Child Protection Officer, ECW-FER at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is a leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world. With its headquarters in London, UK, SC works in over 120 countries globally, including Nigeria, helping children survive, learn and be protected by improving their education, health, nutrition, protection and economic opportunities, and in times of acute crisis, mobilizing rapid life-saving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Child Protection Officer, ECW-FER

Job Identification: 10706
Location: Kaduna
Employment type: Contract
Contract Lenght: 1 year
Grade: 4
Team / Programme: Human Resource and Administration
Job Category: Programme Operations
Reports to: Project Manager
Team: Child Protection – ECW-FER – Operations

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3.  The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. 
• As part of these responsibilities the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis.
• The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Role Purpose

• Save the Children International, in partnership with Goal Prime of Nigeria (GPON), is implementing a 12-month First Emergency Response (FER) programme funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW) in Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara States.
• The project aims to ensure learning continuity for displaced and host community children, including girls and boys aged 6-12, adolescents aged 13-18, and children with disabilities (6-18 years), in both formal and non-formal schools.
• In addition to providing a safe and protective learning environment, the project will also address the protection needs and well-being of students, teachers, and education personnel.
• Both female and male who are affected by psychosocial concerns arising from displacement, conflict, insecurity, and the climate crisis in the targeted states.
• The Child Protection Officer will provide operational and technical support under the leadership of the Education Programme Manager to implement all child protection, mental health and psychosocial support activities for the project and ensuring effective collaboration across other Thematic Officers on the project.
• This includes, supporting in the development of the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP), participating in stakeholders’ engagement and coordination meetings, participating in needs assessments and trainings, and contribute to narrative reporting in line with donor requirements.
• The role also involves close collaboration with community leaders, religious leaders, and other key stakeholders within the community.
• Under the guidance of the Education Programme Manager, the job holder will ensure that the ECW-FER project is implemented in a coordinated, harmonized, and aligned manner, in accordance with donor requirements and commitments.

Scope of Role

• Report writing, budgeting/cash forecasting, supervise the booking of accommodation and flight tickets, event coordination, facility management and vendor management, ensure efficient operations.

Key Areas of Accountability
Project Coordination & Management:

• Ensure quality implementation of Child Protection and PSS activities in the field particularly for affected and at-risk children including UASC.
• Lead on case management activities and supervision in the designated field sites, with support from case workers, CBCPCs including coordinating and sharing data with other service providers using the Case Management SOPs, annexes, forms and handbook.
• Provide on the job mentoring and coaching to case workers, vet case management forms and provide them with feedback.
• Organize monthly Case Management technical meetings, document and contribute to the development of the Case Management activities tools and interventions.
• Provide case management and other referral support on child protection programing on the project.
• Design and facilitate child protection trainings for case workers, facilitators, community structures and other service providers and document main messages and protocols of interventions to be shared with the project team.
• Facilitate awareness raising for communities on relevant child protection concerns, case management reporting mechanisms, service mapping and referrals.
• Monitor and share new and existing referral pathways and ensure children receive the appropriate referral services.
• Prepare weekly/monthly activity plans with other project teams as necessary and ensure smooth implementation of these plans.
• Set up/provide and monitor Child Protection Help Desks to identify, support and refer children with protection concerns and support community members, teachers and caregivers with psychosocial support.  
• Set up/strengthen Child Protection Committees, including training and awareness raising on dangers of abduction in their communities and linking children to available services.
• Monitor and assess the implementation of the program, ensuring that case workers are using the case management forms consistently and correctly and hold regular review meetings.
• Ensure all data from the case management are kept confidential and only shared on a need-to-know bases and in accordance with case management ISP.
• Ensure adequate collaboration with learning Facilitators, CBCPC members and caseworkers to be informed of updates from the field.
• Perform other functions relative to Child Protection activities and initiatives that may be assigned by Line Manager.
• Develop weekly/monthly reports and share with line manager.   

