SENIOR CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER [Temporary]

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located within the Child Protection Unit of the United Nation Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Juba. Juba is classified in the "E" category and as a non-family duty station. The Senior Child Protection Officer will report to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General. (DSRSG/RC/HC).

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Child Protection Officer P-5 will be responsible for the following duties:

Assist the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) to ensure that children rights, their protection and their well-being are a priority throughout the peacekeeping process, the peace talks and agreements, the consolidation of peace and the rebuilding of the region/country; Carry out and supervise key programme activities and initiatives; Function as the head of the Child Protection Section; Provide leadership and guidance to and overall supervision of the staff of the Child Protection Section; Assist the DSRSG in his/her capacity as Co-chair of the monitoring and reporting task force under UN Security Council Resolution 1612 and ensure the fulfilment of related reporting requirements on Children and Armed Conflict violations in close consultation with UN partners, NGOs and other actors as appropriate; Plan, organize and co-ordinate the activities of the Section; Draft or review monthly reports on the activities of the Section; Ensure that the DSRSG as well as senior mission leadership are fully apprised of the full array of children rights and protection issues and how they are being addressed; Provide guidance to DSRSG and his/her deputies on ways of strengthening existing children protection mechanisms; Assist the DSRSG and his/her deputies to ensure that all key actors and mechanisms within UNMISS and in the context of the peace process take a child-conscious approach to their respective mandates; Establish working relationships with UN agencies operating in the Mission area, in particular with UNICEF as co-chair of the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting; initiate and sustain dialogue with parties to the conflict to end and prevent grave child rights violations in close consultation with UNICEF and other relevant partners; ensure that child protection issues are well integrated into current and longer-term programming; Take the lead in establishing partnerships to promote child protection mainstreaming both within the Mission activities and in the context of its joint activities with the government and partners; Advocate for adequate and sustained allocation of resources to child protection programmes, with particular attention to child disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR); Participate in meetings with representatives of donor countries and the international community, when appropriate; Coordinate and chair and/or contribute substantively to general training programmes, workshops and expert group meetings; Write and/or supervise preparation of a variety of studies, reports, policy papers and guidelines on child protection issues; Propose to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) draft text and recommendations on the rights and protection of children for the Secretary-General's reports to the Security Council; Supervise the preparation of the Section's input to relevant reports to the Security Council; Report on a regular basis to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and to UNICEF Headquarters through DPKO by providing inputs for the Global Horizontal Note every three months or as required; Represent the DSRSG, when requested by him/her, in the discussions and planning of the various relevant peace process committees, national child protection and human rights committees and networks, and UN coordination mechanisms; Help to ensure that all UNMISS personnel have appropriate training on the protection and rights of children; Assist the DSRSG and his/her deputies in addressing complaints about the behaviour of UN personnel related to the infringement of child rights; Undertake field visits and/or participate in joint inter-agency assessment missions, as required; Contribute to the personnel and financial implementation of work plans and budgets; Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

• Professionalisim: Expert knowledge of institutional mandates, organizational structures and policies within the UN, guidelines and methodologies relating to child protection including the legal framework for the protection of children, relevant Security Council resolutions and mandates related to children and armed conflict, the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, child-sensitive DDR, juvenile justice, legislative, rule of law reforms and gender; Conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and ability to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of socio-economic issues to assess their impact on children and to provide concrete strategy recommendations to redress situations; Demonstrated original and creative thinking; independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling of major policy, project and other issues/problems; ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment; Ability to seek new and improved methods of work, to share best practices and to incorporate lessons learned; Capacity to maintain effective working relationships with other UN, NGO, state and/or government stakeholders; Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; Adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

Leadership - Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; Empowers others to translate vision into results; Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo ; Shows the courage to take unpopular stands; Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

Judgment/Decision Making - Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; Gathers relevant information before making a decision; Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; Checks assumptions against facts; Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; Makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, law, human rights, social sciences or a related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international levels in the child protection or human rights fields is required.

At least five (5) years’ experience at the international level, with increasingly responsible professional experience in strategic planning, programming and reporting is required.

Experience working in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) – or similar international organization or non-governmental organization – in a conflict or post-conflict setting is desirable.

Experience working in East Africa Region is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available for the initial period of six (6) months. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

United Nations Considerations

According to 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.