Child Protection and Gender Technical Advisor

TITLE: Child Protection and Gender Technical Advisor

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Director of Programme Development and Quality

LOCATION: Freetown, Sierra Leone

GRADE: 2

CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 year, renewable

SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3: The incumbent will have regular contact with children, beneficiaries, and staff either frequently (e.g., once a week or more) or intensively (e.g., four days in a month or more or overnight) because they work on country programs, or visit country programs, or because they are responsible for program implementation, in which case a legal background check will be required.

ROLE PURPOSE:

To support the quality design, delivery, and representation Child Protection (CP) programming of Save the Children in Sierra Leone. To uphold and contribute to Save the Children’s mission, vision and values to create a positive and lasting impact in the lives of hard-to-reach children in Sierra Leone. S/he will provide strategic leadership and assume the overall responsibility for the growth, development and implementation of the Child Protection portfolio in Sierra Leone. S/He is accountable for quality assurance of programmes and innovations for lasting positive impact of children.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Director of Programme Development and Quality

Staff reporting to this position: no direct reports but expected to provide coaching and mentoring to program teams and local partners

Budget Responsibilities: N/A

Dimensions: The role is expected to foster relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders including Save the Children members, the Country Office Programme Development & Quality team, advocacy colleagues, Regional Advisors, technical counterparts in other organisations, donors etc. The role is also expected to engage with internal technical working groups and communities of practice (COP).

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:



Strategy Leadership and Technical Quality

• Lead the operationalisation of the Child Protection strategic goal of the Country Strategic Plan and its quality delivery. Ensure that programme remains relevant to the external environment and changing needs of most marginalised children in hard to reach areas.
  
• Ensure quality programme implementation across CP programming areas by harmonising approaches across different locations and programmes.
  
• Provide oversight and guidance to the programme implementation teams to ensure that thematic programme components are technically sound, implementation methods are consistent with national and global strategies, acknowledged good practice (e.g. Save the Children Common Approaches); and are likely to achieve scale, as well as equitable and sustainable results.
  
• Keep abreast of and disseminate new national policies, strategies and any other initiatives and developments by the Government of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders relating to Child Protection, including possible emergencies. Regularly assesses and communicates the implications for Save the Children’s programme and priorities of any changes in the operating environment, in close collaboration with other relevant Technical Advisors.
  
• Advise and support the implementation teams to take corrective actions in modifying programme activities to align with Child Protection best practice, including incidents related to safeguarding and safer programmes.
  
• Provide capacity building and technical support to CP staff, partners and government authorities as required.
  
  Resource Mobilisation
  
• Analyse and inform donor priorities and positions on issues related to CP and Gender Equality and shape senior management decisions on strategic CP priorities; contribute to the development and regular updating of Save the Children Sierra Leone fundraising plan.
  
• Lead the technical scoping, planning, and design and proposal writing during new programme development, and ensure that we design and deliver high quality, holistic child protection and gender-equality focused programmes, building on global best practice. Ensure that broader intersecting social justice, disability and resilience considerations are reflected in our programme design and implementation.
  
• Along with Director of PDQ and the Head of New Business Development, maintain consistent professional contacts with strategic and potential donors and key technical agencies to continuously leverage support and resources for the child protection goal of the Country Strategic Plan
  
• Help to identify high value and high potential fundraising and mobilization opportunities and develop proposals for Child Protection and Gender Equality programmes working in close collaboration with relevant staff to ensure that new funding opportunities are in accordance with country and global strategies and policies.
  
  Monitoring and Evaluation
  
• Contribute to the development of tools and frameworks, dissemination of guidance, or other resources to ensure monitoring and evaluation of program quality
  
• Work with Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) teams to carry out gender and power analysis, and conduct quality monitoring against international standards through participatory methodologies
  
• Contribute to relevant programme reports prior to submission to donors, ensuring that technical aspects are well articulated and reports are of high quality. Provide support where necessary to improve report writing skills of CP teams.
  
• Where external consultants are required to technically support or monitor and evaluate projects, lead the recruitment and support subsequent management of contracted consultants as per the recruitment guidelines of Sierra Leone CO.
  
