ROLE PURPOSE:
The Child Protection Technical Adviser is a critical position for Save the Children in Lebanon and will play a leading role in ensuring the design, development and monitoring of high quality CP programmes across Lebanon.
The Child Protection Technical Adviser will lead fundraising efforts for CP, design high quality programmes that respond to needs on the ground and align with our strategy, ensure integration and mainstreaming of CP within other sectors, monitor the technical quality of interventions and represent Save the Children Lebanon internally and externally at national, regional and global level.
The main technical areas of intervention where knowledge and expertise are required are: Child Protection Systems strengthening. Child Protection in Emergencies., Child Labour & Child marriage prevention and response, Case Management, Alternative Care, MHPSS including across all levels of IASC Pyramid, Adolescent-focused Programming, and Cash Transfer Programming and CP (Cash plus). There is a new special focus on Community-led Child Protection , Centrality of Protection and Children Affected by Armed Conflict programming.
In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight).
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Programme Development & Quality (PDQ) Director
Staff reporting to this post: Alternative Care Specialist, Mental Health and Psychosical Specialist and Child Protection Specialist
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
Under the direct supervision of PDQ Director and in close coordination with other thematic Advisors, Area Managers and Child Protection Programme Managers in the field, the Child Protection Technical Advisor is responsible for:
Strategic Planning and Leadership
- Provide overall strategic leadership to Save the Children’s work in the Child Protection (CP)sector including MHPSS in Lebanon.
- Provide child protection (including MHPSS) technical input to the development of SC Strategy, country annual plans, sector strategies and other planning documents.
- Maintain a clear overview of programme progress across the child protection sector portfolio to be shared with senior managers, members and other stakeholders
- Ensure that the child protection programme design includes integration and mainstreaming with other sectors where possible.
- Develop and ensure delivery of SC’ strategy to respond to Children Affected by Armed Conflict.
Programme Quality and Standards
- Provide technical expertise, quality assurance and support for Save the Children’s CP/MHPSS programmes, ensuring they are of high quality with reliable data and positive outcomes and impact.
- Lead the continuous assessment of CP needs and trends and ensure that these are appropriately reflected in sectoral strategies and programmes.
- Review and periodically update and roll out the child protection strategy, including cross cutting issues such MHPSS, gender sensitivity and ensuring consistency with Save the Children’s theory of change and country specific plans.
- Ensure harmonized and consistent approach to child protection/MHPSS response across SCI’s geographical areas.
- Develop and or update approaches, tools and guidance to advance programming in the main areas of technical expertise cited above and specifically in COP/CAAC programming and in Community-led CP.
- Review and periodically update a central database of approaches, tools and guidance to support programme quality in CP.
- Promote and utilize SCI’s Common Approaches, ensuring adaptation to context with focus on Parenting Without Violence, Steps to Protect and piloting the recently released Community Led CP (SEEDS).
- Provide information and advice to other sectors on ways to integrate child protection in holistic/integrated programs.
- Conduct regular monitoring visits (40% of time) to the field offices to coordinate with program teams on progress of implementation, identify challenges and mitigation measures to adjust programming, develop lessons learned from programs and develop joint action plans for capacity strengthening.
- Oversee knowledge sharing across teams, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programmes.
- Ensure documentation of case studies, and lessons learned documents, and dissemination of these both internally and externally working in collaboration with the Policy Advocacy Campaigns (PAC) team.
- Ensure quality control of any relevant report (donor reports, annual reports and plans etc) and promote results oriented report writing among field teams.
- Ensure recognized international best practices and Save the Children policies are applied and informing programming in the work with children.
- Work closely with MEAL and safeguarding colleagues to ensure robust procedures implemented on Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
Programme Development and Resource Mobilization
- Provide active leadership in Save the Children’s relationships with key donors for the child protection sector.
- Expand and develop Save the Children’s child protection portfolio sustainably and strategically by identifying and assessing appropriateness of fundraising opportunities.
- Actively seek new funding opportunities and play a role in pre-positioning SCI as a leading CP agency in Lebanon.
- Lead in the design of high-quality and innovative programs responding to child protection/MHPSS needs in Lebanon, with specific focus on new areas of programming - CoP/CAAC and CLCP programming.
