Save the Children

Position: Child Protection Advisor

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Posted date: 44 minutes ago

Application Deadline: Nov, 16/2021 (6 days left)

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Child Protection Advisor is responsible for leading Save the Children (SC) Ethiopia’s child protection (CP) Programs, both in humanitarian and development contexts, working closely with other thematic advisors and relevant units. That includes designing multi-year CP strategies; designing and building CP programs and securing the grants; and producing and utilizing high quality and well-articulated project evidence and research work for learning, advocacy, and the continued development of the CP program portfolio. The Advisor is also responsible for developing strong external relations with donors, government, and strategic partners; and representing the Save the Children Ethiopia Country office by taking an active part in relevant global and national CP networks, and relevant meetings and forums in Ethiopia. This will include building a strong professional network on behalf of the organization at the national and regional/local levels. The Specialist is also responsible for ensuring quality implementation of CP programs working closely with program Implementation teams; and ensuring the mainstreaming of CP into other thematic sector programs, both in humanitarian and development contexts.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Thematic Director of Child Protection and Migration

Staff directly reporting to this post: no direct reports but expected to provide coaching and mentoring support to the program implementation team and local partners

Budget Responsibilities: None

Dimensions:  The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development, Quality and Impact, and program implementation team, advocacy colleagues, Regional Advisors, technical counterparts in other organizations, donors, academia, etc. The role is also expected to engage with internal technical working groups and communities of practice.

Context: Humanitarian and development

Scope: The role is based at the country office and will demand frequent travel to the field. Save the Children works in all 8 regions in Ethiopia, and Addis Ababa, and Diredawa City Administrations. We work in humanitarian and development contexts to meet the needs of children, and in the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to travel to the field and vary working hours accordingly.

Primary Technical area: Child Protection

Primary Sub technical area: Child Protection Systems (including for the protection of children in migration and displacement)

Secondary Sub technical areas: Prevention and Response to Violence against children

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

The key areas of accountability apply to Save the Children’s work in emergencies and development settings.

Strategic Programme Development

• Provide overall technical leadership for the Child Protection (CP) strategy development and quality implementation of the CP program and its projects, and jointly plan and implement advocacy/policy engagement activities. This includes leading the development of strategic plans and the portfolio of projects, research, and initiatives required for the achievement of strategic objectives and outcomes. 
• Lead the annual operational planning, and regular internal program planning and review meetings for the CP, as well as related inputs to quarterly and annual reports.
• Document and communicate program achievements against agreed strategic objectives and milestones for a wide range of internal and external audiences. Ensure the key strategic documents related to CP are understood and internalized by those who are either contributing to the evidence base or responsible for representation of organizational objectives at the district, regional or national level. 
• Identify technical support requirements, inclusive of field visits, as and when necessary, and ensure adequate support is provided and recommendations are followed up.
• Serve as a focal point for the CP program of the country office, for coordination with relevant stakeholders including clusters and national taskforces; regular liaison and communication with relevant staff at the Regional Office, Save the Children members; and the Child Protection Global Initiative. 

Strategic Fundraising

• Technically lead strategic fundraising to support resourcing the CP Strategic Plan and related Advocacy Plan. This includes funding for projects, research, and advocacy to support policy change objectives.
• Build on technical knowledge, research, and current/previous programming to lead the development of proposals for new program initiatives and institutional learning in close coordination with the relevant staff. This includes conducting/overseeing situational analyses, concept note development, and opportunity identification, and technically engaging in proposal development for funding working closely with the program development unit.  
• Actively contributing to enlarge the existing network of partners/donors agencies and to gather relevant information about their ongoing initiatives and future programming.
• Through external contact with relevant counterparts in donor/research agencies, identify new potential funding sources and share with the program development unit.
• Contributing to the development of programs material, brief papers and info notes intending to attract donor’s interest for Save the Children activities;
• Supporting the line manager and technical leaders to effectively liaise with Account focal points for the development of joint programming and monitoring the process of engagement with Donors.
• Develop and maintain contacts with relevant staff of current and potential donors, partners, and key technical agencies, in coordination with the line manager, other technical leaders, and the PDQ Director.
• Ensure that each proposal and annual implementation plan contains a (funded) research and policy dimension it that directly feeds into the agreed Thematic Advocacy Plan and lead the implementation of research necessary for evidence-based advocacy.
• As necessary, accompany and facilitate donor visits and provide relevant background materials in collaboration with the program implementation team.    

