Child Protection Officer - UNICEF Ghana

How can you make a difference? 

The Child Protection Officer (JPO) contributes to the UNICEF Ghana Child Protection Programme, with a particular focus on Integrated Social Services delivery, helping systems at different levels to be climate-resilient, risk-informed, and responsive to humanitarian and cross-border protection risks. The JPO will provide technical and coordination support to integrate climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian–development linkages into national child protection systems.

The assignment will contribute to evidence generation, systems strengthening, and preparedness efforts that reduce inequalities, protect vulnerable children, and enhance the resilience of social welfare and child protection services in Ghana.

Key functions/accountabilities:

1) Strengthen evidence and frameworks linking climate change and child protection

• Support the implementation of the Child Protection and Climate Change study, including data anaysis and review, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination of findings. 
• Contribute to the development of a national framework for climate-resilient child protection systems that informs policy, programming and investment decisions.
• Provide technical support to incorporate climate-related risk markers and indicators into the Social Welfare Information Management System (SWIMS) for improved data collection and use.

2) Strengthen humanitarian preparedness, coordination and response

• Provide technical support to operationalize the Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) Contingency Work Plan, ensuring alignment with national disaster management structures and humanitarian development coordination mechanisms.
• Mainstream CPiE across other sectoral humanitarian work plans, including Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, etc.
• Support the coordination and participate in the National Child Protection in Emergency Working Group 
• Support with training of members of the National and Sub-national Child Protection Emergency
• Working Groups and relevant stakeholders on humanitarian principles, Core Commitments for Children, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, gender-based violence in emergency, and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.
• Support the development of a national trafficking data system for law enforcement to better respond to cross-border humanitarian-development responses.  
• Support preparation of child protection in emergency programme/project plans and reports (i.e. Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, Situation Reports (SitRep), etc.) for the office, donors and partners.
• Participate in the office humanitarian working group and interagency discussions.

3) Programme development, planning, monitoring and delivery of results

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher level interventions and/or decisions.  
• Participate in monitoring exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes/projects, and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through research, analysis and reporting of child protection and other related information for development planning and priority and goal setting.
• Provide technical and operational support throughout all stages of programming processes by executing and administering a variety of technical, programme, operational, and administrative transactions, preparing related materials and documentation, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

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

Work Experience: 

At least two (2) years of relevant work experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development planning and project management in child protection.

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in working in developing countries is a strong asset.
• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in a relevant field is an asset.

Language Requirements: 

Fluency in English is required. 

Desirables:

• Relevant experience at the country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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