Home-based: Global Child Protection Advisor, Technical Unit

The Advisor, Global Child Protection will join International Medical Corps’ Global technical department, reporting to the Senior Advisor, Global Child Protection. The focus of this position is to enhance and strengthen the services provided by International Medical Corps and its partners to children and families affected by the recent earthquakes and the protracted humanitarian crisis within Syria in particular. This advisor will work closely with International Medical Corps’ global advisory team members for child protection, and coordinate with other International Medical Corps’ child protection teams within the Middle East region to cultivate cross learning opportunities and outcomes and enhance the capacity of child protection staff and teams as well as the broader child protection sector. S/he will work through the existing International Medical Corps child protection Community of Practice, along with complimentary additional learning opportunities. S/he will engage with relevant child focused forums including No Lost Generation (NLG) and Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action. The role will include a focus on integration as well as achieving best practice when working closely with International Medical Corps’ other sectors of intervention which include health, nutrition, GBV, MHPSS, Food Security and Livelihoods, and WASH.

JOB SUMMARY: 

The focus of this role is to ensure child protection is managed to a high quality standard, integrated within other sectors. The Child Protection Global position will have up to 50% global travel, covering a region where there are CP programs. International Medical Corps implements long-term capacity building initiatives in sectors of health, MHPSS, GBV, WASH, FSL, Nutrition and Child Protection.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function with or without reasonable accommodation:

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Co-ordinate with IMC Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Nutrition, and other relevant technical sectors to ensure child protection issues are appropriately integrated.
• Institutionalize and mainstream child protection within IMC; ensuring provision of high quality standards within programs
• Represent IMC at Child Protection forums
• Provide guidance on appropriate response to immediate child protection needs, with simultaneous consideration of longer-term needs and possible scenarios.
• Ensure technical coordination with country-specific child protection sub-clusters or equivalent coordination and networking mechanisms - and other stakeholders and technical agencies relevant to the sector, specifically those that involve coordinated response to the needs of children.
• Maintain flexibility to adopt new responsibilities as needed.

CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAM SUPPORT: 

Child Safeguarding Policy: 

• Contribute to ensuring the HQ-led organizational Child Safeguarding policy is kept up to date, liaising with colleagues at HQ

Assessment: 

• Follow up on the initial assessments of IMC's CP activities and the CP context of different countries, as needed, in order to contribute to the ongoing priorities, available resources and major gaps. Based on this, provide recommendations for staff capacity building, programmatic changes and potential additional activities.
• Support teams to design, conduct and analyze assessments that include attention to CP issues

Technical Support: 

• Provide direct and remote technical support to teams responding to Child Protection within IMC country programs across the world. Support should be catered to different countries as needed, as in-country expertise and experience varies
• Ensure CP activities undertaken are in line with IMC approaches, international standards and best practices
• Provide technical support to case management programs involving children, in coordination with the MHPSS and GBV teams and other Technical Unit Focal points.
• Provide technical support to child focused programming in conjunction with IMC's MHPSS sector, including support to Child Friendly Spaces (CFS), and IMC's Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) and other relevant areas of interventions.
• Support country teams in technical revision and/or development of CP IEC materials, child-friendly MHPSS and GBV IEC materials (in coordination with MHPSS and GBV teams and Technical Unit Focal Points).

Proposal Design and Program Development: 

• Work with country teams and HQ to integrate appropriate CP prevention and response interventions into program planning
• Provide regular input and review of proposals and program reports
• Work closely with management, finance and field teams to determine operational needs of programs within the scope of grants

Monitoring and Evaluation: 

• Support the rollout and use of CP M&E systems
• Develop and adapt appropriate tools to monitor Protection interventions, specifically related to children
• Evaluate the implementation of child protection activities and draft lessons learnt, case studies and recommendations for improved program design

CAPACITY BUILDING: 

• Provide training, support and mentorship to specialists responsible for implementing CP-related activities
• Provide training and support to non CP-specialists within IMC to ensure Child Protection is mainstreamed in other sectors
• Assist in the selection of qualified program staff
• Develop training curricula and materials (based on training needs assessments and programmatic needs), implement trainings and workshops and develop self-guided learning plans for CP staff
• Work with teams to identify and train community-based volunteers for CP activities, where appropriate
• Support training and capacity building of national and local counterpart organizations

