Description

TITLE:  CHILD PROTECTION SPECIALIST

(Females candidates are highly encouraged)

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Programme Development & Quality (PDQ)

LOCATION: Bamako with 10% to 25% travel to the field

GRADE: (Competitive package)

CONTRACT LENGTH: Two years 

POST TYPE: National or International

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: 

Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g., once a week or more) or intensively (e.g., four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Child Protection Specialist will use their in-depth contextual understanding, technical expertise, and relationship building skills to define and deliver our strategic ambition for Child Protection in Mali. The role will lead strategy development and technical design and implementation of high-quality programs that deliver change for children in both emergency and development contexts. The role supports national advocacy and influencing, while driving strategic partnerships for new business development. It supports the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems to demonstrate impact, while sharing learning across our programs, teams and partners. The role will work closely with operations colleagues and with partners in Mali, building their capacity and building ownership and agency of local organizations. This role includes a focus on external representation on priority issues including ending all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children in all settings, and the strengthening of an effective and sustainable child protection system. 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 vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to: Director of Programme Development & Quality 

Staff directly reporting to this post: Child Protection Case Management Coordinator; position is also expected to provide coaching and mentoring support to operational and other technical colleagues and local partners.

Budget Responsibilities: None

Role 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 Program Development & Quality 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.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Technical Leadership

Provide technical leadership for Child Protection for the Country Office and set the strategic approach in relation to the wider country strategy;

Build capacity of national staff and partners in key technical approaches related to Child Protection;

Master Save the Children’s Common Approaches as they relate to child protection and ensure technical proposals are designed to provide the best response to children’s needs.

B. Ensuring Program Quality (Design & Implementation)

Work closely with new business development colleagues to identify and pursue funding opportunities that allow for both integration into broader programs and standalone child protection projects; engage with technical partners, donors and colleagues across Save the Children; 

Lead the technical scoping, planning, and design and proposal writing during new program development, and ensure that we design and deliver high quality integrated child protection programs for children, building on global best practice. Ensure that gender, disability and resilience considerations are reflected in our program design and implementation;

Work with Child Rights Governance colleagues to ensure that a rights-based approach is reflected in our program design and implementation (in line with our child rights programming approach), with a strong focus on child participation;

Promote a Child Protection Systems Strengthening approach as the overarching framework, that supports working in collaboration and partnership with governments and local partners and working towards impact, scale and sustainability;

Provide oversight and guidance to the program implementation teams to ensure that thematic program components are technically sound, implementation methods are consistent with national and global strategies, acknowledged good practice (e.g., Save the Children Common Approaches); and are likely to achieve scale, as well as equitable and sustainable results;

Promote and monitor integrated programming in a way that increases overall impact of child protection programs at the community level;

Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) teams to carry out gender and power analysis, and conduct quality monitoring against international standards through participatory methodologies that promote gender equality and social justice (including child-friendly and gender sensitive/transformative methodologies);

Ensure programs are safe for children, their families and communities (do-no-harm, safeguarding, conflict sensitivity);

Contribute towards the creation of an organizational learning culture that promotes the use of disaggregated data, evidence and analysis (including gender and power analysis) and understands its link to quality and accountable programming; Contribute to strengthening the use of equality-focused program principles and good practice across themes and sectors;

Undertake field visits to project sites; work with implementation teams to understand impacts, operational challenges, and continuously identify opportunities for learning and improvement;

Contribute to organizational learning on child protection, ensuring that learning from our programs is shared across the Country Office and our partners, as well as with colleagues in the wider regional and global child protection community in Save the Children. Contribute to strengthening the use of Child Protection competencies within training and learning initiatives in the sector;

Support Humanitarian colleagues (as needed) to develop emergency preparedness plans and conduct sectoral assessments (including gender analysis and disability situation analysis using SC assessment processes and tools) and to design and deliver emergency response and recovery programs;

Monitor trends to ensure early action; and lead technical design and implementation and technical coordination of humanitarian responses.

C. Networking & External Engagement

In alignment with Country Office strategy and leadership, engage in strategic positioning with donors, partners, and government in-country, and ensure that Save the Children is a partner of choice in Child Protection;

Ensure that Save the Children is influencing and learning from others through national technical coordination and networking bodies such as child protection clusters and working groups;

Strengthen civil society engagement in national dialogues and policy processes to end violence against children through working closely with advocacy and child rights governance colleagues;

Ensure that the diverse voices of children, girls and boys are equitably heard and represented in our child protection work;

Represent the program to national and local government representatives, donors, partner agencies, etc. as required;

Ensure the quality, clarity, and consistency of technical components of internal and external reports (e.g., program reports, sit-reps, internal updates), working closely with awards, program implementation and communications colleagues as needed;

Leverage and liaise with technical colleagues from across Save the Children, including technical working groups and centers of excellence, ensuring that learning from the Country Office is shared with others and global lessons brought back.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:Ambition:Collaboration:Creativity:Integrity:

QUALIFICATIONS  

Master’s or bachelor’s degree in social work, Child Protection, Human Rights or relevant field

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

Extensive experience, progressively responsible, working in child protection programming, preferably in West Africa ;

Extensive experience in building strong child protection systems and in delivering services to children in emergencies;

Proven track record of effective fundraising with major donors;

Excellent written and oral communications skills in English and French;

Ability to work under pressure and willingness to work flexible hours in the event of major emergencies.

Experience in both development and humanitarian sector preferred;

Excellent understanding of the monitoring and evaluation processes and methodologies – with specific technical trainings in these areas;

Proven representation and advocacy skills;

Familiarity with key international standards for humanitarian work (e.g., CP Minimum Standards, SPHERE, HAP Principles, etc.);

Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, considering cultural and language difficulties;

Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation, and coaching.

Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures;

Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets;

Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner;

Commitment to Save the Children values, including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child Safeguarding policy.

Desirable

Fluency in French and English language skills highly desirable;

Experience in Mali or the region highly desirable; 

Save the Children experience strongly preferred.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities 

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

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.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Interested parties can apply via the following links:

Application link for the position: bit.ly/3PQI7DP

SCI job board : https://hcri.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI

Applications must be sent no later than 09 October 2023 at 17:00 

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for the written test and interviews. Applications will not be returned

NB: Applicants are advised that Save the Children International does not require any payment or expense during the entire recruitment process. Any request in this direction should be immediately reported.