Child Protection Officer, based in Myitkyina, Myanmar (NO-B), Post No. 90729 - for Myanmar nationals only

Advert for Myanmar nationals - Child Protection Officer, based in Myitkyina (NO-B), Fixed-term position

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office in Myitkyina, the incumbent supports UNICEF’s coordination role and continued technical leadership in the area of Child Protection in Kachin State. The Child Protection Officer supports the regular coordination and liaison with State/Regional institutional and non-institutional counterparts, implementing partners and UN agencies; monitoring of project implementation in the field and identifying key child protection concerns in the region to bring to Country Office’s attention in advocacy and programming.

Key Expected Results

● Under the supervision of the Chief of Field Office (Myitkyina), provide direct technical support to Child Protection implementing partners and oversee the implementation, monitoring and reporting of UNICEF supported programme in Child Protection in Myitkyina and other areas of Kachin State, as required;

● Support implementation of child protection interventions in development and humanitarian contexts by maintaining partnerships with all respective government counterparts at Kachin State level;

● Capacity of Township Government counterparts strengthened on child protection and child rights, the importance of child protection highlighted by all stakeholders and included in State/Township development planning and investment frameworks;

● Identify, document and address Child Protection issues during assessment and programme implementation, and foster referral pathways for children at risk and/or survivors of violence;

● Child protection mainstreamed through enhancing the capacity of field staff from other sectors and NGOs to integrate Child Protection into the operational/field context, with a focus on health, nutrition and education.

Key Accountabilities and Duties & Tasks

1. Support to program development and planning

 Conduct/update situation analysis for the program sector/s for development, design and management of child protection related programs/projects. Research and report on development trends and (economic, social, health etc) data for use in program development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
 Contribute to the development/establishment of sectoral program goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through research, collection, analysis and reporting of child protection and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
 Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing/administering a variety of technical, program, operational and administrative transactions, preparing related materials/documentations and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support program planning, results based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating results.
 Prepare required program documentations/materials/data to facilitate the program review and approval process.

2. Program management, monitoring and delivery of results

 Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision. Keep record of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
 Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, program reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programs/projects and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of program management.
 Monitor and report on the use of sectoral program resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verify compliance with approved allocation/goals, organizational rules, regulations/procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues/findings to ensure timely resolution by management/stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
 Prepare regular/mandated sectoral program/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of program progress.

3. Technical and operational support to program implementation

 Conduct regular program field visits and surveys and/or exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support, take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.
 Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices on child protection and related issues to support program implementation, operations and delivery of results.

4. Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate program implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO program advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for child protection programs.
 Participate in appropriate inter-agency (UNCT) meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of child protection programs/projects and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF position and strategies with the UNDAF development and planning process.

 Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

 Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
 Apply innovative approaches and promote good practice to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable program results.
• Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Education:
Advanced University Degree in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law or other social science field is required. First level degree with relevant/additional years of work experience may be accepted in exceptional circumstances.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection and/other related areas at the international and/or in a developing country is required. Relevant experience in child protection and related areas, program/project development and management in a UN system agency or organization is an asset. Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

● Background and familiarity with international human rights and humanitarian law, emergency response and international guidelines relating to child protection, specifically focused on prevention of child recruitment, monitoring of child rights violations, rights of children in contact with the law, and case management and social welfare work;

● Ability to organise and facilitate capacity-building initiatives, including trainings for colleagues and partners;

● Ability to work in a complex environment with a variety of senior stakeholders, including from Government, Armed forces, UN, civil society and religious leaders.

Language Requirements:
Fluency in English and Myanmar is required. Knowledge the local dialect is an asset

Competencies of Successful Candidate

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication
• Working with People
• Drive for Results

Functional Competencies

 Formulating strategies and concepts
 Analyzing 
 Applying technical expertise 
 Learning and researching 
 Planning and organizing 

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.