Operational Planning and implementation:

• Work closely with Programme Manager to design, plan and monitor project detail implementation plan, procurement plan, phased budget, MEAL Plan with documentation and reporting for all Education interventions in the State.
• Recommend technical solutions to speed up the implementation and budget performance in line with the project plan and budget.
• Effectively support the education projects staff and partners in developing monthly plans, in line with best practices, for education project design and Save the Children International planning guidelines and ensure compliance with the agreed work plans and that programme objectives and targets are being achieved in line with the funding proposal.
• Work with the Programme Manager to ensure integration of other sectors on the project.
• Maintain high standard of transparency and accountability during programme design and support in expediting implementation while ensuring integrity and timeliness of project duration and meeting programme objectives, compliance with donors & Save the Children policies.
• Support in providing regular operations and implementation updates to the Education Manager on project progress and challenges to allow for timely interventions and corrective actions by the management.
• Ensure the timely reviews and adjustments for the project operational and implementation plan and budget as may be required from time to time.
• Ensure that all activities are implemented with a focus on gender equality and disability inclusion.

Finance and Budget Management:

• Support project monitoring, suggest necessary revisions and prepare draft reports for corrective actions.
• Support the Education Programme Manager in ensuring that the budget variance analysis (BVA) is monitored and reported as per in time and with accurate information.

Program/Project Narrative and Financial Reporting:

• Support the review and preparation of timely and high-quality progress and end of project narrative and financial reports which are in accordance with the donor reporting schedule and formats.
• Participate in reviewing all programme financial reports ensuring that donor guidelines have been followed and high standard met.
• Participate in progress review meetings to address key performance issues from the reports.

Safeguarding:

• Ensure safe programming in the planning, implementation, monitoring, identification of learners, training of teachers and construction/rehabilitation of classroom environment throughout the project period.
• Adhere to the Do no Harm principles across the entire steps of the project within the Programme Management Cycle.

Internal and external engagements:

• Ensuring that the program experience is represented and given recognition at stakeholder meetings, workshops, donor, networks and any other engagements.
• Develop and maintain regular channels of communication with partners and key stakeholders at all levels (LGA, State and National).

MEAL:

• Effectively support teams in MEAL aspects, which include assessments, baseline, and evaluation studies, putting in place a functional Activity Tracking Table.
• Ensure that the projects’ quality benchmarks are followed up and implemented in project interventions.
• Collecting and managing complaints and feedback in close coordination with MEAL team and Education Team.
• Ensure regular monitoring of projects results, documentation of projects case studies, lessons learnt, significant changes and best practices and coordinating learning and reflection meetings/sessions.
• Ensure an effective programs/ projects monitoring, and evaluation systems is in place.
• Monitor programs/ projects activities to ensure quality, timeliness and adherence to both Country Office and Save the Children policies and procedures.

Human Resources Management and Development:

• Working together with the Education Programme Manager to identify learning needs and develop specific plans to address the learning needs.
• Participate in monthly/weekly project management meetings to enable adequate staff support.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or other related fields. Experience in managing integrated programmes across different thematic areas such as school enrolment, gender and inclusion, teacher professional development, education data management, child protection, child rights or governance is an advantage.

Experience:
Essential:

• At least 3 years of accrued working experience in program implementation with an International NGO and those applying partnership approaches is desirable.
• Experience in strategic thinking and planning skills, be able to set priorities, prepare manageable plans and to evaluate progress.
• Experience of working on TaRL and with Out of School Children (OOSC) with local partners and Local Government and State Authorities in the Northwest Nigeria is an added advantage.
• Experience of working and responding to Education in an emergency context.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to establish and maintain conducive collegial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must.
• Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Fluent in English language skills (written and verbal) and local language skills (Hausa, etc.).

Behaviours (Values in Practice):
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team members, colleagues, and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength.
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

Application Closing Date
5th December, 2024 (01:51 PM).

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: Females and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.