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, Protection…

Malawi’s new Country Programme (2024-2028) includes three components: (1) child survival and development; (2) learning, skills development, and protection; and (3) social policy. All components are supported by the programme and operational effectiveness and efficiency imperatives. All UNICEF programmes focus on risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all the above three outcome areas.  Risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all three outcome areas will contribute to strengthened disaster preparedness, enhanced climate adaptation/mitigation and response, and increased resilience capacity of institutions, communities, and young people. Programming aligns with UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Transformative Agenda.

Malawi is ranked fifth in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index (UNICEF, 2021), Malawi is among the top forty countries with high climate risk for children and the most vulnerable communities.  Malawi is highly susceptible to climate and environmental shocks, including flooding, drought, cyclones, and extreme heat. Such shocks have recently increased in frequency and magnitude and are among Malawi’s children’s greatest threats. As per UNICEF, ‘Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Malawi’ report (CLAP) 2022 that climate-related hazards have resulted in the loss of life, displaced thousands of people, and damaged or disrupted roads, health facilities, schools, and power supplies across the country. Malawi also faces frequent outbreaks of cholera, endemic malaria, and the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, contributing to a need for a programme response fully responsive to an increased poly-crisis environment.

• Support the roll out and implementation of UNICEF action plan for sexual exploitation and abuse at district and community levels.
• Facilitate PSEA trainings for District Councils and implementing partner staff, volunteers, in line with the PSEA Training Plan.
• Support district and community level partners to provide victim centered, age-appropriate assistance, including psychosocial, medical, safety and legal services, are provided to survivors of SEA via established referral mechanisms at district and community levels.
• Support District Councils and UNICEF CSO partners to distribute IEC materials on PSEA and conduct awareness raising sessions using appropriate and child friendly awareness messages and materials for UNICEF staff and partners especially at community district and community level.
• Collaborate with implementing partners and programme sections PSEA focal persons to ensure sensitization activities on SEA are implemented across communities and ensure established systems to track and monitor implementation are functional and in use.
• In collaboration with HACT and the UNICEF PSEA Focal Person support programme section PSEA Focal persons and partners to ensure SEA risk assessment is conducted and findings are addressed during the programme implementation.
• Provide technical support to UNICEF partners including district councils to monitor implementation of policies and procedures, community-based complaints mechanisms, and incident investigations.
• Participate in the strengthening of District level PSEA and protection coordination platforms.
• Provide technical support to programme sections on integration of PSEA components into key programme documents such as: HAC, HPDs, donor proposals, donor reports, Sitreps and quality assurance activities.
• Conduct periodic safety audits to inform the further programming and record lesson learning.

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

Academic qualification:

• Advanced university degree in social work, international relations, law, child psychology, or relevant field.

Work experience:

• A minimum of 5-8 years of experience with UNICEF and/or other relevant actors, including experience with Protection, GBV and child protection programming in humanitarian contexts.
• Extensive work experience outside the humanitarian sector relevant to this post may be considered a replacement for humanitarian expertise.
• Experience in conduction trainings, assessments and reporting
• Experience in the UN common system is desirable.

Technical skills, knowledge and strength areas:

• Knowledge of UNICEF’s core commitments to children in humanitarian action as well as Inter agency documents on PSEA, GBV and CHS.
• Ability to work effectively under stress and in emergency settings.
• Ability to develop new and nurture existing internal and external networks, partnerships and relationships to deliver results.
• Ability to communicate confidently and persuasively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyse information, solve problems and make decisions in various contexts
• The highest levels of personal integrity and commitment to adhering to required standards of conduct.
• Knowledge of results-based management principles is a strong asset.
• Good knowledge of MS Office (including PowerPoint, Excel and Word) is essential.

 Languages:

• Fluency in written and verbal English is required, familiarity with Chichewa will be an asset.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference_Child Protection PSEA Specialist.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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.

HOW TO APPLY…

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Cover letter:

• Describing the candidate’s relevant experience with similar type of assignments (max 300 words)

2. Updated Curriculum Vitae (not more than 4 pages)
3. Two latest performance appraisals and/or recommendations letters from recent assignments including reference contact details (phone numbers and email addresses)
4. When a need arises, the office will invite pre-selected roster candidates to provide their financial proposal (all-inclusive fee) for the specific assignment as well as to confirm their availability and interest at the time of the deployment need.
5. Include with your application relevant samples from similar work (web links also can be provided).

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.