Chief Child Protection Officer, P5, Fixed Term, #91790, Damascus-Syria, MENA

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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.

For every child, peace

UNICEF Syria was established in 1970 and has been working with partners to help empower children to fully claim and enjoy their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

UNICEF works with partners across Syria to deliver supplies, services, and expertise in areas of Child Protection, Education, Health, Nutrition, Water, Hygiene and Sanitation for every child. UNICEF also provides humanitarian assistance when needed.

Syria continues to face one of the most complex emergencies in the world. Unprecedented humanitarian needs are compounded by displacement inside the country and across its borders, extensive destruction of civilian and social services infrastructure, devastating impacts on the economy, and most importantly, the breakdown of the social fabric that stitched the country together for decades.

Today, 90% of people in Syria live in poverty, most are unable to make ends meet or bring food to the table. Families have had their resources depleted, with limited employment opportunities, skyrocketing prices, and shortage of basic supplies. For most people, the current socio-economic challenges represent some of the harshest and most challenging circumstances they have faced since the beginning of the crisis 11 years ago.

In 2024, 16.7 million people need humanitarian assistance. This is the highest number of people in need ever recorded in Syria since 2011. The education sector identifies 7.2 million children and education personnel in need of assistance. This is largely due the ongoing conflict, continued displacements, the unprecedented economic crisis, and deepening poverty. The impact of the earthquakes in 2023 and the hike in price of commodities triggered by the overall global economic situation and the impact of sanctions are further compounding the dire situation.

For information of the work of our organization, please visit our website: UNICEF Syria  

How can you make a difference? 

 

You report to the Deputy Representative for general guidance and direction. You are responsible for managing and leading all stages of child protection programmes/ projects from strategic planning and formulation to achieving 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 wellbeing as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/ frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies.

You are responsible for leading and managing the child protection section and establishing the plans of action 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.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Managerial leadership
2. Programme development and planning
3. Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results
4. Advisory services and technical support
5. Advocacy, networking and partnership building
6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

 

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  GJP Chief Child Protection P-5 for VA.pdf

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

Minimum Requirements

Education: An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.

Experience: