Child Protection Consultant-Odessa FO ( position covering Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope

UNICEF Ukraine

Background:

Odesa FO has a Child Protection programme under its AOR covering Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts. The Child Protection programme in Odesa FO implements both humanitarian and early recovery responses. The annual work plan of Child Protection programme has a wide range of activities supporting the provision of child friendly and family-oriented protection services to children and caregivers, including mental health and psychosocial support, case management, GBV risk mitigation, prevention and response interventions and EORE. The programme supports child protection system strengthening, including towards the implementation of integrated social services and continuum of services at community level, the promotion of the better care agenda (one family for every child) and supports the provision of emergency child protection care to affected children and caregivers. The activities are being implemented by UNICEF in collaboration with CSOs and NGOs as well as in close collaboration with national stakeholders including city and Oblast level social services and child affairs services.

The recent escalation in airstrikes in the southern regions are unlikely to decrease with the upcoming winter and intense targeting of energy facilities and port infrastructures, as well as the active conflict in the eastern part of the country particularly affecting Kherson Oblast. In this context, the need for child protection humanitarian support to affected children and caregivers is likely to increase further

How can you make a difference? 

Key Tasks/Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Child Protection Specialist in Odesa FO, the Child Protection consultant will support and closely work with Child Protection and Field Monitoring officers for the delivery of primarily, shared, or contributory results for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results:

• Build and sustain close working partnerships with national stakeholders, particularly the Center of Social Services and Child Affairs at both city council and Oblast level as well as NGOs/CSOs implementing Child Protection programme, including through active information sharing.
• Collect, compile and analyse child protection data from both national authorities (Center of Social Services and Child Affairs at both city council, hromada and Oblast level) and other child protection actors, undertake a gap and needs analysis particularly with regards to the integrated social service system strengthening and early interventions.
• Report on development trends and use data for related programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
• Support the coordination and actively participate to CPAOR monthly meeting and other inter-agency coordination meetings and events, providing relevant information and updates on child protection programs.
• Undertake program monitoring and reporting visits to assess program implementation with partners; discuss implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert for higher-level interventions and/or decisions.
• Support the capacity building and provide technical support to implementing partners ;
• Record assessments reports and lessons learned and promote good practices.
• Support Child Protection team on field data collection/verification to contribute to SitReps, Quarterly reports, donor reports.
• Any other relevant task assigned by supervisor.

 Work assignment overview:

Travel plan (36 days):

Destination 1: Mykolaiv city and oblast- 18 days (2 days per months).

Destination 2: Kherson – 18 days (2 days per months).

Please provide an all-inclusive financial proposal including travels to carry out the deliverables listed above.

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

Education: Master’s degree or higher in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.

Professional experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or international organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Languages: 

• Ukrainian: Proficient/Native [C2];
• English: Upper-intermediate [B2].

Skills and competencies: 

Core competencies:

Summary of key functions/accountabilities

• Strong understanding of key child protection principles/ standards and technical expertise on a variety of topics including child protection system strengthening and integrated social services, MHPSS and GBV prevention mitigation and response
• Strong understanding on the project cycle management (especially planning, monitoring and evaluation steps) and ability to support to programme/project development and planning
• Strong networking and partnerships building with different stakeholders (local authorities, NGO/CSO)
• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills with a variety of stakeholders
• Good understanding on social protection legislation and regulations of the government of Ukraine, including law on social services and functioning of MoSP
• Strong understanding of early intervention and disability inclusion is an asset.
• Good understanding of the humanitarian approach
• Proficient knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint
• Ability to perform several tasks in a timely manner with a focus on quality

Functional competencies:

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.