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For every child, Safety

In the context of the Refugee Response Plan and in alignment with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, the incumbent will be responsible for managing and supervising the handover of Child Protection programs in Slovakia. This includes coordination with ECARO around strategy and plans across Refugee Response Offices (RROs) as the office transitions towards closure by the end of June 2025. The incumbent will drive change, ensure key oversight functions, provide risk-informed, solution-focused analysis, advice, and services, all contributing to program and management decisions aimed at delivering results for children in emergency contexts. This role is also crucial in supporting the closure and consolidation of Child Protection functions, particularly as the Slovakia Refugee Response office undergoes a significant downsizing, with an anticipated closure by June 30, 2025.

How can you make a difference?

The Child Protection Specialist reports to the Emergency Coordinator, P4 for general guidance and direction. The Specialist is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of child protection programmes/projects from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development and well-being, as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies. The Specialist is also responsible for general oversight and strategic steer of the social policy priorities, with upstream engagement and technical oversight of programme implementation in collaboration with consultants.

The Specialist is responsible for establishing the plans of action and overseeing work progress to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable programme/project results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

1. Programme development and planning

• Provide technical advice and operational support to the preparation, design and updating of the situation analysis to ensure that current and comprehensive evidence-based data on child protection and social policy issues is available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy advocacy, intervention and development efforts on child rights and protection, and to set programme priorities, strategies, design and implementation plans.
• Keep abreast of national, regional and international development priorities on child protection and rights to leverage UNICEF’s position and competencies with donors, national governments, communities and constituents to advocate and promote child protection interventions, policies and social change to achieve goals on child’s rights, protection, survival and wellbeing, as productive members of society.
• Coordinate and manage social policy priorities of UNICEF in collaboration with line ministries to ensure successful delivery of UNICEF’s results.
• Contribute to the development and management of child protection and social policy programmes/projects at national and subnational levels. Establish plans of action, programme goals and results, using results-based planning methodology and terminology (RBM).
•  Collaborate with national, regional and global colleagues, partners and allies to develop partnership frameworks to address specific needs and to leverage resources for enhancing and scaling up child protection programmes/projects. Ensure synergy, integration, coherence, and harmonization of programmes/projects with UNICEF Strategic Plans and priorities, donors’ development strategies/policies, national priorities/competencies and UN System development interventions/initiatives.
• Ensure emergency preparedness and response is contained in national programmes/projects to ensure the protection and wellbeing of children in cases of emergency and humanitarian crisis situations.

2. Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results

• Plan and collaborate on monitoring and evaluation initiatives to establish benchmarks, performance indicators and other HPM (HACT) indicators, to assess and strengthen performance accountability, coherence and delivery of concrete and sustainable results in child protection programmes.
• Manage and coordinate technical support around child poverty, social protection, public finance and governance ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion so as to adequately support scale-up and delivery.
  Participate in major monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess progress and to engage stakeholders to take required action and interventions to achieve results.
• Prepare and assess monitoring and evaluation reports to identify gaps, strengths, and/or weaknesses in programme management. Identify lessons learned and use knowledge gained for development planning and timely intervention to achieve goals.
• Monitor programmes/projects to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems. Take timely decisions to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for timely resolution.
• Plan, approve, monitor, certify, and control the use of programme resources (financial, human, administrative and other assets) certifying/verifying compliance with organizational rules, regulations and procedures, donor commitments and standards of accountability and integrity. Ensure timely reporting and liquidation of resources.
•  Submit and prepare programme/project reports to donors and other partners to keep them informed on programme progress and critical issues.

3. Advisory services and technical support

• Provide technical advice to key government officials, NGO, and other programme partners on strategies and best practices to strengthen approaches/policies, support social/economic/political/legal development planning & implementation, and to support delivery of results on child protection, social protection, social policy and other related issues.
• Provide technical advice to line ministries and steer the relationships towards improving child protection systems in the context of humanitarian response, advancing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSs) system strengthening across agencies, supporting child protection coordination among government and civil society actors and mainstreaming of child protection priorities across all UNICEF programmes.
•  Lead the advancement of gender-based violence (GBV) and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) programme priorities, as part of UNICEF’s cross-sectoral commitments.
• Promote strengthening of integrated social protection systems, disability-sensitive programmes, and humanitarian cash interventions and improve linkages with other social protection, child protection and education interventions. Support the identification and implementation of policy options for improved financing of child-sensitive interventions.
•  Coordinate and ensure the availability of technical experts (with Regional Office/HQ) to ensure timely support throughout all stages of programming/project processes.

4. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

•  Prepare communication strategies and implementation plans and activities for maximum communication impact and outreach to promote awareness, establish partnerships/alliances for sustainable results on child protection and social policy programmes and refugee response interventions.
• Participate and/or represent UNICEF in inter-agency discussions and planning on child protection and social protection/policy and related issues to ensure organizational position, interests and priorities are fully considered and integrated in the overall refugee response. Collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on planning and preparation of programmes/projects including emergency preparedness.

5. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

•  Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches and good practices for sustainable programme/project initiatives through advocacy and technical advisory services.
• Keep abreast, research, benchmark, introduce, and implement best and cutting-edge practices on child protection management and information systems. Institutionalize and disseminate best practices and knowledge learned.
• Contribute to the development of policies and procedures and introduce innovation and best practices to ensure optimum efficiency and efficacy of sustainable programmes and projects.
• Organize, plan and implement capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders to promote sustainable results on child protection, social policy and related programmes/projects.

IV. Impact of Results

The strategic and effective advocacy, planning and formulation of child protection programmes/projects and the achievement of sustainable results, contributes the promotion of a protective environment for children against harm and all forms of violence and ensures their survival, development and well-being in society This post makes a critical contribution to UNICEF’s ability of achieving social protection results for refugee and host community children in the country. Achievements in child protection and social policy programmes in turn contribute to maintaining and enhancing the credibility and ability of UNICEF to provide programme services for children and families.

V. Child Safeguarding

Child safeguarding involves proactive measures to limit direct and indirect collateral risks of harm to children, arising from UNICEF’s work, UNICEF personnel or UNICEF associates. The risks may include those associated with: physical violence (including corporal punishment); sexual violence, exploitation or abuse; emotional and verbal abuse; economic exploitation; failure to provide for physical or psychological safety; neglect of physical, emotional or psychological needs; harmful cultural practices; and privacy violations.

The incumbent to this role is expected to have special responsibilities in managing child safeguarding risks and in taking appropriate measures to prevent any harm to children. The role has the potential to particularly affect children, (i) because the incumbent will be working closely with children; (ii) with their data; (iii) because the children’s background or situation make them vulnerable; or (iv) the role may entail responsibilities in reporting and responding to child safeguarding concerns. The position is considered as an “elevated risk role” and the appointee will be subject to a more rigorous vetting and training.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, social policy, public policy or another relevant social science field.

Work Experience:

• At least 8 years of relevant work experience in social development planning and management in child protection and/or social policy related areas is required.
• Experience working in an Emergency and/Refugee Response context is highly desirable.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection and social policy related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Demonstrable experience of upstream engagement with line ministries for child protection and social protection areas will be an added advantage.
• Expertise in advancing child protection and social protection systems in high income countries will be an added advantage.
• Solid understanding of MHPSS, GBV and PSEA thematic areas will be an added advantage.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Slovak language is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) 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:

Please note that this position is specifically created for the purpose of office closure. Applicants with immediate and direct experience with the Slovakia Refugee Office are highly encouraged to apply.

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.

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 (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

CO/ HQ specific: visa residence requirements: i.e.: UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.