Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria

UNICEF is supporting the Government of Nigeria to strengthen prevention of and response all forms of violence against children. In particular, assistance will be provided to strengthen the child protection system, including through modelling the system in four States, in order to demonstrate the impact of a well-functioning child protection system, to develop a common model for operationalizing the Child Rights Act at State level and to develop standardized tools, including regulations, working protocols and training manuals to govern the system.

The emergency in the northeast of Nigeria has led to large scale displacement of civilians with the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) estimating 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the six states of the Northeast. The increasing number of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), including children orphaned in the ongoing hostilities, is a growing issue of concern. There is a pressing need for the Child Protection Programme to scale up its interventions in North East to meet the needs of UASC, and in particular to support alternative care for UASC and the establishment and implementation of family tracing and reunification mechanisms.

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

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Child Protection in Emergencies Specialist

Job ID: #816981
Ref: VN-NGR-13-2015
Location: Abuja, with frequent travel to the field
Level: L4 Temporary Appointment (TA) for 364 days

Purpose of the post

• The successful candidate will be responsible for leading, strengthening and scaling up UNICEF’s child protection response to the emergency in the North East of Nigeria, to ensure that the needs of children affected by the armed conflict are met.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the Child Protection Section’s Emergencies Programme and sub team
• Scale up and strengthen UNICEF’s response for children affected by the armed conflict in the North East of Nigeria
• Supervise the expansion of the psychosocial support programme in the three States of Emergency
• Establish and manage the Unaccompanied and Separated Children programme in the North East of Nigeria
• Develop a mechanism for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) for children involved in the hostilities
• Strengthen coordination of child protection interventions in the States of Emergency with UN agencies, CSOs and State agencies.

Qualifications and Competencies required

• Advanced degree in social work, social science or related field.
• A minimum of 8 years of experience in child protection programming.
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in child protection programming in emergencies.
• Experience of programming on UASC and DDR is desirable.
• Experience of managing teams.
• Fluency in English.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven ability to work independently under difficult conditions.

Application Closing Date
Thursday, 5th February, 2015.

How To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their application, accompanied by an updated CV in English and a completed United National Personal History Form, which can be download below and sent to: [email protected]

Click Here to Download the United Nations Personal History Form

Note:

• Please put the position title you are applying for on the subject line of your email.
• UNICEF, a smoke-free environment, is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly women are strongly encouraged to apply.