Child Protection Officer

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for personal and professional development. UNICEF prides itself on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Job Overview:
The Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Ukraine plays a crucial role in providing professional technical, operational, and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection programmes/projects. This position involves preparing, executing, managing, and implementing various technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. The officer will work closely with the Child Protection Specialist and contribute to both urgent humanitarian responses and foundational recovery-oriented reform processes, ensuring that children in Ukraine are protected and prepared for a post-war future.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support to programme development and planning: Conduct and update situation analyses for child protection programmes, focusing on humanitarian action. Research and report on development trends for programme management. Contribute to establishing sectoral programme goals and objectives through research and analysis. Prepare necessary documentation for programme review and approval processes.
• Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results: Collaborate with colleagues and partners to address implementation issues and provide solutions. Maintain records of reports and assessments for reference and institutional learning. Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises to assess programme effectiveness and report on necessary actions. Monitor resource use and ensure compliance with organizational rules and donor commitments.
• Technical and operational support to programme implementation: Conduct field visits and surveys to assess progress and provide technical support. Report on critical issues and bottlenecks for timely resolution. Provide support to government counterparts and partners on UNICEF policies and best practices in child protection.
• Networking and partnership building: Build partnerships with government counterparts and stakeholders to facilitate programme implementation. Participate in inter-agency meetings to collaborate on child protection programmes and integrate UNICEF’s strategies with UNDAF processes. Prepare resource mobilization materials and communication materials for advocacy and fundraising.
• Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building: Capture and share lessons learned for knowledge development. Apply innovative approaches to support programme delivery. Participate in capacity building initiatives to enhance stakeholder competencies.

Required Qualifications:
Minimum requirements include a university degree in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, social work, law, or another relevant social science field. A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection areas is required. Experience working in Ukraine is considered an asset, as is relevant experience in programme development in child protection, particularly in humanitarian action and children and armed conflict. Familiarity with UNICEF rules and procedures is also advantageous.

Educational Background:
A university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, social work, law, or another relevant social science field.

Experience:
A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required. Experience working in Ukraine is considered an asset. Relevant experience in programme development in child protection, particularly in humanitarian action and children and armed conflict, is also beneficial. Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Additional Notes:
This position is based in Kharkiv and the incumbent will be expected to work on-site. However, depending on security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security conditions, relocation within Ukraine may be required. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment process.