Child Protection Specialist

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Child marriage remains a critical challenge in Malawi, with approximately 38% of girls marrying  before age 18—one of the highest rates globally and the third highest in Eastern and Southern Africa—driven by entrenched poverty, harmful social norms, limited access to services, and  weak, under-resourced child protection and case-management systems. The practice  disproportionately affects rural and poorer households, where multidimensional deprivation is  most severe, and contributes to school dropout, adolescent pregnancy, and intergenerational  cycles of poverty.  

Despite national progress, the scale and persistence of child marriage requires a targeted,  system-strengthening approach that enhances detection, improves survivor-centered  response, and expands community-level prevention. Frontline actors— child protection workers  (CPWs), police, judiciary, social workers, health workers and community structures—face major  constraints including understaffing, limited mobility, slow case processing, poor coordination  and weak data systems. As a result, cases are identified late, referrals stall, and survivors often  lack timely, survivor-centered support. In addition, awareness of protection risks remains low,  child-friendly reporting mechanisms are limited, and preventive services are inconsistent.  Community-level structures often lack coverage, trained personnel and adequate facilities. 

UNICEF is entering a five-year, multi-country partnership with the Children’s Investment Fund  Foundation (CIFF) with a focus on Ending Child Marriage (ECM). The programme in Malawi  builds on existing government structures, aligns with the National Strategy to End Child  Marriage (2024–2030), and complements ongoing capacities across social welfare, police,  judiciary, and community mechanisms.

Institutional Framework & Recruitment Context

This position is being filled as a Partner Personnel role. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is supporting UNICEF Malawi as a UN partner, providing dedicated recruitment and administrative support for this position.

The selected candidate will be recruited by UNICEF using UNOPS recruitment rules and regulations. Upon completion of the process, the incumbent will be engaged directly as personnel of UNICEF Malawi, not as UNOPS personnel. Consequently, the selected professional will work under the effective management, day-to-day oversight, and supervision of a designated supervisor within UNICEF.

Provides technical leadership at national level for Ending Child Marriage and Child Protection  programming. Leads the design, technical oversight and quality assurance of MRTs, survivor centered case management, referral pathways, and coordination mechanisms with social  welfare, police, justice and health sectors.

• Serve as the main point of technical engagement with relevant Government ministries and  departments, providing strategic advice and guidance on policy development and  implementation. Support alignment with national frameworks, contribute to technical  working groups, and facilitate coordination between Government and partners to ensure  coherent and effective responses.
• Provide leadership and direction to district-level implementation, ensuring that activities are  delivered in accordance with national standards and SOPs. Establish quality assurance  mechanisms, review performance, and support district teams to address gaps and  strengthen service delivery. 
• Supervise and guide Mobile Response Teams to ensure timely, coordinated, and high quality responses in line with agreed protocols. Monitor team performance, support  problem-solving in complex cases, and promote consistency and adherence to standards  across different locations. 
• Act as the central technical lead across thematic areas – Birth Registration, Justice and  Case management ensuring integration and consistency in approaches. Strengthen case  management systems, support birth registration campaigns, and guide justice-related  interventions to ensure they are child-sensitive and rights-based.  
• Lead the design of comprehensive capacity building strategies, including training curricula,  tools, and methodologies tailored to partner needs. Facilitate training, coaching, and  continuous learning initiatives, and evaluate their effectiveness to ensure sustained  improvements in knowledge and practice. 
• Establish and maintain tracking systems to monitor case progression, referrals, and partner  commitments. Proactively follow up to ensure services are delivered within agreed  timelines, address delays or gaps, and strengthen coordination among stakeholders to  improve outcomes. 
• Work with the communications and partnerships team to identify key moments that will be  important for visibility.  
• Coordinate with other partners working on ECM to mitigate risks of duplication and/or  overlap.  
• Develop high-quality narrative and analytical reports that capture progress, challenges, and  results. Ensure accuracy and timeliness of submissions, and tailor reporting to meet donor,  Government, and organizational requirements while supporting evidence-based decision making. 
• Plan and conduct regular field visits to assess implementation, verify data, and engage  directly with beneficiaries and partners. Identify operational challenges, risks, and capacity  gaps, and provide practical, actionable recommendations to improve programme  effectiveness and impact.

Required

• A Master’s degree in  one of the following fields: international development, social science, human rights, psychology, or another relevant field is required.
• A combination of a Bachelor's degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined above.

Required

• A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience in child protection is required with a bachelor's degree, or a minimum of five (5) years of work experience in child protection with a master's degree.
• Demonstrated experience working with multiple stakeholders (Government,  CSOs, UN) is required.
• Demonstrated experience working with District councils in implementation of child protection programming.
• Excellent skills in capacity building, especially training of low-level social service providers. 
• Expertise in Case Management implementation.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills, along with strategic thinking.

Desired

• Experience working with the UN.
• Experience working in emergencies is an asset.
• Excellent organizational skills and familiarity and confidence working with high level political  and government stakeholders is desirable.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.