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Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, protection.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment

Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, more than 2 million people from Ukraine have crossed the Slovak border. Slovakia currently hosts over 156,000 Ukrainian nationals with Temporary Protection status, of whom 80% are children and women. After more than two years of emergency response, UNICEF and partners observed an increase in child protection cases that require an advanced response from professionals – which is typical for protracted emergencies where full inclusion of children in national systems and services has not yet been achieved. This emergency has also revealed and exacerbated preexisting systemic gaps and challenges in the child protection. Additionally, the most vulnerable groups within the refugee community, such as refugee youth and adolescents, children with disabilities, and their families, face higher risks and are harder to reach, necessitating more focused interventions and technical support to national authorities.

UNICEF is working with national systems and institutions in the Slovak Republic to integrate refugee children and families into the national child protection systems through (1) strengthening the social service workforce by enhancing knowledge, skills, and practices to be both child- and refugee-sensitive; (2) supporting ongoing social work reforms to ensure they are informed by international standards and best practices for child and refugee protection; (3) increasing institutional capacity to effectively integrate Ukrainian children and families into protection systems at the central, regional, and municipal levels; (4) enhancing system capacity to include children with disabilities and their families by training frontline professionals and developing methodologies and guidelines to mainstream disability in their daily and policy work; and (5) focusing on connecting the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups within the refugee population to national systems and services. This is implemented through the PATHWAYS program, which targets Ukrainian youth and adolescents with protection and education programs and facilitates ongoing collaboration with national and civil society stakeholders.

The Pathways Initiative in Košice is a collaborative effort between the City of Košice, UNICEF, civil society organizations (CSOs), educational institutions, and local employers to support the inclusion and integration of young Ukrainian refugees. The initiative addresses immediate and long-term needs in education, employment, social services, and community integration, focusing on children, youth, and families. As a central hub for these activities, the Municipality of Košice aims to enhance service delivery, build municipal capacity, and foster social cohesion. The Pathways Field Coordinator will play a vital role in coordinating and implementing these activities, ensuring alignment with Pathways objectives.

UNICEF Refugee Response Office (RRO) in Slovakia is seeking a Child Protection Consultant/Pathways Field Coordinator with experience in coordination of multiple entities to support refugee integration in the Municipality of Košice at the eastern part of Slovakia through the Pathways initiative. The consultant will report to the Chief of Child Protection of UNICEF Slovakia RRO. The consultant will work in close coordination with the Child Protection and Education team as well as with other programme colleagues in communication, youth and social policy.

Field monitoring and programmatic visits of implementing partners related to deliverables and/or the Child protection and Education team’s programmatic work is also expected.

Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the Chief of Child Protection and in close collaboration with colleagues from the Education and Communication teams in Slovakia, the consultant will play a key role in coordinating, advising, and providing technical support for the Child Protection and Education programme in Slovakia.

The Pathways Field Coordinator will oversee the implementation of the Pathways Initiative in Košice, working closely with municipal departments, UN agencies, educational institutions, CSOs, and private sector partners. The coordinator will ensure effective coordination, facilitate stakeholder engagement, monitor program activities, and provide strategic guidance to achieve the Pathways goals of promoting refugee inclusion and integration.

The consultant’s primary responsibilities will include:

1. Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Support the Pathways Working Group lead by Municipality of Kosice with the organization of regular meetings to promote collaboration, exchange of information, and tracking of Pathways progress among all partners.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including municipal departments, UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, CSOs, educational institutions, and private sector partners.
• Act as a liaison between the Municipality of Košice, implementing partners, and the refugee community to ensure open communication and responsiveness to community needs.
• Coordinate with local service providers and the Municipality of Kosice to ensure the effective operation of the One-Stop Shop for Refugee Support, streamlining access to social services, education, mental health, and employment resources for refugees.

2. Programme Implementation and Monitoring

• Collaborate with educational institutions (including NIVAM, RUSS and local education department) and CSOs to support Ukrainian students’ inclusion and promote access to educational and vocational opportunities.
• Support the Municipality of Košice with implementation of Pathways activities under the work plan between UNICEF and the Municipality, including (i) provision of preparatory courses for secondary and university entry exams, intensive language courses; (ii) organization of a job fair; (iii) partnering with the Technical University and other organizations to facilitate employment and career opportunities for Ukrainian youth; and (iv) capacity building activities for local institutions.
• Monitor program outputs and outcomes, identifying challenges and opportunities for program improvement, and report regularly on progress to the Education and Child Protection team and Pathways partners.

3. Capacity Building and Technical Support

• Provide technical assistance to municipal staff, social workers, and educators on best practices for refugee inclusion, with a focus on children, youth, and vulnerable groups.
• Conduct training sessions for the One-Stop Shop team and other service providers on refugee inclusion (ex. effective communication with refugees, refugee sensitive communication, working with refugee children with disabilities and trauma-informed care).

4. Data Management and Reporting

• Track performance indicators related to education, child protection and communication/SBC outcomes, in line with Pathways objectives.
• Support implementing partners progress reports, evaluation summaries, and contribute to reporting and impact assessment.
• Facilitate needs assessments and community consultations to gather feedback and inform ongoing program adjustments.

5. Communication and Advocacy

• In cooperation with Communication team and Pathways partners, develop communication materials (e.g., information leaflets, web content) to ensure that refugees and community members are well-informed about available services.
• Organize community outreach events, workshops, and informational sessions to enhance the visibility and accessibility of the Pathways Initiative.
• Serve as advocate for the Pathways Initiative, representing the program as needed in municipal forums and promoting its activities and achievements

Work Assignment Overview

Estimated Duration of the Contract

81 working days between January and June 2025.

Consultant’s Work Place and Official Travel

The Consultant will be based in Kosice, Slovakia.

As part of this assignment, some local travels are foreseen. The consultant will arrange her/his travel as and when they take place, and related costs will be reimbursed per UNICEF travel policy.

Travel Clause

• All UNICEF rules and regulations related to travel of Consultants apply.
• All travels shall be undertaken only upon the prior written approval by UNICEF.
• The consultant must be fit to travel, be in a possession of the valid UN BSAFE certificate, obligatory inoculation(s) and have a valid own travel/medical insurance and an immunization/vaccination card.

Estimated Cost of the Consultancy & Payment Schedule

Payment will be made on submission of an invoice and satisfactory completion of the above-mentioned deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs are incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines. All materials developed will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future.

Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 81 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as these will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

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

Required:

• Master’s degree in Management and Business Administration, social and political sciences, or other relate field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in programme planning, management and coordination in the field of education, ADAP, child protection or health, with experience in the Slovak Republic or similar context.
• Working in the emergency context is required.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Experience working with or in UN organization.

Desired:

• Fluency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is an asset.
• Experience working with state and NGO partners is strongly desired

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most marginalized children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Please include a full CV and a Cover Letter in your application. Additionally, indicate your availability and professional fee (in USD) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a professional fee will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.