UNICEF, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, works together with partners in 190 countries and territories to promote and advocate for the protection of the rights of every child.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

 

For every child, Protection

 

To learn more about UNICEF career and the work in Rwanda, please visit our website https://unicef.sharepoint.com/sites/RWA/ and UNICEF Careers | UNICEF Careers.

 

How can you make a difference? 

Context

UNICEF, the entire UN family and partners in Rwanda are committed to creating environment that is free from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in all their programs and operations.  Guided by the UN Bulletin on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse UNICEF’s policy and strategy on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) and Safeguarding policy, UNICEF and implementing partners have embarked on the journey to ensure that all the interventions and operations are safe and free from SEA.

Regular PSEA capacity assessments are conducted for the civil society organizations UNICEF partners with, and the capacity development plans are implemented, supported and monitored. Over the past 3 years, a series of capacity building and skills transfer interventions have been implemented targeting critical areas to support safe programming and make operations safer in line with UNICEF’s core commitments, PSEA and safeguarding frameworks. 

To strengthen the National systems, UNICEF works with the Government of Rwanda through the National Child Development Agency (NCDA) and the Ministry of Labor to keep children safe in all settings and create a safer work environment. This is translated by the development of the National Child Safeguarding Framework, roll out of child protection case management framework and Ratification of the ILO Convention 190 (ILO C190) and development of its implementation framework by NCDA and the Ministry respectively.

The current assignment will support the Rwanda Country Office to implement UNICEF child safeguarding and PSEA commitments covering the full spectrum of emergencies and development work that UNICEF support. The assignment will also contribute to the roll out of child protection case management and strengthening alternative childcare in Rwanda.

The child protection and safeguarding officer will be based in Kigali and report to the NO-3 Child Protection/ PSEA Specialist. The role includes supporting child safeguarding and PSEA in Resilience in Secondary Education (RISE) and supporting the implementing partners – CSOs and Government.

 

Purpose of the position

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the NO-3 Child Protection/ PSEA Specialist, Child Protection and safeguarding Officer supports the implementation of the UNICEF Rwanda Country Office PSEA and safeguarding Action Plan, the roll out of child protection case management and strengthening of alternative childcare. This includes mainstreaming PSEA and safeguarding into programmes and operations, managing SEA and safeguarding risks in partnerships (IP PSEA capacity assessments), PSEA and safeguarding reporting, community awareness, and in the engagement of external suppliers/vendors, conducting field monitoring, and providing technical support to government and NGO partners, including training. The Programme officer will provide dedicated capacity to support section colleagues and partners to ensure PSEA and safeguarding are mainstreamed across UNICEF’s programmes, both humanitarian and development.

Child Protection and Safeguarding Officer provide professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection case management and alternative child care working closely with National Child Development Agency (NCDA). H/She prepares, executes, manages, and implements a variety of technical and administrative programme tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting.

 

Key Expected Results

Key functions/accountabilities for this appointment are as follows:

 

Support to programme development and planning

• Conduct and update the situation analysis for the development, design and management of child protection, safeguarding and PSEA related programmes.
• Research and report on development trends (e.g. economic, social, health) and data for use in programme development, management, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of results.
• Contribute to the development and establishment of sectoral programme goals, objectives, strategies, and results-based planning through research, analysis and reporting of child protection, safeguarding, PSEA and other related information for planning and goal setting.
• Support the integration of PSEA and safeguarding into UNICEF’’s development programming and, emergency preparedness and response plans and training.