Policy Analysis, Policy Engagement and Advocacy for Policy Change

• Substantial knowledge of CP-related national policies, strategies, and other initiatives by government and other key stakeholders affecting children.
• Excellent working knowledge of government, public policymaking, and implementation to engage impactfully with policymakers, decision-makers, and opinion-formers on CP-related issues that can change the lives of children and young people affected by or at risk of protection concerns. 
•  Provide technical support to the development, implementation, and evaluation of Save the Children’s evidence-based advocacy strategies related to CP to ensure that the voices of children guide advocacy and policy changes and related activities.
• Develop policy papers and advocacy asks (or related material) based on research evidence, technical learning from projects, policy gaps’ analysis, and the development of good practices.
• Develop and strengthen strategic relations, bilaterally and in-network, with key influencing stakeholders in the sector, particularly government departments, UN agencies, and private and institutional donors in-country.
• Identify key influencing moments and Engage in CP-related technical discussions and represent the Organization in technical meetings and roundtables to ensure that children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities are included.
• Planning for the development and/or rollout of the policy and related action plans.

CP Technical Advisory Support and Programme Quality

• Work closely with colleagues in Programme Operations and with MEAL, and identify and provide technical support to ensure quality implementation of CP projects. This requires joint operational planning with the field team, regular periodic supportive field visits to project sites to monitor the progress of project implementation and understand what works well and the gaps, monitor quality, provide support as needed, and also capture lessons for use in new project development.
• Working closely with MEAL unit, provide guidance, advice, and support to program managers to actively engage them in conducting assessments (both quantitative and qualitative), reviews, and evaluations; as well as while conducting workshops or training as necessary.
• Support the development and implementation of capacity-building activities for staff involved in CP projects across the organization based on needs assessment.
• Coordinate and review quality periodic reports of CP projects, including reports to donors, working closely with the field team.
• Strengthen linkage and integration of CP programming with relevant thematic interventions, works of local partners, and relevant government agencies
• In cooperation with PDQ Learning and Knowledge Management, ensure proper documentation of experiences and lessons learned in CP projects under supervision. Work with MEAL unit to technically contribute to the development of an M&E framework for the overall CP program that monitors the impact of projects and progress towards strategic operational and advocacy objectives
• Develop and lead a CP community of practice for the country office, engaging different thematic sector focal points and program implementation staff, and that will serve as a platform for learning and institutional capacity on CP programming.   

External representation

• Participate in relevant Save the Children’s regional and global CP working groups and learning initiatives

Represent SC at all relevant technical external task forces, working groups, seminars, or other meetings/forums which have been identified and approved by the line manager and the PDQ Director, and use these meetings to negotiate strategically, and advocacy positions.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE  

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant Social Science field, Master’s degree preferred
• Technical expertise in CP programming in both emergency and development contexts

EXPERIENCE

• 8 years of relevant progressive experience in an international NGO or similar environment.
• Experience in designing CP-related strategies and proposals.
• Significant experience in providing expert advice for effective implementation of projects 
• Experience in working with government counterparts and other partners at various levels - federal to the district. This includes technical support, capacity-building, and coordination.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITY

• Excellent understanding of CP issues in Ethiopia at both field and policy levels.
• Practical understanding of the challenges and opportunities in realizing children’s rights in Ethiopia, about the thematic area.
• Strong data collection, analysis, and communication material/proposal/report writing skills.
• Strong analysis of CP-related data and ability to summaries and communicate this to a range of audiences. 
• Proven advocacy and representation skills
• Ability to develop strong professional relationships and collaborations externally with stakeholders, and internally across functions, projects, and teams
• Understanding and experience in monitoring and evaluation
• Good presentation, training, and facilitation skills
• Proven conceptual skills and an ability to think and plan strategically
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to train and mentor staff
• Ability to work effectively in a complex, fast-paced, matrixed, and multi-cultural environment
• Proven ability to manage a complex and demanding workload
• Strong organizational skills
• Experience with major donors such as USAID, the US Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration, UNHCR, SIDA, DFID, and the EU.
• Willingness to travel to remote field locations including refugee camps
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values, and principles including rights-based approaches
• Good spoken and written English, fluency in Amharic

Scope & complexity of decision making

Able to make decisions within a range of established alternatives

PERCENTAGE OF TRAVEL (Out of duty station if applicable).

• Estimated 50% travel to the field including some difficult locations such as refugee camps

Competences:

SC Values are Accountability, Ambition, Collaboration, Creativity, and Integrity. To meet the value system the post holder is expected to demonstrate the following Competencies on ongoing basis (this varies according to the position please consider the below as an example)

Leading: (align with Ambition, Integrity collaboration, and creativity)

• Delivering result: Takes personal responsibility and holds others to account to deliver our ambitious goals for children, continually improving our performance or that of the team/ organization.

Thinking: (align with Ambition, Creativity, Collaboration, and Creativity)

• Applying technical and professional expertise: Applies the required technical and professional expertise to the highest standards; promotes and shares best practices within and outside the organization.

Engaging: (align with Collaboration, Creativity)

• Working effectively with others Works collaboratively to achieve shared goals and thrives on diversity of people and perspectives; knows when to lead and when to follow and how to ensure effective cross-boundary working.
• Communicating with Impact: Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.
• We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. 

The Organization

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education, and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. 

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties following our global anti-harassment policy.

How to apply

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. click here