and well-being of children in cases of armed conflict, natural disasters, and other emergency situations.

3. Programme management, monitoring, and quality control of results

• Coordinate, plan, and collaborate on monitoring and evaluation initiatives to establish benchmarks, performance indicators, and other UNICEF/UN system indicators, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence, and delivery of concrete and sustainable results in child protection programmes.
• Participate in major monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews, and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to engage stakeholders to take required action and interventions to achieve results.
• Assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths, and/or weaknesses in programme management. Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals

4. Advisory services and high-level technical support

• Provide technical advice to key government officials, NGOs, UN system, and other country office partners on strategies and best practices to influence approaches/policies, support social/economic/political/legal development planning & implementation, and to support the delivery of results on child protection, human rights, and other related issues.
• Participate in strategic discussions to influence policy and agenda setting for combating poverty and all forms of discrimination against women/children by advising on and advocating strategies and approaches to promote and catalyze social changes for child survival, development, and well-being in society.

5. Advocacy, thought leadership, networking, and partnership building

• Build and strengthen strategic partnerships through networking and advocacy with local/national governments, UN system agency partners, donors, internationally recognized institutions, NGOs, funding organizations, research institutes, and the private sector to reinforce cooperation and/or pursue opportunities to promote goals and achieve sustainable and broad results on child protection.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in inter-agency (UNCT) discussions and planning on child protection and related issues to ensure organizational position, interests, and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the UNSDCF process in development planning and agenda setting. Collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNSDCF planning and preparation of programmes/projects including emergency preparedness.

6. Innovation, knowledge management, and capacity building

• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches, and good practices for sustainable child protection programme/project initiatives through advocacy and technical advisory services.
• Lead, plan and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders to promote sustainable results on child protection and related programmes/projects.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: [JD/TOR Chief Child Protection P5]

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.

A minimum of ten years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas, at the international level, is required.

Experience working in a developing country, particularly in a complex socio-cultural context, is required.

Experience in leading and managing a large team is required.

Relevant experience in programme management in child protection-related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.

Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. 

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8) Nurtures, leads, and manages people. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Visa residence requirements: i.e.: UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.