CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER

The purpose of this job opening is to deepen the roster of qualified P4 Child Protection Officer candidates in anticipation of vacancies in field mission locations. Please note that Child Protection Officer positions are typically in conflict and post-conflict locations in non-family and/or hardship duty stations. Child Protection Officers may also be housed in camp environments. An updated list of missions and additional information on working in the field can be found at https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/about/work.shtml

These positions are located in field and headquarters duty stations in United Nations field Peace Operations and Special Political Missions administered by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) or the Department of Political Affairs (DPA). The Child Protection Officer can be deployed at the sub-national level (outside the capital) in regional field offices and usually reports to and is under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Child Protection Unit or the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG)/Head of Mission (HOM) directly or through his/her Deputy though may vary depending on mission structure, the placement and the location of the post in light of the gradual consolidation of protection functions within human rights components
The focus of these jobs is to support the implementation of the child protection mandate of the mission and the global children and armed conflict mandate where applicable in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and as laid out in the DPKO Policy on Child Protection.

Within delegated authority, the Child Protection Officer will be responsible for the following duties: (These duties are generic and may not be carried out by all Child Protection Officers.)
•Leads or supports the identification of the protection needs of children in the mission area, and advises and assists the mission leadership in devising the mission strategy for the implementation of the child protection mandate of the mission in line with the DPKO Child Protection, the Mission’s mandate and UN Security Council resolutions on Children and Armed Conflict (1261, 1314, 1379, 1460, 1539, 1612, 1882, 1998, 2068, 2143 and 2225);
•Contributes to ensuring that the mission leadership is apprised of the full array of child protection issues and advises on ways and strategies for the Mission and its leadership to address them;
•Assists mission leadership, and the Senior Child Protection Adviser, to ensure that the protection, rights and well-being of children are mainstreamed, included and addressed in all aspects of the UN mission’s activities, policies and strategic planning processes, including but not limited to peace consolidation, protection of civilians and stabilization
•Works with UNICEF and/or other UN agencies as relevant, to ensure that the protection needs of children and adequate responses to violations committed against children are on the agendas of all relevant conflict resolution and peacebuilding entities, UN coordination mechanisms, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the international donor community in the mission’s area of operations;
•Works with UN peace operation components, including UN police and military, Human Rights, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR) and Rule of Law, Civil Affairs, Political Affairs, to integrate child protection in their work, activities and strategies;
•Provides training, guidance and expertise on child protection issues, tools and methodologies to other components and sections of United Nations peace operations;
•Supports the implementation and follow-up on mandated tasks as per relevant Security Council resolutions (SCRs) on children and armed conflict, and, where relevant, the conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict;
•Leads or supports the implementation of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) under S/RES/1612 (2005) including co-chairing with UNICEF the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) on grave violations against children at the technical level, and supporting senior mission leadership in co-chairing with the UNICEF Representative the CTFMR at the principal level;
•Ensures and coordinates the mission’s delivery on mission-wide monitoring and reporting of the six grave violations against children identified by the UN Security Council, in conjunction with the CTFMR and other relevant actors as appropriate;
•Oversees the collection of and/or collects reliable, accurate and timely data on and, where necessary, conducts investigations into the six grave violations against children;
•Oversees the development of analysis on trends and patterns of grave violations against children to support response strategies;
•In coordination with the mission’s senior leadership, and the CTFMR engages in dialogue with perpetrators of grave violations against children for the signing and implementation of action plans to end grave violations against children.; Ensures regular and timely reporting on child protection issues in line with the DPKO policy and reporting guidelines, including inputs to periodic country-specific reports to the Security Council, and submits timely reports to the Office of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, including, but not limited to the Global Horizontal Notes, country-specific SG reports on children and armed conflict, and annual SG reports on children and armed conflict;
•Advocates with or supports the HoM in advocating with appropriate national government authorities as well as other parties to conflict as relevant in order to ensure adequate responses to violations committed against children;
•Engages with national stakeholders to promote inclusion of child protection in national and regional policies and advocate for the allocation of national resources to this end;
•Assists the HOM to advocate for the allocation of funds or technical support for release and reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, as well as for child-sensitive humanitarian and development programmes;
•Establishes and maintains partnerships with other experts and stakeholders (including host governments, the UN system and other international organizations, NGOs, the private sector, research institutes, and others) to discuss emerging topics related to child protection in the mission area;
•Acts as the primary interface between the UN mission and child protection actors to ensure a coherent approach and to leverage, as appropriate, political and other resources of the mission to prevent and end grave violations against children;
•Represents the mission in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including but not limited to the UNCT, humanitarian clusters, especially to ensure adequate response to violations committed against children;
•Supports the Senior Child Protection Adviser in providing, guidance, administrative support and supervising staff of the Child Protection team as assigned;
•Manages, guides, develops and coaches new and junior staff;
•Participates in the recruitment of new Child Protection Officers and manages staff performance;
•Performs other duties as required.

•Professionalism: Expert knowledge of institutional mandates, organizational structures and policies within the UN, guidelines and methodologies relating to child protection including the legal framework for the protection of children, relevant Security Council resolutions and mandates related to children and armed conflict, the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, child-sensitive DDR, juvenile justice, legislative, rule of law reforms and gender; Conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and ability to thoroughly analyse and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of socio-economic issues to assess their impact on children and to provide concrete strategy recommendations to redress situations; Demonstrated original and creative thinking; independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling of major policy, project and other issues/problems; Ability to seek new and improved methods of work, to share best practices and to incorporate lessons learned; Capacity to maintain effective working relationships with other UN, NGO, state and/or government stakeholders; Understanding of conflict and post-conflict contexts, proven ability to work under pressure in austere, insecure environments while maintaining resilience, integrity, productivity and effectiveness Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
•Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
•Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; Adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.



Managerial Competencies:

•Managing Performance :
Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; Appraises performance fairly.

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, law, human rights, social sciences or a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of seven years progressively responsible experience in human rights, civil affairs, political affairs, international relations, international law, promotion and protection of the rights of the child, or a related area is required. Two years of work experience at the international level outside the applicant's country of origin is required. Experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) – or similar international organization or non-governmental organization – in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable. Managerial experience is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English and working knowledge of French is required. Working knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Other UN languages are assets.

Evaluation of qualified candidates for this position may include a case study and a competency-based interview.

According to 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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.

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