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UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Commitment.

Cameroon continues to face complex child protection challenges resulting from armed conflict, displacement, climate-related emergencies, disease outbreaks, poverty, and social inequalities. Children remain vulnerable to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, harmful practices, family separation, child labor, trafficking, psychosocial distress, and grave violations of children's rights in humanitarian settings.

UNICEF supports the Government of Cameroon and partners in strengthening child protection systems, promoting prevention and response services, addressing protection risks in both development and emergency contexts, and ensuring that vulnerable children access quality protection services. The Child Protection Specialist (P2) contributes to the effective planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of child protection programmes aligned with national priorities and UNICEF's Strategic Plan.

The vision of the current programme is to ensure that every child in Cameroon - girls and boys, including adolescents - survives, thrives, learns, is protected and develops their full potential, thereby contributing to the growth of human capital and social well-being.

UNICEF has the comparative advantage of being the coordinating agency and leading the Child Protection Area of Responsibility in the North-West and South-West regions, which will transition to a Thematic cell within the broader Area Based Coordination mechanism under the umbrella of the Protection sector. The coordination structure is replicated in the Far North and at national level in Yaounde with government leadership of the coordination as the Cluster Transition advances and the clusters are deactivated.

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Child Protection, you, as the Child Protection Officer (NO-1) will provide technical and programmatic support for the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of child protection interventions in Cameroon. You will support UNICEF and government counterparts in strengthening child protection systems, ensuring quality service delivery, and enhancing evidence-based programming to improve protection outcomes for children.

Under the guidance of the Chief Child Protection, you will be responsible for Child Protection, providing professional technical assistance and support for programme design, planning and implementation, management and evaluation of programme/project activities. You will provide support for the development and implementation of integrated strategies and approaches for child protection programmes. The role includes, data analysis, progress reporting and ensuring that interventions are aligned with programmes Goals and objectives.

Key duties and responsibilities:

Programme development and planning
Programme management, monitoring and reporting
Technical and operational support
Networking and partnerships
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
Child Protection in Emergencies

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Cameroon Blank TA ToR Form Child Protection Officer NO1 Yaounde -ws.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: A first-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, psychology, sociology, international law, or another relevant social science field.
Work Experience: A minimum of 1 year of professional experience in social development planning and management in child protection related areas is required.
Skills: Strong data analysis, reporting, capacity building and partnership development capabilities are required.
Language Requirements : Fluency in French or English is highly required.

Desirables:

Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language
Relevant professional work experience in emergency contexts and child protection case management is desirable.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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.

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 female 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.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

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 (NO-1), TA (6 months), #138366, Yaounde, Republic of Cameroon - WCAR