Senior Adviser Child Protection – Humanitarian Action (P-5), PG Child Protection, New York # 00001062

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, … Protection!

Overall policy and procedural framework is defined by the supervisor. Post operates with minimal supervision in the overall framework of the organizational guidelines and supervises and leads the staff of the Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Team that is part of the Child Protection Programme Team.  The staff member has a strong working relationship with the DED Humanitarian Action. The Senior Advisor also works in close collaboration with Senior Staff in EMOPS (UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes), UNICEF Representatives and other Country Office Staff, Regional Advisers, staff of other UN Agencies, Government officials, international and local media, subject matter experts, and multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors ensuring successful implementation of the UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action in the area of child protection.

How can you make a difference?

Join Us as the Senior Advisor for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action!

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced professional to lead and manage all aspects of program guidance and technical support under the Director of Child Protection and Migration. In this role, you will enhance UNICEF’s policy and programming related to child protection in emergencies, addressing both armed conflict and natural disaster contexts. You will be instrumental in developing tools that strengthen the capacity of UNICEF staff and partners to protect children in humanitarian emergencies while fostering collaboration with other child protection stakeholders.

As the Senior Advisor, you will drive the achievement of concrete and sustainable results in alignment with results-based management approaches, UNICEF’s Strategic Plan, and the Child Protection Strategy. If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children during emergencies and have the expertise to ensure effective performance and accountability, we encourage you to apply and be part of our impactful mission!!.

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

Provide strong managerial leadership to a team of child protection managers and specialists, guiding them in setting individual and team objectives while ensuring timely and effective performance. The senior advisor will oversee the allocation and efficient use of funds for child protection in humanitarian action, establishing an annual work plan with clear priorities and performance indicators. In addition to managing resources, the position entails developing programme proposals to secure funding for child protection initiatives, aligning global programs with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and international standards, and participating in evaluations to assess progress and identify lessons learned.

In this position, you will provide essential technical support to regional and country offices for effective programming in child protection during emergencies, ensuring alignment with UNICEF’s Core Commitments. The role also includes offering strategic advice to senior management on advocacy and visibility for child protection efforts. You will engage with key partners and stakeholders, including UN agencies and NGOs, to enhance collaboration and develop guidance tools for child protection in emergencies. Additionally, the position emphasizes knowledge management and capacity building, encouraging innovative practices and leading initiatives that strengthen competencies among stakeholders for sustainable child protection outcomes. More details on this role can be found here:  1062_JDSenior Advisor Child Protection CPHA 2024 FINAL_VA.docx

The following minimum requirements:

Advanced university degree in law, child development, international relations, social sciences or related technical field is required.

Work Experience:

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience at both field and national/international levels, focusing on program planning, management, monitoring, and evaluation specifically related to child protection in humanitarian emergencies is required.

Desirables/Assets:

• Strong understanding of child protection policies, frameworks, and best practices in humanitarian action, including familiarity with international legal instruments related to child rights.
• Proven experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating child protection programs, with a focus on results-based management approaches.
• Familiarity with emergency response mechanisms and the ability to quickly adapt to rapidly changing situations in humanitarian crises
• Strong advocacy and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence policy and decision-making related to child protection issues at national and international levels.
• Relevant experience working at country level in humanitarian contexts is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset..

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

As per 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.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.