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Job Title:   Programme Specialist (PSEA)

Organisation: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

About US:

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is mandated by the UN general assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Job Summary:  Under the direct supervision of the Representative, the UNICEF Programme Specialist (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) will support the country office to develop and roll out the UNICEF PSEA action plan and support UNICEF’s engagement in the inter-agency PSEA Network that is established under the UNCT/HCT. S/he will provide the overall strategic leadership and technical assistance to roll out PSEA global guidelines, standards and tools, support implementation and conduct strategic advocacy to prevent SEA in humanitarian and development settings.

The PSEA Specialist will work closely with the Uganda CO internal PSEA taskforce to ensure interface with other programme and operations functions. The PSEA Specialist will supervise the Programme Specialist Gender/GBV/PSEA with PSEA responsibility and together they will maintain close working relationships with other UN agencies in advancing the PSEA related work. He/ She will also maintain a working relationship with the PSEA Specialist from the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO).

The PSEA Specialist will be based in the Country Office in Kampala and will be responsible for supporting country-wide implementation of PSEA, including strategic leadership and technical support to UNICEF Field Offices. This includes working closely with the child protection section as well as across other programme sections, to support acceleration of PSEA around core programmatic priorities, including safe and accessible reporting, survivor-centered assistance and accountability, as elements of an overall preventative approach.

Within the context of the inter-agency response and the UNCTPSEA strategy and action plan, the PSEA Specialist will actively represent and support UNICEF’s contribution to the inter-agency PSEA work including specific deliverables and responsibilities that UNICEF holds within the PSEA network and action plan.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Internal capacity building and technical support

• Provide strategic leadership, technical support and monitoring for the implementation of UNICEF Uganda Country Office PSEA Strategy & Action Plan, including implementation at district level.
• Lead the development and regular updating of UNICEF Uganda’s PSEA Action Plan and provide technical support and monitoring on the implementation of the PSEA Action Plan in the country and zonal offices
• Deliver induction and refresher PSEA trainings for UNICEF staff, consultants, volunteers, and implementing partners, in line with the Uganda CO PSEA Capacity Building Training Plan.
• Build the capacity of selected UNICEF staff to replicate PSEA trainings and awareness raising efforts.
• Support knowledge management efforts on PSEA, including a repository of tools, documentation of promising practices, etc.
• Together with the SBC team, in consultation with communities including women and children and in liaison with the PSEA Network, develop and use context, age and gender appropriate awareness raising materials for UNICEF office and partners, including leaflets and posters for UNICEF offices and UNICEF partners’ offices including communities.
• Develop an internal tracking tool to ensure regular and consistent monitoring of SEA cases and case management of child victims’ assistance.
• Supporting the Uganda CO to institutionalize PSEA efforts within their programmes, monitoring and facilities (e.g., HACT, supply section, programme component teams, etc.)
• Support Uganda CO, in collaboration with the SBC section, to expand/strengthen communities’ awareness on and access to safe and accessible reporting channels and available support services across all programmes/sections.
• In collaboration with UNICEF sections, support partners to ensure PSEA policies and structures are aligned with standards and requirements as per UNICEF PSEA Implementing Partners Procedures and the UN Protocol.
• Assist the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation section for implementation of the UN Common IP PSEA Assessment tool as required.
• Lead and guide PSEA risk assessments of UNICEF national and international partners and provide them technical support to develop respective PSEA Action Plans were necessary.
• Strengthen and/or build capacity of UNICEF’s current and new Implementing Partners on all aspects of PSEA, including supporting partners to adequately address any SEA risks identified in the UN common assessment.

Inter-agency response to SEA and PSEA Network coordination

• Actively represent UNICEF in the inter-agency PSEA taskforce, including support to UNICEF’s contributions as appropriate and delegated by the supervisor(s). Support UNICEF to actively engage in the PSEA taskforce at District level, and work with relevant stakeholder to take forward the inter-agency PSEA Network action plan, including:
• Participate in the development and or finalization, endorsement, dissemination and system-wide implementation of the PSEA Taskforce Standard Operating Procedures/ Victim Assistance Protocol Information-Sharing Protocol etc. across network members, at national and district levels;
• Contribute to the development and implementation of safe and accessible reporting channels for SEA in humanitarian and development settings, including community-based mechanisms that are gender and age sensitive, including to promote a coherent approach across all existing mechanisms.
• Support Community Based Complaints Mechanism (CBCM) on SEA, building upon existing community-based complaint mechanisms as relevant. Develop 1) about outreach and sensitization on SEA in communities; and 2) training of PSEA focal points.
• Ensure systems procedures for inter-agency referrals are functionals and effective, including accountability mechanisms and development of joint interagency responses in relation to SEA risks and concerns
• Participate in joint PSEA risk assessment as per UNCT PSEA Action Plan.
• Support the roll out of inter-agency PSEA standards operating procedures including the UN Victims Assistance Protocol.
• Participate in the inter-agency PSEA Taskforce coordination meetings and events.

