Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is in the Child Protection Section of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). The Child Protection Officer P-4 will be based in Bangui with regular missions to Field Offices, reports to the Senior Child Protection Advisor (SCPA) and is the Deputy of the Section.

Responsibilities

Within the limits of delegated authority, the Child Protection Officer P-4 will be responsible for the following duties : • Identifies the protection needs of children in the mission area, and contributes to the mission leadership in devising the mission strategy for the implementation of the child protection mandate of the mission in line with the DPKO Child Protection policy; • Ensures that the mission leadership is apprised of the full array of child rights and protection issues and how they are being addressed; • Assists mission leadership to ensure that the child rights, protection and well-being of children are addressed in all aspects of the UN mission’s actions, including with regard to peace consolidation, reconstruction, and to ensure that the rights of children are on the agendas of all relevant conflict resolution and peacebuilding entities, UN coordination mechanisms, international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the international donor community; • Functions as the deputy to the head of the Child Protection Unit and assists the SCPA) to provide leadership, guidance, and overall supervision to the staff of the Child Protection team as assigned; • Manages, mentors, guides, empowers, develops and coaches new and junior staff, • Manages operational and administrative matters within the Section, in consultation with the SCPA; Assists the SCPA in the recruitment of new Child Protection Officers and manages staff performance; • Participates in formulating the work plan, budget and medium-term plan of the unit, and administrative matters concerning the unit or mission; • Works with other UN peace operation components, including UN police and military, Human Rights, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), Security Sector Reform (SSR), Rule of Law to build capacity to mainstream child protection with a view to ensuring the integration of a child-conscious approach in their work; • Ensures follow-up on roles and mandates in relevant Security Council resolutions (SCRs) on children and armed conflict and, where relevant, the conclusions of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict; • Oversees the collection of and/or collects reliable, accurate and timely data on and, verificative the six grave violations identified by the UN Security Council and other violations committed against children; • Supervises the drafting of reports by the Section as Secretariat for the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, supports analysis of data and monitors incoming grave violations by Task Force members; • Establishes a viable management and screening system of the information collected in the field; • Assists the HOM to advocate for the allocation of funds or technical support in particular in support of prevention, separation and reintegration programmes for children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, as well as for child-sensitive humanitarian and development programmes; • Mainstreams child protection concerns into the work of the mission, provides training on child rights and child protection to all peacekeeping personnel; • Engages in dialogue with parties to end grave violations against children by armed forces and groups, and implements the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) under S/RES/1612 (2005) through the country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, and co-chair the Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting at the technical level and ensure mission-wide reporting on the six grave violations in conjunction with UN partners, NGOs and other actors as appropriate; • In coordination with the mission’s senior leadership and the UN Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting, engages in dialogue with perpetrators of grave violations against children and develops strategies/mechanisms to end violations against children including through the signing and implementation of action plans to address grave violations against children as mandated in SCRs 1539, 1612, 1882 and 1998; • Engages with national actors to promote inclusion of rights and protection of children in national policies and advocate with national actors for the allocation of national resources to this end; • Contributes to the design and implementation of policy and programme changes to address country and/or regional child protection concerns; • Establishes and maintains partnerships with other experts and stakeholders (including host governments, the UN system and other international organizations, NGOs, the private sector, research institutes, etc) to discuss emerging topics related to child protection; • Advocates with appropriate national government authorities in order to ensure adequate responses to violations committed against children. • Assists the SCPA in interfacing between the UN mission and child protection actors in field locations and work to leverage, as appropriate, political and other resources of the mission to prevent and address violations of children’s rights; • As assigned, represents the mission in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms, including but not limited to the UNCT, humanitarian clusters, especially to ensure adequate response to violations committed against children in armed conflict; • Ensures regular and timely reporting on child protection issues to DPKO in line with the DPKO policy and reporting guidelines and submit timely reports to the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict, including, but not limited to, Global Horizontal Notes, country-specific SG reports on children and armed conflict, and the annual SG report on children and armed conflict; • Performs other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Broad and expert knowledge of institutional mandates, organizational structures and policies within the UN, guidelines and methodologies relating to child protection including the legal framework for the protection of children, relevant Security Council resolutions and mandates related to children and armed conflict, the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, child-and gender sensitive DDR, juvenile justice, legislative, rule of law reforms and gender; Conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and ability to thoroughly analyse and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of socio-economic issues to assess their impact on children and to provide concrete strategy recommendations to redress situations; Strong analytical skills and excellent skills in drafting a broad range of documents including speeches and reports. Ability to review and edit the work of others; conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; ability to influence others to reach agreement; Demonstrated original and creative thinking; independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling of major policy, project and other issues/problems; Ability to seek new and improved methods of work, to share best practices and to incorporate lessons learned; Capacity to maintain effective working relationships with other UN, NGO, state and/or government stakeholders; Understanding of conflict and post-conflict contexts, proven ability to work under pressure in austere, insecure environments while maintaining resilience, integrity, productivity and effectiveness Shows pride in work and achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately. Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication. Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience. Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Planning and organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently. Managing performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority. Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member. Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills. Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines. Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff. Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative. Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff. Appraises performance fairly.

Education

An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, international relations, law, human rights, social sciences or a related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job – Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international levels, at least three of which at the international level, in human rights, political affairs, international relations, or law, including in the promotion and protection of the rights of the child in accordance with international standards, is required. Experience in the monitoring and reporting mechanism is required. Experience in a conflict or post-conflict setting is required. Experience in managing teams is desirable. Experience working in or in support of a field operation of the United Nations Common System or a comparable international is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English and French is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

United Nations Considerations

According to 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.