Child Protection Program Coordinator at Center for Advocacy Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI)

Center for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI) was established in 2018 as a registered NGO with Head Office in Maiduguri - Borno State, and with offices across Yobe and Adamawa States. We have been visible in Borno Adamawa and Yobe states implementing projects in Education, Protection (Child /GBV), WaSH, Nutrition, Empowerment/Livelihood, Governance and Peace Building. Our approach is aligned with our mission to enhance services delivery and empower citizens, through our Humanitarian, Development, and peace building nexus (HDP).

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Child Protection Program Coordinator

Location: Maiduguri, Borno (Roving across BAY States)
Employment Type: Contract
Contract Duration: 2 years
Position Reports to: Head of Programs
Position directly supervises: Child Protection Officers

Project Background

• In conflict-affected Borno State, Nigeria, women, men, girls, and boys, including children living with disabilities, face compounded challenges amidst escalating violence and instability.
• The prevalence of child protection (CP) issues and gender-based violence (GBV) is alarmingly high, exacerbated by displacement, poverty, and disrupted social structures.
• Reports indicate widespread instances of child protection concerns, including forced labor and recruitment by armed groups, further compromising the safety and well-being of children.
• The project aims to address these gaps by strengthening community-based child protection and GBV prevention systems, improving access to inclusive education and economic opportunities, enhancing communities' capabilities to deliver effective services, and creating a more supportive social and policy environment through awareness activities and advocacy.
• The project's approach is centered on empowering local communities and strengthening existing child protection (CP) and gender-based violence (GBV) systems.
• Studies consistently demonstrate that community-based interventions and capacity-building initiatives effectively enhance child protection outcomes, promote resilience, and mitigate risks of violence and exploitation among vulnerable populations.
• This evidence underscores the importance of fostering sustainable practices and local ownership to ensure a lasting impact in conflict-affected regions like Borno State, Nigeria.

Responsibilities
Program Development:

• Provide ongoing leadership, training, and guidance to staff and local partners to ensure programming meets best practice standards and prioritizes the security of beneficiaries and staff.
• Participate in program design and proposal writing.
• Conduct or participate in assessments to ensure appropriate interventions are implemented.
• Implement the psychosocial strategy to meet the needs of targeted clients.
• Ensure that CP programming is community-driven and that community leaders fully understand and participate in the design of the project.
• Developing the Child Protection strategy, and partnerships and providing oversight on day-to-day project implementation and reporting.
• Work with the teams at the different filed sites to ensure sustained programming.

Staff and Community Capacity Building:

• Collaborate with the GBV Coordinator to implement the staff training plan for Program team members.
• Oversee and when necessary conduct trainings for other CATAI staff, community and service providers.
• Collaborate with the Protection and Education Sectors to organize training for Protection staff, as needed
• Collaborate with the other CATAI Program Managers to maintain an ongoing training program to ensure program integration.
• Liaise with the GBV Coordinator and Field officers as needed for difficult or complex cases.

Inter-Agency Coordination:

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders – including community leaders(Camp chairman, National Emergency Management Agency, State Emergency Management Agency) NGOs, UN agencies, Local Partners and other CATAI sectors to enhance multi-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation and coordination.
• Ensure that information from the coordination meetings is shared, as appropriate.
• Attend internal and external coordination meetings at the different sites.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems, especially for child protection monitoring are in place which can be used for informed programming.
• Ensure monthly data cleanup and review meetings with the CPIMS focal person at location before they are shared to the sub sector for consolidation.
• Provide weekly and monthly reports to the relevant reviewers.
• Carry out field visits to all program sites on a regular basis.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Education, International Development, or related fields is required; Masters could be an added advantage.
• Minimum five years of relevant experience designing, implementing, and managing large, complex projects that work to protect vulnerable children and youth.
• Minimum four years of project management experience in emergency context.
• Experience in overseeing a child protection projects including supporting the delivery of psychosocial activities, emergency response, child protection case management including family tracing and reunification, and setting up child friendly and community based mechanisms.
• Experience in developing and implementing organizational child safeguarding policies and procedures, including for NNGO partners.
• Experience developing monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning processes for child protection within the education context.
• Demonstrated ability to liaise and build networks with government officials, community leaders, civil society representatives, and, preferably, protection actors within the context of safety and protection promotion.
• Demonstrated success incorporating innovation and participatory, flexible, and gender-sensitive programming into implementation.
• Significant previous experience working in conflict or crisis situations in Northeast Nigeria.
• Availability to travel to other CATAI implementing location.
• The candidate must be fluent in English.

Application Closing Date
16th December, 2024.