INTERNAL COORDINATION: 

• Work closely with leadership to institutionalize child protection within International Medical Corps, working closely with other sectors to ensure integration.
• Ensure international guidelines, relevant documents and best practices including the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action are considered and shared globally.
• Ensure that key staff members are kept abreast of current national and international child protection issues, trends and protection policies.
• Work in close collaboration with other program specialists

EXTERNAL COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION: 

• Maintain coordination with international CP coordination mechanisms where appropriate, regularly maintaining contact with UNHCR, UNICEF and others.
• Ensure attendance at global CP forums and other key CP sectorial meetings.
• Work with country teams to establish information sharing protocols for safe sharing of CP information at the country level.
• Share assessment and program information with partner organizations and donors as appropriate
• Contribute to the positive image and overall credibility of IMC

SECURITY: 

• Ensure compliance with security protocols and policies
• Consider security implications of all program activities, reviewing all new initiatives with country teams and stakeholders

COMPLIANCE & ETHICS: 

• Oversee the preparation of annual work plans and budgets
• Report regularly to Deputy Director - Technical, providing timely updates of all situational and project developments
• Create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of beneficiaries, by clearly defining the standards of behavior that are expected of IMC staff, as described in the organizations Code of Conduct; Ensure that mechanisms supporting these standards and principles are promoted, disseminated, and integrated into personnel requirements, and that the organizations SEA complaints procedures are in place and functioning properly.
• Promotes and encourages a culture of compliance and ethics throughout International Medical Corps. As applicable to the position, maintains a clear understanding of International Medical Corps' and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards. Conducts work with the highest level of integrity.

Perform other duties as assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed in this document are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and not necessarily all inclusive.

Code of Conduct: 

As applicable to this position, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of International Medical Corps' and donor compliance and ethics standards and adheres to those standards.

If this is a supervisory position, one must set an example of ethical behavior through one's own conduct and oversight of the work of others; ensure that those who report to you have sufficient knowledge and resources to follow the standards outlined in the Code of Conduct & Ethics; monitor compliance of the people you supervise; enforce the Code of Conduct & Ethics and International Medical Corps' policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and the Protection from Harassment, Bullying and Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace Policy, consistently and fairly; support employees who in good faith raise questions or concerns.

Safeguarding: 

It is all staff shared responsibility and obligation to safeguard and protect populations with whom we work, including adults who may be particularly vulnerable and children. This includes safeguarding from the following conduct by our staff or partners: sexual exploitation and abuse; exploitation, neglect, or abuse of children, adults at risk, or LGBTI individuals; and any form of trafficking in persons. Staff are also responsible for preventing violations to our Code of Conduct and Ethics, which may involve Conflicts of Interest, Fraud, Corruption or Harassment. If you see, hear or are made aware of any violations to the Code of Conduct and Ethics or Safeguarding Policy, you have an obligation to report.

Equal Opportunities:

International Medical Corps is proud to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or status as a veteran.

Job Requirements: 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Typically, a 4-year University degree in social work, psychology, or another related field; advanced degree preferred. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.
• Typically, 10+ year of relevant and progressive experience working in related field preferred, with minimum of 7 years of professional experience in humanitarian work, and substantial experience in child protection, including in emergencies and in conflict settings.
• Demonstrable technical expertise in the assessment of and design and delivery of responses to protection needs of children and young people.
• An understanding of International Medical Corps internal mechanisms and structures.
• Knowledge of community- and family-based approaches to child protection, child survivor centered care, and psychosocial support.
• Experience working with refugees and IDPs
• Good knowledge of humanitarian principles and international child protection standards
• Experience with participatory approaches to protection, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management
• Experience training on child protection technical areas with a variety of audiences.
• Experience conducting assessments
• Relevant regional experience strongly preferred
• Familiarity with international humanitarian operations, coordination structures, and the mandates of donors, UN agencies, and other NGOs
• Profound cross-cultural awareness
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions independently
• Ability to read, write, analyze and interpret technical information in the English language.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond appropriately to questions from senior managers in the field and HQ, counterparts, government representatives and others
• Arabic fluency is preferred

How to Apply: 

Please upload your resume or CV and cover letter at this link.