- Ensure updated and accurate information is used in program development.
- Coordinate with proposal development team on identifying opportunities and developing proposals for donor.
- Work with colleagues from other sectors to mainstream CP/MHPSS through integrated programming.
External Relations, Advocacy and Representation
- Ensure and promote Save the Children’s reputation as a leading CP agency in Lebanon.
- Represent Save the Children in technical area to government and other agencies.
- Actively engage and/or co-lead in national coordination meetings, forums and Task-Forces for child protection programing and advocacy and represent SC’s principles.
- Maintain strategic links with key duty bearers and stakeholders such as governmental bodies, UN agencies, INGOs and other local NGOs and CBOs, identify opportunities and ensure Save the Children’s participation in key activities at the regional, the national and local level.
- Serve as technical link with Save the Children Members, Regional Office, and Child Protection Global Alliance in Humanitarian Settings.
- Identify key advocacy asks related to child protection and actively engage in advocating to key stakeholders including contributing to its development in coordination with the PAC team.
- Represent Save the Children on other national/international technical networks/platforms/community of practice as requested.
Partnerships
- Ensure timely support to the Partnerships Manager on technical identification, selection, and adequate assessment of strategic CP/MHPSS implementing partners.
- Ensure appropriate, relevant, and timely provision of technical capacity on the CP/MHPSS/AC fields as necessary and through mobilization of internal and external capacity development opportunities and sharing of all relevant materials/documents, etc
- Promote joint program design for the advancement of mutual strategic priorities when relevant.
- Commit to joint regular monitoring of implementation progress and achievement towards results, and feeding into programmatic adaptations.
- Maintain strong coordinated working relationships with national and local partners.
- Promote Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, child safeguarding, PSEA, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures with implementing partners.
- Improve/strengthen coordination and technical support to local partners including National NGOs, CSOs, and Governmental bodies on child protection.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Oversee knowledge sharing across CP teams- including MHPSS, and in coordination with other sectors, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs.
- Together with MEAL colleagues, develop activity, outcome and impact monitoring tools to assess the quality of SCI and partners’ programmes.
- Provide sector specific analysis of data collected, to drive program adaptation and learning.
- Ensure clear plans in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities in relation to the objectives and that lessons learnt are shared and used to informed programming.
- Regularly monitoring visits project sites to ensure that teams are appropriately supported.
Capacity Development, Team Work and Staff Supervision
- Proactively support CP/MHPSS programme teams in all field sites, so as to ensure strong technical supervision.
- Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in nexus oriented programming.
- Ensure understanding of capacity/knowledge gaps of direct supervisees and promote learning/capacity-building opportunities available for their professional development.
- Support high quality reporting by field staff through timely review and guidance.
- Screen technical CP/MHPSS candidates (and others as appropriate) to open positions and support recruitment as needed.
- Facilitate the development and implementation of detailed goals and objectives and periodical performance evaluationsfor each staff under supervision according to SCI policies and procedures.
- Actively support team cohesion and a positive work environment.
General
- Comply with and promote Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master or Bachelor degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Rights or relevant field
- Excellent written and oral communications skills in English
- Arabic language skills highly desirable
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- At least 7+ years extensive experience working in child protection programming, preferably in the Middle East region
- Extensive experience in working in nexus oriented context; delivering services to children in emergencies, strong capacity on child protection systems building (long-term development) and peace building
- Proven track record of effective fundraising with major donors
- Ability to work under pressure and willingness to work flexible hours in the event of major emergencies
- Experience in both development and humanitarian sector preferred
- Excellent understanding of the Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning processes and methodologies
- Proven representation and advocacy skills
- Familiarity with key international standards for humanitarian work (e.g. CP Minimum Standards, SPHERE, HAP Principles, PSEA etc.)
- Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural, social norms and language difficulties
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
- Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
- Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
- Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in
- Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
- Commitment to Save the Children values, including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child safeguarding policy
Desirable
- Save the Children experience strongly preferred
- Experience in Lebanon or the region highly desirable
Additional job responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
Equal Opportunities
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
Child Safeguarding
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Health and Safety
The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.
