National Child Protection Officer - Field - Job Description

The National Child Protection Officer is responsible for leading and managing War Child’s Child Protection interventions across the country. This will include managing project based Child Protection Officers who are overseeing work in different areas of the country. He / She will ensure high quality technical implementation of projects and will ensure that Child Protection minimum standards are met and adhered to. He / She will also be responsible for liaising and coordinating with the local authorities, Child Protection clusters and other relevant working groups.

If you share our values and believe that children’s lives should not be torn apart by war, we want to hear from you.

Department:  Programmes    
Contract Type: 1 year with possibility to extend
Place of Work: Sana’a with frequent travel to Aden, field, and project areas    
Working Hours:  Full-time
Reports to: Programmes Manager    
Salary Range:  As per War Child Salary Scale

About us

War Child, the charity for children affected by war. We are the only specialist charity for children in conflict, delivering high-impact programmes that are rebuilding lives across Afghanistan, Iraq, the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic and Yemen. We understand children’s needs, respect their rights, and put them at the centre of the solution - from supporting Syrian children to access education to reintegrating child soldiers in the Central African Republic and upholding the rights of children caught up in juvenile justice in Afghanistan. We look forward to a world in which the lives of children are no longer torn apart by war. This is a vision that can only be realised through the collective actions of children themselves, communities and their leaders, organisations like War Child, governments, and key decision-makers.

WAR CHILD UK has established a mission in Yemen in 2016, initially starting its programming with the implementation of projects for the provision of food assistance to ensure children have access to food and are able to meet their basic nutritional needs. WAR CHILD UK - YEMEN later expanded its programming to include education and protection integrated activities. Today, WCUK – YEMEN has two registered offices in Sana’a and Aden governorates and continues to work with local partners and stakeholders across the country to support and improve children’s wellbeing to ensure they can access relevant protection services, education and livelihoods opportunities.

Our values 

Bold

• We use our passion and creativity to deliver high-quality evidence-based work designed to maximize our beneficial impact for children in conflict.

Accountable to children

• Children can rely on us to respond to their voices and to treat them with respect and dignity.

Transparent

• We expect to be held to account by our supporters and beneficiaries and we respond with openness and honesty

Committed to each other

• We support each other and our partners to achieve ambitious goals and to be the best we can be.  We are honest and open with each other, sharing our successes and confronting our cha

Your role

Reporting to the Programs Manager, the National Child Protection Officer supports with the day to day implementation of Child Protection activities, ensuring that activities are conducted on time and meet quality standards. The position holder is expected to directly manage child protection staff and provide hands on coaching and support, to ensure the delivery of safe and high-quality programmes. S/he will be expected to support in the representation of War Child in relevant technical coordination groups. S/he will be based in Sana’a with frequent travel to Aden and other project sites.

Your responsibilities

Programme Quality and Standards

• Uses inter-agency standards, guidelines, technical support, resources and coordination groups to inform and promote quality implementation of CP activities
• Incorporates the perspectives and experiences of affected populations, stakeholders and team members in CP activities
• Supports the establishment and effective operation of feedback and complaints mechanisms to promote accountability to affected populations, in coordination with the MEAL team
• Makes frequent monitoring visits to follow up on the quality of activity implementation, identify opportunities, constraints and adjustments needed.
• Monitors the quality, outputs and outcomes of child protection activities, in coordination with the MEAL team.

Programme Implementation

• Contributes to the development/revision of child protection materials.
• Shares child protection materials and other useful and relevant information with staff and partners.
• Assists in designing and developing new child protection programs and/or activities.
• Provide technical and programmatic support to project teams on War Child’s Child Protection programming taking a socio-ecological approach. This includes support to quality case management, community level child protection and group activities for children that promote psycho-social well-being outcomes.
• Support with the identification, assessment and capacity development of local actors on child protection programming
• Lead on the integration and mainstreaming of Child Protection into War Child livelihoods and Education programme design, implementation and evaluation.

Information Management Systems 

• Work closely with MEAL colleagues to ensure all data is disaggregated by sex/gender, age and disability at a minimum.
• Ensure the child protection team prioritises the best interests of the child and the informed consent/assent of children and/ or caregivers when collecting information, as well as ensuring War Child observes ethical standards when using or sharing resources and information with CP actors, affected populations and others

Child Protection human resource management and capacity building

• Uses a positive, compassionate, team-oriented approach to support performance and results in stressful and volatile situations
• Communicates with colleagues, partners, stakeholders and affected populations with transparency, empathy, respect and integrity
• Assist in designing child protection capacity building plans for staff and partners and deliver sessions and trainings as required

External representation

• Engages in coordination with actors in the Child Protection in Humanitarian Action coordination mechanism or other working group.
• Represents WC externally in relevant platforms/networks focused on child protection themes.
• Participates in internal child protection meetings with global colleagues.

Safeguarding and Safe Programming

• Signs and adhere to the organisation’s code of conduct and child safeguarding and protection policies
• Ensures all parental consent documents and procedures are respected and up to date
• Respects relevant codes of conducts and monitors that colleagues do the same
• Contribute to creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and compliant to WCUK’s Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk Policies.

Reporting

• Submit high quality monthly narrative and quantitative reports to line manager
• Contribute to donor mid-term and final report
• Coordinate, and support with the collection of ethical, empowering case studies on the CP programme

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Knowledge of current principles and practices within Child Safeguarding and Child Protection.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English and Arabic required, including report development, writing and editing.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members.
• Excellent communication skills; able to give and receive feedback.
• Strong skills in communicating with children and youth and commitment to their right to participation.
• Committed to implementing programmes that involve children at all levels of implementation.
• Ability to provide (creative/interactive) trainings.
• Strong analysis, planning and coordination skills.
• Flexibility and ability to work independently and in a team.

Education and Experience

• Relevant academic background (Social Sciences / International Development Studies) or any other relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years (I)NGO experience in the field of Child Protection and programme implementation, including providing technical and programmatic support to project teams
• Experience of building capacity in Child Protection to both organisation and partner staff
• e Proven experience in child-focused monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, accountability and learning processes. 

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the post.

Important Information

• WCUK has Zero tolerance of breach of safeguarding & Code of Conduct.
• War Child UK is an equal opportunity employer.
• War Child UK does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
• As this role is a National position, all candidates are required to be Yemeni nationals.
• Female with the above qualifications are encouraged to apply.
• Only candidates who are short-listed will be contacted.

Our benefits:

• Flexible working arrangements
• 30 annual leave per year
• Investment in training and development
• Transportation and Appearance Allowance
• Health Insurance
• Life Insurance
• 1-1 wellbeing consultations with trained counselors 
• Social Security Contribution
• Enhanced Leave Policy
• Eid Bonus

Child safeguarding and Adults at Risk

Our work with children and at-risk adults to keep them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in all areas of our work. We have zero tolerance for any behaviours and practices that puts children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse and/or harm. Successful applicants will be expected to be compliant and sign up to our Child Safeguarding policy, our Code of Conduct and PSEA: Adults at Risk Policy. You can find the Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk policy here: https://www.warchild.org.uk/whats-happening/news/our-child-safeguarding-policies-and-procedures