Child Protection Advisor

ROLE PURPOSE: The overall responsibility of the Child Protection Adviser is to assess, design and guide staff/partners to initiate interventions to address violations of children’s rights to protection from abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect.  S/he is responsible for ensuring that quality programmes are initiated and capacities developed to provide these kinds of protection to children in Save the Children’s Syria response program.  S/he will be expected to lead on strategy, programme design, master budgeting, coordination, and support fundraising and recruitment. SCOPE OF ROLE: Reports to: Deputy Operation Programme  Director Staff directly reporting to this post: none  KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:  Lead the technical design of child protection interventions for both humanitarian and resilience programming, adapted to the Syrian context  Ensure Child Protection considerations are integrated in multi-sectoral projects. Provide technical oversight and backstopping of all child protection activities to ensure successful program implementation. Improve program quality by leading development, review and cataloguing of standardised child protection and child protection in emergencies technical tools, manuals, guidelines, trainings, regulations and protocols. Lead on partner capacity building, mentoring and backstopping for Child Protection Interventions. This includes training of partner staff  on stress management. Working closely with other technical staff, the Partnership and Programme Manager, support the development of partner capacity building plans. Mobilise internal and external capacity-building opportunities. Lead on CP/PSS assessment design and information analysis. Lead development and review of child protection strategy in line with Save the Children’s global priority areas of children without appropriate care including child protection in emergencies, violence and physical and humiliating punishment and working children. Contribute to Save the Children's overall program strategy. Keep abreast of child protection sector trends, developments and policy and adapt and promote introduction of new methodologies, innovations and best practices. Work closely with senior staff to support fundraising for child protection, including development of high quality concept notes and proposals, and engagement with donors’ technical advisers. Provide timely inputs to program and donor reports on child protection project activities in compliance with internal Save the Children requirements and any relevant external donor requirements. Working closely with the HR team, identify child protection staffing needs (both national and international) Child Protection programmes, and ensure rapid recruitment, induction and training of new staff. Working closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team put in place a child protection monitoring plan, ensuring this links to reporting requirements, and capacity build child protection and field staff in carrying out the work. Working closely with the MEAL team to put in place accountability activities for child protection, ensuring that feedback from all partners / relevant stakeholders is considered in programme design. Ensure that the minimum standards of humanitarian relief are maintained in accordance with the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings, the Sphere Charter and Red Cross Code of Conduct.  Representation & Advocacy & Organisational Learning: Ensure that Save the Children's work is coordinated with efforts of other agencies, and take a leadership role within the Amman Hub Child Protection Working Groups Coordination forums, ensuring the specific needs of children are being addressed. Ensure lessons learned and good practice are documented and communicated to shape in-country strategies and program approaches, and contribute to broader sector learning Influence policy and practices and represent Save the Children at national/regional forums, working groups and other co-ordination and liaison meetings with partners, peer agencies and donors. Provide technical inputs/support to other Country Offices. Document lessons learned for wider dissemination. In collaboration with senior programme staff, develop child protection advocacy plans and support advocacy activities that target decision-makers at all levels. Identify opportunities and material to contribute to communications and media work, acting as a spokesperson when required.   QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE Essential At least 5 years of work experience in  child protection in both humanitarian and development contexts or fragile states Education to MSc/MA level in Social Work, Human Rights Law, International Relations, Development Studies or similar. Ability to identify the main gaps in child protection in the given context to inform a holistic response for children. Good knowledge of and experience in using established inter-agency standards and guidelines in child protection, such as the Inter-agency Guidelines on Separated and Unaccompanied Children, the Paris Principles, MRM, Save the Children Child Friendly Spaces Handbook, and the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Settings. Previous experience of managing a team and of project management Experience of and commitment to working through systems of community participation and accountability Experience in monitoring and evaluating child protection programmes in emergency, transition and development contexts Ability to work both in an Advisory and a hands on implementation capacity Experience in capacity building and in strengthening various duty bearers understanding of and response to child protection. Experience of representation and ability to represent Save the Children effectively in external forums. Experience of preparing successful funding proposals for donors Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports Excellent communication skills Strong influencing skills and experience in advocacy Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy A high level of written and spoken English The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances. Commitment to and understanding of child rights, the aims and principles of Save the Children, and humanitarian standards such as the Sphere Charter and the Code of Conduct. In particular, a good understanding of the Save the Children mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support  Desirable Language skills Arabic Experience or knowledge of working and living in the Middle East Region Specific experience of designing and managing DFID, ECHO, OFDA and other major donor projects