Support Appropriate Reporting and Response of SEA allegations

• Support the internal roll out and implementation of UNICEF SEA reporting procedures.
• Develop and implement, in collaboration with all sections, a safe and accessible reporting channels for SEA, both for humanitarian workers and community-based mechanisms that are gender and age sensitive, including to promote a coherent approach across all existing mechanisms. For humanitarian settings it is situated in the Accountability to Affected Population framework:
• Work with UNICEF Child Protection team, sector/field offices focal points and GBViE Specialists to integrate SEA reporting channels within the existing community-based mechanisms and services, in a manner that is gender and child sensitive and that links to GBV referral pathways; this should include the training of community PSEA focal points and outreach and sensitization on PSEA and how to safely handle disclosures of SEA incidents within their communities.
• Work across all UNICEF programme sectors to ensure that information about how to report SEA incidents and avail available support services is integrated in their interventions and accessible for children and women including those with disabilities.
• Provide technical support to partners to strengthen internal reporting procedures. once and or whenever a report/complaint is received.
• Once and/or whenever a report/ complaint is received:
  • Immediately refer survivors (if known and consented) to appropriate service providers (Child Protection/GBV service provider) so that they receive the medical, psychosocial, legal and any other assistance support they may need, in line with the UN Victims’ Assistance Protocol
  • Ensure that all information pertaining to complaint/allegation is confidentially handled and timely referred strictly in line with UNICEF’s internal procedures, including activating the notification alert and completing the Significant Incident Report (SiR) as appropriate for submission as required by the Uganda CO.

Prevention

• Collaborate and coordinate with partners and UNICEF sections to ensure sensitization activities on SEA reporting channels and available support services are implemented across communities and establish systems to track and monitor implementation.
• Jointly with SBC teams, develop and integrate GBV/SEA messages across all UNICEF sectors and outreach programs
• In collaboration with Field Operations and the SBC section, strengthen UNICEF supported complaints and feedback mechanisms.
• Collaborate and coordinate with partners and UNICEF sections to ensure systematic SEA risk assessment is conducted and findings are reflected, and relevant actions integrated in programme implementation across sectors.

Survivor assistance

• In consultation with the Chief Child Protection, CP team with support from the GBViE specialist if available, ensure the following:
  • Appropriate services and capacity to support survivors are mapped and available including mechanisms for making safely and timely referrals
  • Survivors of SEA as safely and timely refer to available specialists to avail assistance/support
  • Monitor the quality of assistance and follow up provided to victims/survivors of SEA
• Support the review, functionality and effectiveness of existing referral pathways – internal and interagency – and contribute to advocacy to strengthen access to services for survivors.
• Work to establish a confidential data management system on SEA cases and case management, in coordination with the regional office and HQ as relevant.
• Regularly update the SEA case database and provide statistical non-identifying information on SEA cases as needed for internal programming and advocacy purposes.

Other responsibilities

• As PSEA specialist, ensure that allocated budgets to PSEA programming is managed in line with results-based budgeting principles and standards and that grants are reported on and used in line with donor commitments in coordination with the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization section.

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Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Programme Specialist (PSEA) job should hold an advanced university degree in one of the following fields: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.
• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree
• At least eight years of professional experience in design, implementation and management of protection or GBV programming, PSEA and child safeguarding, preferably with the UN and/or international NGO.
• Experience in and knowledge of UN and IASC policies and guidance related but not limited to PSEA, AAP, GBV, Child Protection and centrality of protection
• Experience working in humanitarian contexts. Familiarity with the latest development in PSEA, inter-agency PSEA responses and humanitarian cluster systems.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven ability to work independently under difficult conditions.
• Excellent facilitation, training, networking and advocacy skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the organization.
• UNICEF’s Core Values: 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
• UNICEF Competencies: (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.

Desirable Experience:

• Proven Success in developing and facilitating training and capacity building activities on PSEA
• Experience developing complaint mechanisms as well as reporting and investigation procedures
• Proven research skills and demonstrated expertise in analysis and development of technical papers, as well as programmatic guidance related to violence against children and women, in particular sexual violence, gender and child protection.
• Experience working in acute emergency settings.
• Fluency in English is required.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested applicants who wish to join United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) should apply online at the link below

Click Here

Deadline: 30^th April 2023

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