Regional Child Protection Advisor.
Based in Jordan with travel to Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon.
1 year contract starting asap.
Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a
private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian humanitarian organization. Its mission is to
improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local
capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local
populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to
respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates
devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.
PROGRAM SUMMARY: This position is part of a recent partnership between Plan
International and International Medical Corps (IMC) to work collaboratively. Plan
International is not formally present in the Syria response region, and as such, this position
will be seconded full time to the International Medical Corps (IMC) teams present in all the
countries involved in the Syrian Emergency Response. In the Middle East, International
Medical Corps implements long-term capacity building initiatives in sectors of health,
MHPSS, GBV, and child protection (among others). International Medical Corps has also
been a key first responder in several major crises and conflicts in the Middle East, including
the ongoing crisis in Syria and the affected region. We have operations in every country
affected by the Syria crisis.
JOB SUMMARY: The Specialist will need to:
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Co-ordinate with IMC Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS),
GBV, Nutrition, and other relevant technical sectors to ensure attention to child
protection issues is appropriately integrated
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.
Use the work-plan for FY16 to guide workload within the Region, working closely
with countries to ensure the needs are met.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. CHILD PROTECTION PROGRAM
SUPPORT
Child Protection Policy
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Contribute to the development of an HQ-led organizational CP policy, liaising with
colleagues in the region and at HQ
Assessment
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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 Middle East teams to design, conduct and analyze assessments that
include attention to CP issues
Technical support
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Provide direct and remote technical support to the project 'Life-Saving Response and
Protection of Conflict-Affected Youth, GBV Survivors and IDPs in Syria' as well as
other projects in the region involving child protection activities.
Provide direct and remote technical support to Middle East teams responding to the
Syria crisis. Support should be catered to different countries as needed, as incountry 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 Technical Unit Focal points.
Provide technical support to CP activities as part of IMC's MHPSS child focused
programming, including support to Child Friendly Spaces (CFS), and IMC's Youth
Empowerment Program (YEP).
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
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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
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Support the rollout and use of CP M&E systems, including the CPIMS
Develop and adapt appropriate tools to monitor Protection interventions, specifically
related to children
Provide assistance to the End of Project Evaluation for the project ''Life-Saving
Response and Protection of Conflict-Affected Youth, GBV Survivors and IDPs in
Syria'
Evaluate the implementation of child protection activities and draft lessons learnt,
case studies and recommendations for improved program design
Maintain flexibility to adopt new responsibilities as needed
2. CAPACITY BUILDING
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Provide training, support and mentorship to both specialists and non-specialists
responsible for implementing CP-related activities
Assist in the selection of qualified program staff
Provide training to MHPSS, GBV and other program staff as relevant in CP
mainstreaming
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
3. INTERNAL COORDINATION
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Ensure international guidelines, relevant documents and best practices including the
Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action are considered and
shared regionally (in English and in Arabic when available).
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
Work with country teams, IMC and Plan HQ to support publishing and dissemination
of articles, success stories, presentations and interviews highlighting work in CP.
4. EXTERNAL COORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION
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Maintain coordination with national CP coordination mechanisms where appropriate,
regularly maintaining contact with UNHCR, UNICEF and others.
Work with country teams to establish information sharing protocols for safe sharing
of CP information at the country level.
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Share assessment and program information with partner organizations and donors
as appropriate
Contribute to the positive image and overall credibility of IMC and Plan International
5. SECURITY
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Ensure compliance with security protocols and policies
Consider security implications of all program activities, reviewing all new initiatives
with country teams and stakeholders
Qualifications: 1. REQUIREMENTS
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University degree in social work, psychology, or another related field; advanced
degree preferred.
Minimum of 7 years (of which at least 3 in the field) of progressively responsible
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.
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
2. LANGUAGE SKILLS:
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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
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Ability to speak and understand Arabic preferred
3. CONDITIONS:
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Frequent travel throughout the region
Accommodation, food and transportation provided by the organization
Medical Evacuation service and competitive benefits provided by the organization
Further information regarding security available during the interview process
While performing duties of the job, the employee frequently works in precarious and
remote places.
The employee is usually employed in areas of civil strife, which often result in an unstable
security environment. Regularly work in outdoor, extreme weather conditions