Contract Duration: 6 Months

Working arrangement: Office Based with possible travel

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen the integration of child protection and GBV prevention and response within WASH Sectors in Liberia, ensuring that WASH policies, programmes, and investments contribute to safer environments and reduced violence risks for children, adolescents, and women.

The above purpose of the assignment is aligned with the fact that the African Union’s designation of 2026 as the Year of Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation positions WASH as a cornerstone of dignity, equity, and protection under Agenda 2063, not merely as infrastructure. This framing creates a critical policy window to embed child protection and GBV risk mitigation within national and continental WASH systems, particularly for women and children amid climate shocks, displacement, and urbanization.

In Liberia, persistent WASH gaps, especially in rural areas, informal settlements, schools, and health facilities, intersect with widespread GBV and child protection concerns, including sexual violence, early marriage, school dropout, and exploitation. These risks are further amplified by the country’s acute climate vulnerability. Ranked among the world’s most climate‑vulnerable countries, Liberia experiences recurrent flooding affecting an estimated 44 per cent of the population (approximately 2.2 million people). With over 70 per cent of the population lacking basic sanitation and 35 per cent practicing open defecation, particularly in coastal, riverine, and informal settlements, climate shocks routinely overwhelm already fragile WASH systems.

National projections indicate that flood‑affected populations will increase by more than 35 per cent by 2050, with extreme rainfall expected to rise by 10–40 per cent by 2064, driving recurrent inundation of sanitation and drainage infrastructure. Evidence consistently shows that in flood‑affected and informal communities, breakdowns in WASH access coincide with sharp increases in GBV and child protection risks, especially for girls and children accessing unsafe water points and sanitation facilities. Despite parallel progress in WASH and Protection sectors, protection‑sensitive design and GBV risk mitigation remain insufficiently institutionalized within WASH policies and programmes.

Aligned with UNICEF Liberia’s Country Programme and AU‑led initiatives, strengthening the integration of GBV and child protection considerations within WASH is both timely and necessary. Dedicated technical support on GBV–WASH integration will ensure that WASH investments not only expand access but actively reduce protection risks, embedding protection‑sensitive, climate‑resilient WASH as a core safeguard for the safety, dignity, and rights of women, adolescents, and children in Liberia.

The National Child Protection Consultant will provide technical leadership to embed safety, dignity, and protection considerations into WASH programming across humanitarian–development settings, with particular attention to schools, health facilities, and community water and sanitation systems. The assignment will support UNICEF Liberia’s contribution to national priorities and regional policy momentum around safe and inclusive WASH, while advancing CPD results on protection from violence and gender inequality.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Child Protection Consultant.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education: Masters of Child Protection, Gender Studies, Social Work, Public Health, International Development, or a related field.
Work Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in child protection and/or GBV programming, with demonstrated experience in cross-sectoral work.
- Proven experience integrating GBV risk mitigation and child protection considerations into non-protection sectors, preferably WASH, education, health, or social services.
- Practical experience applying GBV risk mitigation guidelines (e.g., IASC GBV Guidelines) in programme design, implementation, and monitoring.
- Experience working with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs, and community-based organizations in low-income or fragile settings; experience in West Africa or Liberia is an advantage.
- Demonstrated experience supporting system strengthening, policy engagement, or institutional capacity-building related to protection or gender equality.
- Experience in humanitarian–development nexus contexts and familiarity with climate, displacement, or urban vulnerability issues is an asset.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Willingness to travel and work in field environments
Candidate must be a Liberian national
Interested applicants must submit a cover letter together with their CV
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required; Knowledge of another UN language (Arabic) or local language an asset.
Desirables:
- Additional specialized training in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response, child safeguarding, or protection in humanitarian and development contexts
- Previous work with UN agencies, international NGOs, or inter-agency coordination mechanisms

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

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.

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial Proposal for Child Protection Consultant.docx

Remarks:

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.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

National Child Protection Consultant (Office based with possible travel), 6 months, Monrovia