• Support the MEAL department in monitoring the Quality Benchmarks of all CP awards; in analysing the IPPTs of concerned awards; and in rolling out any other MEAL tool to enhance quality programming.
  
  Accountability and Learning:
  
• Ensure to provide an avenue for children’s voice through accountability mechanisms across all CP programmes being implemented directly or through partners.
  
• Support teams and partner organizations to strengthen their child participation tools
  
• Play a leading role in introducing innovations in CP programmes (gained from existing and emerging Save the Children’s global knowledge and practices).
  
• Facilitate appropriate dissemination of research findings and learning both internally and externally to donors, governments, consortium partners and other strategic actors for immediate and sustainable development of children in Sierra Leone
  
• Lead and work closely with the MEAL team to identify and lead strategic research and learning on CP for continuous improvement
  
  Coordination and External Representation:
  
• In alignment with Country Office strategy and leadership, engage in strategic positioning with donors, partners and government in-country, and ensure that Save the Children is a partner of choice in CP programming.
  
• Represent Save the Children at national level CP and external meetings, and Technical Working Group meetings
  
• Liaise and maintain good relationship with Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, other line ministries and duty bearers in the CP space, participating in strategic and technical discussions with government counterparts
  
• Strengthen civil society engagement in national dialogues and policy processes for advancing child protection and gender equality
  
  BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
  
  Accountability:
  
• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
  
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
  
  Ambition:
  
• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
  
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
  
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
  
  Collaboration:
  
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
  
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
  
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
  
  Creativity:
  
• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
  
• Willing to take disciplined risks.
  
  Integrity:
  
• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
  
  Safeguarding Responsibilities
  
• Report all cases of internal and external abuse
  
• Be aware of the Safeguarding policy and the Code of Conduct and raise awareness of this policy (children, employees, partners, beneficiaries, etc.)
  
• Contribute to lessons learned and documentation of good practices under the guidance of the focal point
  
• Be exemplary in their work and private life and respect the code of conduct and Safeguarding policy
  
• Know and respect local procedures
  
• Ensure the well-being of the child, the employee, the partners, the beneficiaries, and the communities
  
• Ensure a healthy environment for all (children, partners, beneficiaries, employees etc.)
  
  QUALIFICATIONS
  
• Master’s degree in a relevant Humanities Field
  
  EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
  
  Essential
  
• Significant (at least 8 years) professional experience of working at a senior advisory level in CP, Child Rights, and/or Gender Equality in international NGOs in complex settings. Specific experience in sub-sector specializations of Child Protection is highly valued.
  
• Strong commitment to capacity building of staff and partners with willingness to adopt participatory and consultative approaches.
  
• Progressive, professional-level experience at the management level with background in Child Protection and/or Gender Equality
  
• Ability to conceptually link CP with Education, Livelihoods, Child Rights, Health and Nutrition interventions within the context of an integrated programme approach
  
• An ability to effectively communicate with prospective donors and a demonstrated ability to develop and write detailed technical project proposals meeting donor requirements, including budgets
  
• Strong reporting skills
  
• Fluent Spoken and written English is essential.
  
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
  
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly into the field.
  
  Desirable
  
• The ability to liaise and effectively coordinate with government, local NGOs and community initiatives. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties.
  
• Track record in successful business development/fundraising, designing and pitching gender transformative approaches, models and programs
  
• Proven experience of living and working in insecure environments, able to follow security guidelines
  
• The ability to research and utilise existing local government and other technical expertise where applicable.
  
• High level of computer literacy
  
• Innovation in CP programming
  
• Knowledge of key donor financial policies and guidelines.
  
• Experience in promoting and mainstreaming Gender Equality and Child Rights based programming in programme design, implementation and evaluation.
  
  Additional job responsibilities
  
  The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.
  
  Equal Opportunities
  
  The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.
  
  Safeguarding:
  
  We must keep children, employees, partners, beneficiaries and communities safe in our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, to ensure protection from abuse.
  
  Health and Safety
  
  The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.