• Support programme sections and implementing partners (including government and NGOs) in integrating safeguarding and PSEA into programming and risk management processes (IP PSEA Assessments

 

Technical support to programme implementation and capacity building

•  Provide technical support to government counterparts, NGO partners, UN system partners and other country office partners/donors on the application and understanding of UNICEF policies, strategies, processes and best practices in child protection, safeguarding and PSEA to support programme implementation.
• Support the development and implementation of safeguarding and PSEA packages and toolkits, capacity building and monitoring related to the RISE programme.
• Support the implementation of the UNICEF Rwanda PSEA Action Plan and assist with the delivery of PSEA and Safeguarding training sessions for UNICEF staff (both in Kinyarwanda and English), partners, and vendors in line with the national training plan.
• Support the roll out of the child protection case management framework and the strengthening of community-based child protection structures including friends of the Family -IZU- Inshuti Z’Umuryango.
• Support alternative childcare assessment and contribute to the development and implementation of national guidelines on alternative childcare.
• Ensure that children with disabilities are fully protected including in integrated models delivering holistic services to children with disabilities.
• Support other child protection tasks as required.
• Be available for short-term deployments to support emergency responses nationwide as needed, particularly during acute crises or rapid onset emergencies

 

Innovation and knowledge management

• Identify, capture, synthesize, and share lessons learned for knowledge development and to build the capacity of stakeholders.
• Apply innovative approaches and promote good practices to support the implementation and delivery of concrete and sustainable programme results.
• Research and report on best and cutting-edge practices for development planning of knowledge products and systems.
• Participate as a resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients and stakeholders.
• Contribute to knowledge management efforts, including documentation of good practices and support in maintaining tools and training materials.

 

Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate programme implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to achieve and sustain results on child protection, safeguarding and PSEA.
• Participate in inter-agency meetings/events on programming to collaborate with inter-agency partners/colleagues on UNDAF operational planning and preparation of child protection programmes/projects, and to integrate and harmonize UNICEF’s position and strategies with UNDAF development and planning processes.
•  Research information on potential donors and prepare resource mobilization materials and briefs for fund raising and partnership development purposes.
• Contribute to joint inter-agency activities such as capacity building and child friendly PSEA communication.
• Participate in coordination efforts with the Child Protection and GBV Area of Accountability on victim referral pathways.
• Draft communication and information materials for CO programme advocacy to promote awareness, establish partnership/alliances and support fund raising for child protection programmes.
• Support community sensitization efforts in coordination with the SBC section, and implementing partners, ensuring the use of child-friendly and culturally appropriate PSEA approaches.

 

Programme management, operational support, monitoring and delivery of results

• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues and partners to discuss implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or to alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level interventions and/or decisions. Keep records of reports and assessments for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.
• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual sectoral reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes/projects, and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
•  Monitor and report on the use of sectoral programme resources (financial, administrative and other assets), verifying compliance with approved allocations, organizational rules, regulations, procedures and donor commitments, standards of accountability and integrity. Report on critical issues and findings to ensure timely resolution by management and stakeholders. Follow up on unresolved issues to ensure resolution.
• Prepare regular and mandated sectoral programme/project reports for management, donors and partners to keep them informed of programme progress.
• Contribute to strengthening safeguarding and PSEA community feedback and reporting channels, in line with UNICEF’s safeguarding and IASC standards through collection and analysis of data on the functionality and use of reporting channels, including child-friendly community-based complaints mechanisms.
• Support the application of risk mitigation measures in UNICEF partnerships and vendor engagement particularly in higher-risk areas/programming and participate in the review and monitoring of PSEA risk reduction plans developed by partners.

 

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

 

Qualifications of a Successful Candidate

Education and experience:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Social work, psychology, law, human rights, international development or any related field.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience in both development and humanitarian contexts is an added advantage.

Knowledge and skills

• Specific skills in social work are required
• Familiarity with UNICEF Child Protection programming in Rwanda
• Familiarity with UNICEF Child safeguarding policy, UN policies and practices on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, to meet deadlines, and to take initiative to troubleshoot and solve problems before they arise

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English (verbal and written) required.
• Fluency in Kinyarwanda (verbal and written) required
• Knowledge of another language of the humanitarian operation or UN language, especially French, is an asset.

 

Competencies of a Successful Candidate (Based on UNICEF professional competency profile)

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 (Level 1)

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

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

(4) Innovates and embraces change (Level 1)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (Level 1)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (Level 1)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (Level 1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its 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 and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

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:

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

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.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.