Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Child Protection Section of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Juba. The incumbent will report directly to the Chief of Child Protection. The focus of this jobs is to support the implementation of the child protection mandate of the mission and the global children and armed conflict mandate in line with relevant Security Council resolutions and as laid out in the DPKO Policy on Child Protection.

Responsibilities

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.) • Lead the Operations and Field Coordination team of the UNMISS Child Protection Section; • Lead or support 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); • Establish a viable management and screening system of the information collected in the field; • Contribute 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; • Assist 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 • Work 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; • Work 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; • Provide training, guidance and expertise on child protection issues, tools and methodologies to other components and sections of United Nations peace operations; • Support 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; • Lead 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; • Ensure and coordinate the mission’s delivery on mission-wide monitoring and gender sensitive 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; • Oversee the gender sensitive collection of and/or collects reliable, accurate and timely data on and, where necessary, conducts investigations into the six grave violations against children; • Oversee the development of analysis on trends and patterns of grave violations against children to support response strategies; • Ensure 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; • Advocate with or support the Chief Child Protection 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 with attention to the impact of gender; • Engage with national stakeholders to promote inclusion of gender sensitive child protection in national and regional policies and advocate for the allocation of national resources to this end; • Establish and maintain 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; • Act 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; • When requested, represent 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; • Support the Senior Child Protection Adviser in providing, guidance, administrative support and supervising staff of the Child Protection team as assigned; • Manage, guide, develop and coach new and junior staff; • Participate in the recruitment of new Child Protection Officers and manages staff performance; • Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

• 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-and gender 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; Strong analytical skills and excellent skills in drafting a broad range of documents including speeches and reports. Ability to review and edit the work of others; conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; ability to influence others to reach agreement;. 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. • 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.

Education

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.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years progressively responsible experience in human rights, gender, 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. Managerial experience 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.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is temporarily available until three (3) months with possibility of extension subject to availability of funds. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. • While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. • Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. • This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. • Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. • Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service. • Qualified women that meet the requirements of this job opening are particularly encouraged to apply and will be given full consideration in accordance with the United Nations efforts to increase women participation in its workforce.

United Nations Considerations

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. 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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The 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 according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. 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 reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.