Programme Associate (Child Protection), Addis Ababa

General

Description of assignment title: Programme Associate (Child Protection)

Assignment country: Ethiopia

Duty stations: Addis Ababa

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 02/01/2027

Duration: 12 months

Sustainable Development Goal: 5. Gender equality

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: International

Volunteer category: Associate UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF Ethiopia is implementing a 5-year country programme 2020-2025 which is fully aligned with the UNSDCF. UNICEF will work collaboratively within the UNSDCF on a joint strategy to strengthen national systems for data collection, analysis, monitoring and applying adjustments to promote equity. Evidence will be used to monitor the situation of children, tracking progress towards equity and scale, and to inform advocacy to adjust policies, strategies and budgets. Monitoring and corrective actions will be undertaken through UNICEF staff, partners and third-party monitoring, and through mechanisms for community feedback and accountability to affected populations.

Context

UNICEF Ethiopia works with the Government of Ethiopia, UN agencies, civil society organizations and development partners to strengthen systems that prevent and respond to violence, abuse, exploitation and harmful practices affecting children, women and girls. The programme operates in a complex humanitarian and development context characterized by conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks and socio-economic vulnerabilities that heighten protection risks and disrupt access to essential services.

The assignment provides an opportunity to gain practical experience in a large-scale humanitarian-development programme while contributing to stronger protection systems and improved access to quality services for vulnerable children, adolescents, women and girls, particularly those affected by emergencies and displacement

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection in Humanitarian Action Manager, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Support to programme development and planning

• Support the development and updating of Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) workplans, response plans and programme priorities based on identified humanitarian needs.
• Contribute to emergency and child protection situation analysis by tracking conflict, displacement, climate-related shocks and emerging protection risks affecting children.
• Assist in preparing concise situation updates and analysis to support programme planning and decision-making.
• Support the integration of priority CPiE interventions into programme plans, including case management, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), Unaccompanied and Separated Children / Family Tracing and Reunification (UASC/FTR), Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risk mitigation.

Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Support the implementation of CPiE programme activities and partner workplans, en-suring activities are delivered according to agreed plans and timelines.
• Follow up with implementing partners on programme activities, deliverables, imple-mentation challenges and agreed actions.
• Provide programmaticsupport, under specialist guidance, for child protection case management, MHPSS, UASC/FTR, EORE and GBV risk mitigation.
• Assist in identifying implementation bottlenecks and service delivery gaps and bring them to the attention of the responsible Child Protection Officer/Specialist for appro-priate action.
• Support the monitoring of programme implementation, coverage and results against agreed CPiE indicators, targets and workplans.
• Compile and regularly update 5Ws (Who does What, Where, When and for Whom) and other programme monitoring information.
• Collect, review and consolidate partner data and contribute to SitReps, dashboards, programme reports, donor updates and results reporting.
• Maintain programme monitoring and response trackers and follow up with partners on data gaps, inconsistencies and reporting timelines.
• Participate in field monitoring to assess progress, programme quality and achieve-ment of planned results.

Networking and partnership building

• Support the coordination and functioning of relevant child protection and GBV coordi-nation mechanisms, including the Child Protection Technical Working Group (CP-TWG), GBV Technical Working Group (GBV-TWG), and Child Protection and GBV Areas of Responsibility (AoR).Assist in organizing coordination meetings,including preparation of agendas, meeting minutes, action trackers and follow-up on agreed ac-tions.
• Maintain regular communication and coordination with government counterparts, im-plementing partners, local organizations, women-led organizations and other humani-tarian actors.
• Supportinformation sharing among partners to improve coordination, referral path-ways, geographic coverage and complementarity of services.
• Assist in facilitating collaboration with other sectors, including GBV, Education, Health, Nutrition and WASH, to strengthen integrated responses for children and fami-lies.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 1 month

Donor priorities: -

Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Additional eligibility criteria

This assignment is funded by the Government of the Czech Republic and therefore specific criteria apply:

• Only nationals of the Czech Republic can be considered.
• Candidates who already served on a UN Volunteer assignment funded by the Government of the Czech Republic are not eligible.

APPLICATION

• You may apply to a maximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the ‘Additional remarks’ field when filling in the application form.

SELECTION

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience: No experience required

Languages: English, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level: Bachelor's degree in International development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Building Trust
• Commitment and Motivation
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Communication
• Creativity
• Empowering Others
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Knowledge Sharing
• Leadership
• Managing Performance
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Technological Awareness
• Vision
• Working in Teams

Skills and experience

• Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.
• Skills in: Digital and IT skills, Interpersonal and organizational skills, Communication, Coordination and teamwork, Partnership and networking.
• Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Area(s) of expertise: Emergency preparedness, crisis response, Safety and security, Administration

Driving license: -

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

Ethiopia, located in the Horn of Africa, is known for its rich history, diverse cultures, and stunning landscapes. The country has made significant strides in improving living conditions over the past few decades, but challenges remain. While Ethiopia is generally safe for residents and visitors, certain regions may experience political instability or conflict. It’s important to stay informed about local conditions and follow safety guidelines. Urban areas like Addis Ababa offer a range of housing options, from modern apartments to traditional homes. However, rural areas often lack adequate infrastructure, including reliable electricity and clean water.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Reasonable accommodation

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for UN Volunteers with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process and afterwards in your assignment.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

In addition to duty station-specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment. It does not apply to UN Volunteers who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.

Scam warning

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