Child Protection Technical Advisor

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Child Protection Technical Adviser is a critical position for Save the Children in Lebanon and will play a leading role in ensuring the design, development and monitoring of high quality CP programmes across Lebanon.

The Child Protection Technical Adviser will lead fundraising efforts for CP, design high quality programmes that respond to needs of the ground, ensure integration of CP within other sectors, monitor the technical quality of interventions and represent Save the Children Lebanon internally and externally. 
 

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: 

Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Programme Development & Quality (PDQ) Director 

Staff reporting to this post: NA

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :

Under the direct supervision of PDQ Director  and in close coordination with other thematic Advisors, Area Managers and Child Protection Programme Managers in the field, the Child Protection Technical Advisor is responsible for:

Strategic Planning and Leadership:

• Provide overall strategic leadership to Save the Children's work in the child protection  (CP) sector in Lebanon.
• Provide child protection technical input to the development of SC Strategy, country annual plans, sector strategies and other planning documents.
• Maintain a clear overview of programme progress across the child protecion sector portfolio to be shared with senior managers.
• Ensure that the child protection programme design benefits from integration with other sectors where possible, and vice versa.

Programme Quality and standards:

• Provide technical expertise, quality assurance and support for Save the Children's CP programmes, ensuring they are of high quality with reliable data and outcomes. 
• Develop and maintain central database of tools and guidance to support programme quality in CP and support the development of technical tools, guidance and documentation as required.
• Lead the continuous assessment of CP needs and ensure that these are appropriately reflected in sectoral strategies and programmes.
• Develop , update and rool out the child protection strategy, including cross cutting issues such MHPSS , Gender equality and climate and ensuring consistency with Save the Children's theory of change and country specific plans.
• Ensure harmonized and consistent approach to child protection response across SCI's geographical areas.
• Develop and maintain central database of tools and guidance to support programme quality in CP and support the development of technical tools, guidance and documentation as required.
• Promote and utilize SCI's Common Approaches, ensuring adaptation to context. 
• Provide information and advice to other sectors on ways to integrate child protection in more holistic/integrated programs 
• Conduct regular monitoring visits (40% of time) to the field offices to coordinate with program teams on implementation, identify lessons learned from programs and develop joint action plans for capacity strengthening
• Oversee knowledge sharing across teams, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programmes 
• Ensure documentation of case studies, and lessons learned documents, and dissemination of these both internally and externally working with the ACCM team. 
• Ensure quality control of any relevant report (donor reports, annual reports and plans etc) and promote results oriented report writing among field teams. 
• Ensure recognized international best practices and Save the Children policies are applied and informing programming in the work with children. 

Programme development and resource mobilization: 

• Provide active leadership in Save the Children's relationships with key donors for the child protection sector
• Expand and develop Save the Children's child protection portfolio sustainably and strategically by dentifying and assessing appropriateness of fundraising opportunities.
• Actively seek new funding opportunities and play a role in pre-positioning SCI as a key CP agency in Lebanon. 
• Lead in the design of high-quality and innovative proposals  responding to child protection needs in Lebanon. 
• Ensure updated and accurate information is  used in program development
• Coordinate with proposal development team on identifying opportunities and developing proposals for donor
• Work with colleagues from other sectors to mainstream CP/MHPSS through integrated programming.

External Relations, advocacy and representation: 

• Ensure and promote Save the Children's reputation as a leading CP agency in Lebanon.
• Represent Save the Children in technical area to government and other agencies.
• Avctively engage and/or co-lead in national coordination meetings, forums and Task-Forces for child protection programing and advocacy and represent SC's principles. 
• Maintain strategic links with key duty bearers and stakeholders such as governmental bodies, UN agencies, INGOs and other local NGOs and CBOs, identify opportunities and ensure Save the Children's participation in key activities of the national and local level.
• Serve as technical link with Save the Children Members, regional office, and Education Global Initiative.Identify key advocacy asks related to child protection and actively engage in advocating to key stakeholders including contributing to its development.
• Represent Save the Children on other national/international technical networks as requested.

Partnerships: 

• Ensure timely support to Partnerships manager on technical identification, selection, and adequate assessment of CP strategic & implementing partners.
• Ensure appropriate, relevant, and timely provision of technical capacity on the CP/MHPSS/AC fields as necessary and through mobilization of internal and external capacity building opportunities and sharing of all relevant materials/documents, etc.
• Promote joint program design for the advancement of mutual strategic priorities when relevant.
• Commit to joint regular monitoring of implementation progress and achievement towards results, and feeding into programmatic adaptations
• Maintain strong coordinated working relationships with partners, including relevant government stakeholders
• Promote Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures with implementing partners.
• Support high quality reporting by field staff through timely review and guidance.
• Screen technical field manager candidates (and others as appropriate) and support recruitment as needed.
• Improve/strengthen coordination and technical support to local partners including National NGOs, CSOs, and Govermental bodies on child protection. 
• Lead the identification of strategic partners for potential consortia projects. 

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Oversee knowledge sharing across CP teams- including MHPSS, and in coordination with other sectors, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programs
• Together with MEAL colleagues, develop activity, outcome and impact monitoring tools to assess the quality of SCI and partners' programmes. 
• Provide sector specific analysis of data collected, to drive program adapation and learning. 
• Ensure clear plans in place for monitoring and evaluating project activities in relation to the objectives and that lessons learnt are shared and capitalized on
• Regularly monitoring visits project sites to ensure that teams are appropriately supported

Capacity Development, team work and staff supervision

• Proactively support CP programme teams in all field sites, so as to ensure strong technical supervision. 
• ensure training and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
• Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in the nextus of a humanitarian response anddevelopment context
• Facilitate the development and implementation of detailed goals and objectives and periodical performance evaluationsfor each staff under supervision according to SCI policies and procedures. 
• Actively support team cohesion and a positive work environment

General

Comply with and promote Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child protection, child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master or Bachelor degree in Social Work, Psychology, Human Rights or relevant field
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

•    Extensive experience, progressively responsible, working in child protection programming, preferably in the Middle East

•    Extensive experience in building strong child protection systems and in delivering services to children in emergencies

•    Proven track record of effective fundraising with major donors

•    Ability to work under pressure and willingness to work flexible hours in the event of major emergencies

•    Experience in both development and humanitarian sector preferred.

•    Excellent understanding of the Monitoring and Evaluation processes and methodologies – with specific technical trainings in these areas.  

•    Proven representation and advocacy skills.

•    Familiarity with key international standards for humanitarian work (e.g. CP Minimum Standards, SPHERE, HAP Principles, etc.).

•    Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties. 

•    Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching

•    Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

•    Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets.

•    Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in

•    Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner.

•    Commitment to Save the Children values, including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child  safeguarding policy.

Desirable

•    Save the Children experience strongly preferred

•    Arabic language skills highly desirable

•    Experience in Lebanon or the region highly desirable
 

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.

Child Safeguarding:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children 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.