UNICEFWCARO

TERMES OF REFERENCE

Position Title: Child Protection Specialist, Civil Registration and Vital Statistics

Duty Station: Dakar

Country: Senegal

Region: WCARO

Job Level: P3

Application Close: 22ndNovember 2013

Contract Type:Temporary Appointment

Duration: 11 months (364 days)

  1. Purpose of the Position

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Child Protection Adviser, the S/M will be accountable for supporting the development, planning, implementation and coordination of UNICEF’s Regional Programme on birth and civil registration.This includes technical support, quality oversight and leadership in key focus areas to support national civil registration system development with the focus on birth registration.The programme finds its rationale in the implementation of the recommendations of the Africa Programme on Accelerated Improvement of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI –CRVS) and the work of the regional CRVS Core Group with UNICEF as a member as follows: i) all countries should undertake comprehensive assessments of their CRVS systemand ii) all countries should develop costed action plans and start the reform process in order to register all vital events and generate national statistics. As the political will and donor interest increase across Africa, UNICEF COs need to take ownership of the paradigm shift in the work on birth registration and start applying regionally adopted standards and recommendations.

As Child Protection Specialist for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, the S/M will specifically provide technical support and adequate quality assurance to country office programmes on birth registration with a view to integrating them to wider civil registration systems and particularly the health system to ensure that birth registration is fully integrated into health systems. A special attention will be given to countries in the region that are part of UNICEF’s global partnership with the European Union (Nigeria and Burkina Faso) as well as Country Offices whose Governments are receiving bilateral support from the EU for birth registration, including Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Cameroon.

As Child Protection Specialist, the S/M will define and promote the linkages withother sections, particularly Health, Education and Social Protection with a focus on integrated system development. The S/M will also ensure that WCAR priorities in terms of birth registration are reflected at the regional and global level through evidence based advocacy and strategic partnerships with members of the Regional CRVS Core Group, the EU and other donors.

The Child Protection Specialist will also support the work in the Regional Office on Child Marriage, including specifically providing oversight, under the supervision of the Regional Adviser, to a regional study on Child Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy as part of a regional strategy to reduce the prevalence of child marriage.

  1. Major Duties/Responsibilities
  • Provide guidance and technical support to Country Officesin applying most recent standards and recommendations and to align all work on birth registration to the wider pan-African CRVS initiative and the AU Integration agenda
  • Provide quality oversightand technical support for Country Offices, with a particular focus on countries with funding from the EU
  • Ensure a timely implementation of the regional EU funded birth registration project
  • Develop and implement capacity building plan for Country Offices BR focal points
  • Coordinate inter-sectoral CRVS inputs to Annual Work Plans, Annual Reports, CPD/CPAP and MTR and UNDAF documents as well as to other planning documents (including funding proposals).
  • Ensure CRVS related policy dialogue, guidance and coordination are reflected in the programmes of the country offices and WCARO.
  • Work closely with the Regional Adviser to represent WCAR in the regional CRVS Core Group and ensure the needs of the region are properly reflected in their agenda
  • Work closely with the Regional Adviser to develop partnerships with key regional organizations, such as UNFPA, WHO and UNDP
  • Assist in resource mobilization, particularly for a follow-up project with the EU
  • Provide oversight and follow up, with the support of the Regional Adviser, to the implementation of a regional Study on child marriage and teenage pregnancy
  1. Qualifications of Successful Candidate
  • Advanced university degree, preferably in social sciences, international relations, law or other relevant field.
  • Five years of professional work experience at national and international levels in child protection or other related field, including international work experience.
  • Advanced technical knowledge of theories, principles and methods in strengthening child protection systems and services with a particular focus on birth and civil registration.
  • Expertise and experience in birth and civil registration
  • Knowledge and experience of working with the EU
  • Experience in developing strategic partnerships
  • Knowledge of the regional APAI – CRVS and the African Union integration agenda is an asset.
  • Good knowledge of West and Central African socio-economic environment is an asset.
  • Fluency in French and English is required; the knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese represents an additional asset.
  1. Competencies of Successful Candidate
  • Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
  • Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
  • Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
  • Has good leadership skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
  • Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
  • Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network ofindividuals across organizational departments.
  • Identifies urgent and potentially difficult decisions and acts on them promptly; initiates and generates team- and department-wide activities.
  • Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.
  • Fluency in both French and/or English is required. Please note that working knowledge of English is required for all assignments.

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UNICEF West and Central Africa Country Offices are located in the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde (UN Joint Office), Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.

If you are qualified and interested in the position and meet the requirements, please forward your application with updated curriculum vitae and UN Personal History Form (available at)), with “the title of the position as the subject’’, via email to and y 22 November 2013.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

Reviewed and cleared by:

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Chief of Section

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HR Specialist

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Regional Director Date

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