Job Description

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
UNOPS IICA2
Target Start Date 2025-09-01
Deadline for Applications August 19, 2025
Terms of Reference Home-based with field missions (approx. 80% travel)
1. General Background
The Child Protection Unit (CP Unit) sits within the Field Protection Service in the Division of International Protection and provides technical support and guidance to UNHCR's Regional Bureaux and field operations in refugee situations through developing policy, guidelines and tools, facilitating learning and providing technical support to UNHCR, partners and states on the protection of refugee children.
The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) identifies "the appropriate economic, social and cultural inclusion of refugees" as a local solution pending a durable solution becoming available and commits states and relevant stakeholders to "contribute resources and expertise, including technical guidance on legal and institutional frameworks that foster the peaceful and productive inclusion of refugees and the well-being of local communities." This overall ambition of inclusion aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal commitment to 'leave no one behind,' to which UNHCR has committed to contribute, as well as UNHCR's sustainable responses approach and the ExCom Conclusion, No. 107 on Children at Risk.
The strategic approach for UNHCR's Child Protection Unit in 2025-2026 focuses on five priority themes, aligning with UNHCR's strategic priorities and those of the Division of International Protection. The first is to support operations in strengthening national protection systems to promote the inclusion of refugee children in national child protection systems, particularly social services and birth registration, enhancing child-friendly procedures. Secondly, enhance UNHCR's child protection prevention and response in emergencies and situations with emerging protection needs, particularly for refugee children in mixed movements. Thirdly, improve the quality and impact of the complimentary child protection services, focusing on the Best Interests Procedure (BIP) and Information Management for BIP, prevention of separation and protection of unaccompanied and separated children, prevention and response to violence against children, particularly, child survivors of sexual violence and sexual abuse, child marriage and trafficking. Fourthly, integrating child protection in UNHCR's community-based protection and working with other sectors to ensure safe and dignified access for refugee children.
The work builds on the strong existing initiatives undertaken jointly by UNICEF and UNHCR at the global and regional levels.
2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
UNHCR seeks a specialist to provide technical support to selected country operations and national authorities, focusing on enhancing the national protection system to protect refugee children and supporting the implementation of child-friendly asylum procedures.
The Child Protection Officer's tasks contribute to strengthening national protection systems by:
a) Enhancing the capacity of the national social service workforce to provide quality case management services to refugee children.
b) Supporting reception and asylum authorities in adopting and operationalizing child-friendly procedures in asylum processes.
The consultant will provide remote technical support (20%) and conduct in-country missions (80%) to selected UNHCR Country Offices and relevant national stakeholders. Responsibilities include:
a) Capacity Strengthening of the Social Service Workforce

• Support joint UNHCR and UNICEF efforts in assessing the extent to which national child protection systems are inclusive of refugee children, with a focus on the roles of the social service workforce.
• Provide technical guidance for developing and adapting tools, training packages, and protocols for inclusive national case management.
• Facilitate training, coaching, and mentoring sessions for government and civil society social workers on case management for refugee children, including information management for case management.
• Support operations working to strengthen cross-border case management, especially where these are led by states, and align them to refugee protection principles and standards.
• Support the transfer of refugee children's cases to national case management systems where feasible.
• Support the strengthening of cross-border case management led by states.

b) Child-Friendly Procedures

• Support UNHCR operations in assessing the extent to which the national reception, asylum, and solutions procedures are child-friendly.
• Provide technical advice to UNHCR on establishing and strengthening connections amongst reception, asylum, solutions, and child protection systems. Support the development or revision of standard operating procedures (SOPs), referral mechanisms, and guidance to enhance child-friendly protection and solutions procedures.
• Support UNHCR operations to build capacity for child-friendly procedures, referrals, and a continuum of care.
• Review country practices and provide recommendations to align procedures with international standards (e.g., CRC, UNHCR Guidelines).
• In carrying out these functions, the Child Protection Officer will consult and coordinate with relevant functional focal points within DIP, including with the Asylum Systems and Determination Section on RSD and asylum capacity development-related matters

c) Updating global guidance and tools, and documenting good practices

• Based on learning from the field, update the inclusion tools, including consolidating UNICEF and UNHCR tools
• Support the development of an advanced learning product on refugee and asylum-seeking children, targeting national systems, and the inclusion of this into national social and parasocial worker curricula
• Document good practices

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
(Clear description of measurable outputs, milestones, key performance indicators, and/or reporting requirements which will enable performance monitoring)

• Mission reports and technical recommendations follow each country mission.
• Mapping toolkit, Training packages, and guidance materials adapted or developed for country-specific use.
• Brief analytical report summarizing good practices and common gaps across supported countries.

4. Qualifications and Experience
a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)

• Advanced degree in social work, child protection, international law, or a related field.

b. Work Experience and expertise

• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in child protection, including direct work on Best Interests Procedure, strengthening social service workforce capacity, and with asylum systems/ refugee protection procedures.
• Proven experience working with government stakeholders, particularly social welfare and asylum authorities.
• Familiarity with the UNHCR Guidelines, CRC, and UNHCR child protection frameworks.
• Familiarity with UNHCR standards related to RSD and asylum capacity development.

c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies, or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies.

• Strong facilitation, communication, and coaching skills.
• Ability to work independently and travel extensively.
• Fluency in English required; additional UN languages an asset

Standard
Required Languages
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,
Desired Languages
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Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Other information This position doesn't require a functional clearance
Remote Yes