Child Protection Senior Technical Advisor

Location: Lebanon

Contract - Full-Time

Closing date: Monday 10 June 2013

All jobs close at midnight UK time on the date specified

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children's lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfill their potential.

We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

We have over two million supporters worldwide and raised 1.6 billion dollars last year to reach more children than ever before, through programmes in health, nutrition, education, protection and child rights, also in times of humanitarian crises.

There are 30 national Save the Children organisations around the world. By the end of 2012 all our international programmes will be delivered through a merged operation with 14 000 staff, managed through seven regional hubs and reporting to a relatively small, central office. We're changing to become more efficient, more aligned, a better partner, a stronger advocate, a magnet for world-class people and relevant for the 21st century.

Role:

Save the Children International is a 'dual mandate' organisation that seeks to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and create lasting change in children's lives. Save the Children has worked to ensure the protection of children's rights in Lebanon since the 1950's. The child protection programme is large, ambitious and expanding, and demands the support of a Senior Technical Advisor to ensure ongoing and future programme quality. The Child Protection Senior Technical Adviser is a senior member of the PDQ team; his/her role is ensure that all child protection interventions are of a high technical quality, that monitoring processes are in place, that high quality timely reporting occurs, and that the programme quality and relevance is continually assessed and solutions quickly put in place for a change of context. Current thematic priorities include: child protection systems and structures in emergencies; psychosocial support; prevention of sexual and gender based violence; productive engagement of youth; and other areas. The role is for one year and based in Beirut. Key areas of accountability:

Under the direct supervision of the Director of PDQ and in close coordination with the field managers the Child Protection Senior Technical Advisor is responsible for:

Programme Quality

• Overall responsible to ensure the programme quality of Save the Children's child protection programming
• Lead the continuous assessment of CP needs and ensure that these are appropriately reflected in sectoral strategies and programmes
• Develop and update the child protection strategy, ensuring consistency with global Child Protection Initiatives, and with Save the Children's theory of change
• Provide information and advice to other sectors on ways to integrate child protection in more holistic/cross functioning programs
• Conduct regular visits (50% of time) to the field offices to coordinate with field managers and senior field staff
• Lead the process of lessons learning to ensure high quality programming
• Improve/strengthen to coordination of SC's work with the relevant ministries on child protection.
• Coordinate the collection of documentation and lessons learned exercises.
• Ensure written reports to donors are of the highest quality
• Ensure recognized international best practices and Save the Children policies are applied in the work with children
• Ensure program products and learning are maintained within the Save the Children country program

Programme development

• Grow Save the Children's child protection portfolio sustainably and strategically
• Ensure updated and accurate needs information for use in program development
• Lead on technical visioning of new programs and proposals
• Coordinate with proposal development team on identifying opportunities and developing proposals for donors
• Work with colleagues from other sectors coordinate on and integrate programing to ensure children's needs are met

External Relations

• Participate in municipality and national coordination meetings for child protection work and programing
• 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 of the national and local level
• Review and provide feedback on SOPs and Minimum standards for CP programming at an inter-agency level
• Advise the SMT on ways to harmonize/strengthen the linkages between humanitarian assistance and development work
• Collaborative advocacy to key stakeholders with child protection partners

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Oversee knowledge sharing across CP teams, and in coordination with other sectors, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs
• Produce timely reports for internal and external use
• Develop programme quality assurance tools, such as needs assessment tools, programme level indicators, quality checklists for use in spot checks, complaints and response mechanisms, internal review and programme evaluation workplans, and others
• Ensure clear plans in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities in relation to the objectives and that lessons learnt are shared and capitalized on
• Ensure that projects are monitored regularly, and that data is collected on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis
• Regularly visit project sites to ensure that teams are appropriately supported

Capacity building, team work and staff supervision

• Work with supervisees and field teams to ensure adequate capacity building and technical support to the field
• Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in a humanitarian response and development context.
• Ensure the recruitment, training and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of detailed annual work plans and key monthly deliverables for each staff under supervision.
• Actively support team cohesion and a positive work environment
• Performance management of line managed staff as per SCI policies and procedures

General

• Comply with and promote Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Master or Bachelor degree in Social Work, Human Rights or relevant field
• Extensive experience, progressively responsible, working in child protection programming, preferably in the Middle East
• Extensive experience in building strong child protection systems and in delivering services to children in emergencies
• Proven track record of effective fundraising with major donors
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English
• 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 and Evaluation processes and methodologies - with specific technical trainings in these areas.
• Proven representation and advocacy skills.
• Familiarity with key international standards for humanitarian work (e.g. CP Minimum Standards, SPHERE, HAP Principles, etc.).
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural 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:

• Arabic language skills highly desirable

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Please note that the closing date for applications is on Tuesday, June 11th, 2013. The applicants will be interviewed and appointed in a rolling basis due to the urgency of this position.

For further information on this role, please see our website at www.savethechildren.net/jobs

How to apply: Please apply with a covering letter and up-to-date CV to the link provided