Programme Officer (Child Protection)

Programme Officer (Child Protection)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Safety

UNICEF works where children need it most. Through our 2023-2026 Cooperation Programme with Ecuador, we promote the creation of equitable opportunities for children and adolescents. We are present in the areas where they face the greatest challenges, including poverty, violence, chronic malnutrition, and limited access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services. UNICEF’s Cooperation Programme is implemented through five programmatic areas that address the main needs of children in the country: Health and Nutrition, Education, Child Protection, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Climate Change, and Social Inclusion. These areas work together to ensure that every child has the opportunity to survive, thrive, learn, and reach their full potential. Learn more here: UNICEF│Ecuador

How can you make a difference?

The Child Protection Officer provides professional technical, operational and programme assistance throughout the programming process to strengthen child protection systems and prevent and respond to violence, abuse, exploitation and harmful practices. The position has particular responsibility for juvenile justice, child-sensitive justice, normative and policy analysis, and strengthening the justice system's capacity to protect children in contact with the law, including children alleged as, accused of or recognized as having infringed criminal law, and child victims and witnesses.

Summary of key functions and accountabilities:

1. Child protection programme development, systems strengthening and planning
2. Normative, legal and policy analysis
3. Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results
4. Technical assistance for juvenile justice and justice system strengthening
5. Gender mainstreaming and gender-based violence programming
6. Central-level coordination, networking and partnership building
7. Knowledge management, advocacy and capacity development

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A completed first level university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent) in social sciences, law, human rights, international relations, political science, public policy, sociology, gender studies, international development, or another relevant field is required.
• Work

Experience

• A minimum of one (1) year of relevant professional experience in child protection programme planning, implementation, monitoring or systems strengthening is required.
• Demonstrated experience in juvenile justice, child-sensitive justice, justice-sector reform, and/or legal and policy analysis related to children's rights is required.
• Experience in results-based management; collection and use of disaggregated data; programme monitoring; development of technical, legal or policy documents; and collaboration with government and civil-society partners is required.
• Skills: Strong ability to apply gender analysis to support gender-responsive programming across strategies, programmes, partnerships and reporting.
• Proven ability to assess laws, policies and regulations against international standards and identify gaps and risks affecting children’s rights.
• Demonstrated capacity to promote child-friendly procedures for children in contact with the law.
• Strong ability to promote restorative approaches, diversion and alternatives to detention for children in contact with the law.
• Demonstrated capacity to use disaggregated data and programme monitoring to track results, assess quality, identify bottlenecks, and recommend corrective action.
• Proven ability to support coordination among central-government, justice, child protection and gender institutions.
• Language

Requirements

• Proficiency in English and Spanish is required. Strong analytical, drafting, presentation, and communication skills in both languages are required.

Desirables:

• Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is an asset.

• Advanced training in child rights, juvenile justice, gender equality, or gender-based violence is an asset.

• Experience working with central-government or justice-sector institutions, supporting inter-institutional coordination, and strengthening the capacities of child protection or justice professionals is highly desirable.

• Experience integrating gender equality into programmes and/or designing, implementing or monitoring interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence affecting children and adolescents is highly desirable.

• Experience in humanitarian child protection, safeguarding, participation of children and adolescents is an asset.

• Relevant work experience within a United Nations agency or any other international development organization 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

• UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• (1) Builds and maintains partnerships (1)

• (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

• (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (1)

• (4) Innovates and embraces change (1)

• (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

• (6) Thinks and acts strategically (1)

• (7) Works collaboratively with others (1)

• Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and their different levels.

• This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

• UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

• UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

• 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 an