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For every child, hope
UNICEF Ukraine
Join Child Protection team at UNICEF Ukraine!
How can you make a difference?
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
The humanitarian context for child protection in Ukraine remains acute: millions of children are estimated to be in need of support amid the ongoing conflict, widespread displacement, damage to essential services and escalating risks of violence, exploitation and trauma. Children continue to live under the constant threat of attacks on civilian infrastructure— including schools, hospitals and centres for social services — which directly undermines their safety, psychosocial well-being and access to protection services. At the same time, Ukraine’s recovery agenda is increasingly calling for the integration of child-protection into medium- and long-term reconstruction: investing in family-based alternative care systems, supporting reintegration of children affected by conflict or displacement, and embedding child-centred safeguarding in reforms linked to European-integration processes (for example via the European Child Guarantee).
Therefore, UNICEF Child Protection programme focuses on both urgent humanitarian response as well as foundational recovery-oriented reform process to ensure that children in Ukraine are not only protected today but prepared to thrive in a post-war future.
The Child Protection Officer provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection programmes/projects within the Country Programme from development planning to delivery of results. H/She prepares, executes, manages, and implements a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting. The Child Protection Officer reports to Child Protection Specialist for supervision.
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
Support to programme development and planning Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results Technical and operational support to programme implementation Networking and partnership building Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building1. Support to programme development and planning
Conduct and update the situation analysis for the development, design and management of child protection related programmes/projects, with a particular focus on the child protection humanitarian action. Research and report on development trends ( economic, social, health) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results. 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 documentations, and complying with organizational processes and management systems, to support programme planning, results-based planning (RBM) and monitoring and evaluating of results. Prepare required programme documentations, materials and data to facilitate the programme review and approval process.2. Programme management, 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. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned. Participate in monitoring and evaluation 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. Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verifying compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations, procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues and findings to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution. Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation
Conduct regular programme field visits and surveys and exchange information with partners/stakeholders to assess progress and provide technical support. Take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results. Provide technical and operational support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in child protection, to support programme implementation. As required, contribute to the monitoring and reporting (MRM) of the grave violations against children in Ukraine.4. Networking and partnership building
Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection. Participate in inter-agency meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of child protection programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes. Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes. Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for child protection programmes.5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders. Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results. Research and report on best and cutting edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems. Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.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, social work, law, or another relevant social science field.Work 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 as an asset.
Relevant experience in programme development in child protection - particularly in humanitarian action and children and armed conflict (CAAC) - related areas in a UN system agency or organization, familiarity with the work of Child Protection AoR/Cluster, as well as familiarity with UNICEF rules and procedures, are considered as additional assets.
Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (, application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
This position is based in Kharkiv and the incumbent will be expected be work on-site. However, depending on the security conditions and advisory, s/he will be required to relocate within Ukraine.