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Job Title:   Associate Child Protection Officer (UN Jobs)

Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About the Company:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. UNHCR’s mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

Job Summary:   The Associate Child Protection Officer is a member of the protection team in a Country or Sub-Office, under the direct supervision of a Child Protection Officer or a Protection Officer. The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for child protection staff. S/he provides functional child protection oversight to information management and programme staff. The incumbent works directly with communities and children of concern to identify the risks they face and to leverage their capacities to protect themselves, their families and communities. The Associate Child Protection Officer will be primarily responsible for supporting the strengthening of the child protection services through technical support, capacity building and strategic planning in line with UNHCR child protection policies and standards. S/he may also provide functional supervision to UNHCR staff implementing best interests procedures.

The incumbent will coordinate and oversees a quality and effective responses to the child protection sector in Uganda. The incumbent will work closely with and support staff in the field, who act as the critical interface between UNHCR, partners and the community. The incumbent will be responsible for leading inter-agency coordination groups on thematic areas under the purview of child protection, and therefore the role requires prior experience in inter-agency coordination and engagement with multiple stakeholders. The incumbent will also take a lead role in the localization/service integration including ongoing work to transition child protection, aspects of protection to district authorities, UN agencies and local based actors. The incumbent is expected to coach and mentor UNHCR staff, and train and build the capacity of governmental and non-governmental partners. A very good understanding of human rights and the rights-based approach to programming, as well as demonstrated knowledge of community communication and engagement approaches are required for this position.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Needs Identification, Strategy and Advocacy

• Contribute, under the overall guidance of the supervisor, to the formulation of child protection key considerations in multi-sectoral and protection specific assessments and monitoring.
• Provide effective and timely support to the formulation and monitoring of a clear and coherent child protection strategy as part of the operation’s broader Protection and Solutions Strategy.
• Ensure compliance with UNHCR’s child protection policy, priorities and commitments, as well as other aligned policies on age, gender, diversity (AGD) and accountability to affected populations (AAP), GBV, gender equality, disability and youth empowerment.
• Contribute to assessment of the capacity of national child protection system and services, the inclusion of children of concern into national child protection laws, policies and services and strengthening the capacity of the national child protection system to provide quality support to children of concern.
• Support child protection data collection, analysis and dissemination within UNHCR and partners.
• Assist in defining context-appropriate approaches for a meaningful participation of children, adolescents and youth in the development and implementation of strategies that address key child protection priorities.
• Support the supervisor in evidence-based advocacy with UNHCR senior management, authorities and other actors on child protection.

Programme planning and implementation

• Contribute to the design and implementation of child protection programmes, including multi-sectoral activities based on identified needs and in line with Child Protection Strategy and UNHCR’s global, regional and national policies and standards.
• Contribute to the effective implementation of Best Interests Procedure by UNHCR and partners for timely support for children at heightened risk including supervision of UNHCR case management staff in line with UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines.
• Contribute to the development/update and implementation of Child Protection Standard Operating Procedures in collaboration with partners and other sectors, particularly GBV, Education, Cash-based Interventions and MHPSS.
• Support implementation of child protection information management systems in accordance with UNHCR’s Policy and procedures and interagency child protection information management standards and agreements.
• Support community-based child protection programmes based on thorough understanding of the community structures, capacity and needs and in collaboration with Community-Based Protection colleagues.
• Assist in monitoring the implementation of UNHCR and partners’ child protection programme and recommend corrective actions, if required.
• Provide technical support to UNHCR colleagues to effectively mainstream child protection in UNHCR’s overall response
• Make recommendations for planning, programming, and monitoring of human and financial resources for child protection activities.
• Provide functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities.
• In collaboration with UNHCR colleagues, contribute to ensuring that UNHCR procedures, including registration, refugee status determination, solutions and accountability mechanisms are child-friendly and are in line with AGD approach.

Partnership and coordination

• Assist in establishing and/or strengthening strategic and innovative partnerships for Child Protection with community-based, local, national, and international organizations, with a focus on ensuring continuity and sustainability.
• Support UNHCR staff responsible for leading or participating in the coordination of child protection.
• Contribute to mainstreaming and integrating child protection considerations into other sectors.
• Contribute to interagency monitoring and reporting on child protection issues and programmes.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Assist in identifying training needs of UNHCR, Government and partner staff in the area of child protection, and development of learning plans.
• Participate in initiatives to build capacity of authorities, relevant institutions and NGOs to strengthen national protection related legislation and procedures.
• Assist in providing functional guidance to UNHCR and partner staff involved in child protection activities
• Identify and document lessons learnt and good practices.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Years of Experience / Degree Level: For P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
• Field(s) of Education: International Law, Human Rights, International Development, International Relations, Anthropology, Social Work, Gender Studies, Political Science, Social Science or other relevant field.
• Certificates and/or Licenses: Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience:

Essential

• At least 1 years of progressively responsible experience in the field of protection of children, broader protection or social work involving children and youth, with knowledge of issues relating to child protection, education, gender, humanitarian and development issues, and GBV prevention and response.
• Applied experience in child protection prevention and response. Demonstrated knowledge of and implementation of multi-sectorial child protection prevention and response programming.
• Knowledge of protection in forced displacement settings and knowledge and demonstrated use of UNHCR and Interagency child protection tools and guidance.
• Skills and experience in interviewing and working with children and families including on case management of at risk children.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the international legal and policy framework governing refugees, asylum seekers and returnees and IDPs.
• Knowledge and good understanding of the UNHCR Best Interests Procedures Guidelines.
• Experience in working with children, adolescents and youth and participatory child friendly approaches.
• Excellent interviewing, counselling, drafting and analytical skills.
• Experience implementing child protection case management and/or implementation of best interests procedures.
• Experience working with partners.
• Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of position and/or interagency child protection learning programme.

Functional Skills:

• *PR-Child Protection Prevention and Response Programming
• CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
• CO-Cross-cultural communication
• IT-Computer Literacy
• PR-Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD)
• PR-Child Protection Case Management and Best Interests Procedures
• PR-Child Protection Information Management System
• TR-Training – Virtual and face to face
• (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements:

• For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
• For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
• For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.
• Competencies: Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 29th November 2024

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