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For every child, the right to protection

On 24 June, two powerful earthquakes of magnitude Mw 7.2 and Mw 7.5 struck Venezuela, marking the most significant seismic event in over a century. The epicenter, located near Yamari in Yaracuy State, triggered widespread destruction across La Guaira, Caracas, Carabobo, Falcón, Miranda and surrounding areas. The two main shocks occurred approximately 30 seconds apart, exacerbating structural damage and contributing to heightened disruption across already densely populated and infrastructure-constrained urban centers.

The earthquake has left many children and caregivers in need of humanitarian assistance and have significantly exacerbated acute vulnerabilities facing women and children. Since the onset of the emergency, UNICEF has been actively engaged in coordination with national, regional, and local authorities, as well as United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners, to support a coherent and timely response to the earthquakes of 24 June.

The magnitude of the crisis demands specialized technical leadership to:

Design, implement and follow up the services of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for children and families aligned with national authorities
Define referral mechanism for children’s victims, including victims of different types of violence, including gender-based violence
Support the coordination with other organizations supporting services of MHPSS in the field to avoid duplication and improve the response.

This temporary assignment will ensure that MHPSS principles and approaches inform the full humanitarian response cycle from immediate life-saving communication to early recovery and system resilience building.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF’s Child Protection Section will coordinate a multi-sectoral contribution to the mental health and psychosocial response to the earthquake. This will be done under overall government leadership and through existing partnerships (wherever possible) to assist long-term sustainability of MHPSS infrastructure. Under the Supervision of Child Protection Specialist, the Child Protection Officer-MHPSS will support the design and implementation of a psychosocial programme and support to displaced and affected children.

The Child Protection Officer-MHPSS will provide technical leadership and coordination support for the design, implementation, and monitoring of MHPSS interventions in response to Venezuelan Earthquake. The role will ensure that community engagement, accountability, and behaviorally informed approaches are embedded across sectors and aligned with UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children (CCCs).

Key functions and accountabilities:

Support to programme development and planning.
Programme management, monitoring and delivery of results.
Technical and operational support to programme implementation.
Networking and partnership building.
Innovation, Knowledge Management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File JD_Child Protection Officer (MHPSS)_NO2.pdf

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: A completed university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in social sciences, sociology, anthropology, psychology, communication, public health, or another related field is required.
Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of professional experience in child protection, community based MHPSS interventions, community engagement, with at least 2 years in humanitarian or emergency contexts is required.
Proven experience supporting emergency preparedness and response in contexts affected by natural hazards or/and complex crises is required.
Demonstrated experience implementing MHPSS at community level, community engagement, and participatory communication is required.
Experience working with both Government and civil society partners is required.
Experience in managing inter-agency coordination processes and supporting cross-sectoral teams.
Skills: Strong analytical, coordination, and communication skills are required.
Ability to design and implement behaviourally informed interventions in dynamic and high-pressure environments is required.
Proven capacity in data-driven decision-making, social listening, and community feedback systems.
Language Requirements: Proficiency in Spanish is required. Intermediate English is required.

Desirables:

Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian) is desirable. Proficiency in English is considered an asset.
An advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in a relevant field is considered an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

Eligible staff members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to IP TA positions in a duty station designated as L2/L3, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements, subject to approval by their Head of Office. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Child Protection Officer (MHPSS), NO-2, TA, 6 months, #00138215, Caracas – Venezuela, LACR