Violence Against Children (VAC) Consultant at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Violence Against Children (VAC) Consultant

Job No.: 549926
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract type: Consultancy
Level: Consultancy
Categories: Child Protection

How Can You Make a Difference?

• Under the supervision and technical guidance from the Child Protection Specialist (harmful Practices) and the overall supervision of the CPSS Manager and Chief of Child Protection Section, UNICEF Nigeria, the Incumbent will provide technical support to the child protection programme to ensure that children, in particularly girls who are victims or at significant risk of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation receive quality preventive and responsive services from a functioning child protection system at Federal level and in targeted States by contributing to the following outcomes:
  • Strengthening the Legislative and policy frameworks on all forms of violence against women and girls and harmful practices are in place and translated into plans.
  • Supporting the development of systems at national and sub-national levels to deliver evidence-based programmes that prevent and respond to violence against women and girls and harmful practices, including in other sectors.
  • Strengthening gender equitable social norms, attitudes and behaviors change at community and individual levels to prevent violence against women and girls and harmful practices.
  • Strengthening access to quality essential services including for women and girls who experience violence.
  • Collecting and analyzing quality, disaggregated and globally comparable data on different forms of violence against women and girls and harmful practices.

More specifically, the incumbent will:
Design and develop programme strategies for ending violence against children, women, girls including child marriage:

• Contributes substantively to the analysis and research of the political, social and economic situation in the country and preparation of substantive inputs to the UNICEF country office programme planning on ending violence against children, women, girls including child marriage.
• Draft inputs to country strategic documents, briefs, policy dialogues and other documents related to ending violence against children, women and girls and child marriage.
• Keeps abreast of new policy developments and strategies analyzing policy papers, strategy documents, national plans and development frameworks, and prepares briefs and inputs for policy dialogue, technical assistance coordination, and development frameworks.
• Helps ensure the quality of programme/projects design incorporating lessons learned, newly developed policies and best practices and establishing appropriate execution and monitoring mechanisms and systems.
• Provide substantive inputs to the design and formulation of programme proposals and initiatives, ensuring substantive rigour in the design and application of proven successful approaches.
• Identify areas for support and intervention related to the programme.

Implement activities related to ending violence against children, women and girls, including child marriage:

• Provide technical support to the Child Protection Specialist/Project Team Leader on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in working groups and committees as needed.
• Technical implementation of the Spotlight Initiative programme ensuring synergy with other teams, sections and field offices.
• Provide technical inputs to the annual work plan and budget.
• Ensure programme meets expectations as specified in programme document and update senior management and Spotlight Technical and Coordination teams as required.
• Provide technical assistance to and support local partners and implementing partners
• Gather inputs and coordinate the preparation of periodic narrative progress reports and expenditures status reports.
• Establish systems for project planning, implementation and monitoring, in collaboration with partners.
• Record and maintain documents on relevant Programme activities, issues, and risks.
• Expedites and coordinates programmes/projects implementation establishing collaborative relationships with UN partner agencies, experts, government counterparts and other partners facilitating timely and efficient delivery of inputs.
• Ensures effective application of RBM tools and monitoring achievement of results.

Coordinate the monitoring and reporting on the Spotlight Initiative programme:

• Develop and implement M&E plan of project to generate regular information related to progress of the project in line with guidance provided by project documents and the SI Secretariat.
• Gather and compile all information necessary for monitoring and reporting on programmes and projects from the planning to the evaluation stages.
• Monitor the implementation of activities and the expenditure of funds.
• Conduct field visits to supervise, coordinate and monitor field level activities of the programme.
• Draft and provide inputs to annual and quarterly and yearly project and donor reports; coordinate the submission of implementing partner financial and narrative reports.
• Provide inputs from programme activities and results to Reporting.

Guide coordination with national partners and other stakeholders:

• Coordinate with other UN agencies, government departments and implementing partners to ensure the projects’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with other in-country efforts.
• Oversee field missions and review reports on monitoring missions related to SI as well as write quarterly reports focusing on results, output and outcomes of SI implementation thereby contributing to project and donor reports for the Spotlight Initiative.
• Coordinate relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the Spotlight Initiative programme, raise potential problems and suggest solutions.
• Coordinate technical workshops and webinars; facilitate workshop sessions.

Support financial allocation and follow-up of the Spotlight Initiative programme:

• Coordinate development and preparation of financial resources of the programme including budgeting and budget revisions, and expenditure tracking and reporting.
• Monitor the allocation and disbursement of funds to participating partners.

Advocacy, knowledge management and communication efforts:

• Develop key advocacy messages and coordinate the organization of major advocacy campaigns, events, training, workshops and knowledge products
• Identify best practices and lessons learned to guide programme improvement and strategy planning;
• Document the programme implementation process and products and develop knowledge management strategies, products and methodologies on ending violence against girls.
• Contribute to the exchange of information and provide inputs to the development of knowledge and communications products internally and externally of the programme.

Requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• Advanced University Degree in Social / Behavioural Sciences (Child Development, Gender / Women Studies, Community Development, Sociology, Anthropology) or related field.
• Minimum of five years progressively responsible work experience in planning and management of social development programmes at State and community levels.
• Proven skills in partnership building, networking, advocacy, negotiation and organising community dialogues, campaigns and special events around social norm changes especially on ending Harmful Practices including child marriage at community levels would be an advantage.
• Good understanding and experience in the field of social norms, gender and community dynamics.
• Ability to express clearly and concisely ideas and concepts in written and oral forms.
• Knowledge of issues related to violence against children and women, child protection and other harmful practices
• Leadership and participation in similar assignments.
• Expertise in community mobilization in the selected areas.
• Proven ability to work independently.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

• UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

Application Closing Date
12th June, 2022 (West Central Africa Standard Time).