Child Protection Expert

UNICEF is supporting health, nutrition, HIV prevention, education, access to safe drinking water, sanitation and protection for children and families caught in the conflict.

everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in child protection, health and education of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

The Child Protection Expert reports to Partnerships (Child Protection) Specialist for close guidance and supervision. The Child Protection Expert provides professional technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for child protection programmes/projects within the Country Programme from development planning to delivery of results. 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.

This UNV assignment is part of UNICEF Ukraine’s flagship Better Care Reform, supporting national and local stakeholders to advance family- and community-based care, strengthen child protection systems, and ensure that every child in Ukraine can grow up in a safe and nurturing family environment.

Support to programme development and planning

• Research and analyze national and regional political, social, economic and child protection trends to inform programme design and planning.
• Prepare high-quality technical inputs and documentation, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and relevance.
• Contribute to results-based planning by supporting the development of sectoral objectives, strategies and priorities.
• Provide technical and administrative support across all stages of the programming cycle, including RBM, monitoring and evaluation, in line with organizational processes.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Coordinate closely with colleagues and partners to track implementation progress, address challenges and propose solutions.
• Participate in monitoring, evaluation, programme reviews and sectoral reviews with government and partners, and prepare follow-up reports.
• Monitor and report on the use of programme resources, ensuring compliance with approved plans, donor requirements and accountability standards.

Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Conduct field visits and assessments, and share findings with partners and stakeholders.
• Provide technical and operational guidance to government counterparts, NGOs, UN agencies and donors on UNICEF child protection policies, strategies and best practices.

Networking and partnership building

• Build and maintain effective partnerships with government and national stakeholders to support implementation and strengthen capacities.
• Engage in inter-agency coordination and UN planning processes to align and harmonize UNICEF child protection priorities.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Capture, synthesize and share lessons learned to inform knowledge development and strengthen systems.
• Contribute as a resource person to capacity-building initiatives for partners and stakeholders.