To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have to…

• The Child Protection Specialist (FGM) will play a crucial role in the development, planning, and management of programs focused on preventing harmful practices, especially accelerating the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This includes crafting program proposals, leveraging funding, and creating tools for monitoring and tracking results.
• You will align global child protection initiatives with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and international standards, participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, and prepare detailed program reports. Your responsibilities also include setting specific goals, objectives, and strategies for the sector and ensuring compliance with results-based planning methodologies.
• In addition to program management, the Specialist will provide thought leadership and strategic direction for UNICEF’s global initiatives on FGM elimination. You will develop and strengthen inter-agency guidelines and tools, provide technical advice to management, and contribute to global strategies and policies. This role involves building and maintaining strategic partnerships, representing UNICEF in global forums, and managing innovation-related mechanisms to support UNICEF’s work.
• You will also advance research, promote innovative approaches, and support capacity building by disseminating best practices and ensuring research informs program design and implementation.

The following minimum requirements:

An Advanced University degree or higher in international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, social work, gender, international law or other social science field is required.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional experience at national and international levels related to FGM prevention and response programming, some of which were served in a developing country, is required.
• Experience in gender transformative programming is a requirement.

Desirables/Assets:

• Demonstrated strong communication, presentation and writing skills, including report writing, oral presentations and development of technical documents is desired.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the latest developments and issues related to FGM and gender is desired.
• Relevant experience in child protection and/or related areas, programme/project development and management in a UN agency or international development organization is an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, budget management and monitoring of programme results is an asset.