Child Protection Officer

Mahibere Hiwot for Social Development (MSD) is a non-governmental and non-profit making organization founded in October 1999. Since its establishment, MSD has been implementing different programs in collaboration with partners on providing broad range of HIV prevention, care and treatment services and Sexual and Reproductive health (SRH), Migration & Trafficking, Good Governance, Education and Child Development in different parts of the country.

MSD is a child safe organization and all successful applicants will be required to sign the Safeguarding Code of Conduct. The safety and wellbeing of children and at-risk adults are priorities of MSD. The organization provides a safe environment in all its programs and activities. It has strong recruitment procedures to make sure the safest and most suitable people work with the children in its programmes.

MSD is looking for qualified and competent applicants for the following position:

Project Summary

The project entitled Multi-year Protracted Crisis Ethiopia Joint Responses (2024-2026) is an integrated project that consists of WASH, Protection, FSL, Health and MPC sectors financed by the Dutch relief alliance. The objective of this project is to provide complimentary multi-sectoral and integrated lifesaving humanitarian support to conflict and/or drought affected people in need - both displaced and non-displaced, in the target locations, prioritizing the most vulnerable population, and facilitate early recovery and resilience of communities, while ensuring that that gender, protection, accountability to affected populations (AAP), and prevention from sexual exploitation abuse and harassment (PSEAH) are well integrated across the different service.

Job Summary:

As a Child Protection Officer, you will play a key role in ensuring the safety, well-being, and rights of children in diverse community settings. You will work closely with local authorities, community leaders, and partner organizations to prevent and respond to child protection concerns, including abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Planning, Development, and Implementation

• Undertake and ensure situational assessments, data collection, compilation, and analysis are to the required standard.
• Participate in the development of CP strategies and approaches and contribute actively to their revision, monitoring, and improvement.
• Takes primary responsibility for the implementation and follow-up of the CP program, including the development and update of relevant strategies, SOPs, and referral pathways; case management; psychosocial support interventions; and community-based support for at-risk children, including unaccompanied and separated children.
• Ensure well-coordinated implementation to address needs and cases concerning unaccompanied or separated children living on the project area.
• Support program staff in the design and implementation of effective community mobilization and awareness-raising strategies.
• Maintain standards, design, and undertake diversified psychosocial support activities at the Safe Healing and Learning Space (SHLS).
• Facilitate and take the lead in the arrangement (establishment) of a family-based care system or appropriate care system and promote community-based protection mechanisms, including the development of a standard process of support including case planning, referral, follow-up, and review of case management.
• Provide training for CP staff, implementing partners, caregivers and families, and community leaders, including children.
• Strengthen protection mechanisms through mobilizing and involving the community in reducing risks and harm of (abuse, exploitation, violence, and neglect) against children in project area, setting up a mechanism of documentation and responding to the needs of identified, verified, and planned cases, as well as identifying gaps and building the capacity of the community along with children to be able to support harmed and at-risk children and their families, including unaccompanied and separated children, promote understanding among the community on the rights of children, and ensure their access to case management services available in Waghimra Sekota.
• Work with the community and caregivers/parents to develop positive parenting skills and ensure positive parent-child communication skills.
• Responsible for planning, budgeting, implementation, and monitoring of the program in line with the organizations and donors guidelines, policies, and procedures.
• Follow-up and monitor the implementation of program activities based on the work plan and spending plan, and ensure the proper utilization and tracking of the budget and materials allocated to the program.

Program Liaison, Coordination, and Networking

• Develop and maintain strategic and effective communication and working relationships with relevant partners, including children, families, community leaders, community workers and other implementing partners.
• Represent the program in all partner meetings and communicate the outcomes with program staff.
• Coordinate, lead, and facilitate regular monthly meetings with the community, children, and implementing agencies and sectors, including the preparation of the agenda and the circulation of the minutes of the child protection working groups (coordination body) meetings.
• In collaboration with the community workers staff, hold community awareness-raising campaigns and keep informed on child protection concerns.
• Interact with the zonal and woreda government and other partners, NGO in different stages of CP program implementation and follow up on agreed-upon points.
• Collaborate with other program officers to ensure the integration of other (education, health, sanitation, and CWI) programs.
• Mentor and support social workers, community workers and other child DRA project MSD staff and develop a positive team spirit to encourage innovative and quality programming.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Initiate or participate in periodic program review meetings with partners and community members.
• Support the staff by ensuring the availability of accurate, complete, and up-to-date information required for effective program implementation, follow-up, review, and M&E.
• Prepares monthly progress, quarterly and annual implementation, donor reports, and reviews the budget required for the child protection assistant coordinator in Addis Ababa, the field coordinator, and the CP and CWI manager.

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Sex: Female/Male

Staff required: 1

Education Requirements

• University Degree in Social Work, Psychology/Sociology, or Social Science, with 1 year for a postgraduate degree and 2 years for a degree of proven experience specific to child protection programming.

Preferred experience and skills

• NGO experience is a plus.
• Experience in capacity building and mentoring.
• Good digital literacy: MS Word and Excel.
• Good interpersonal and problem-solving skills and flexibility.
• Good understanding of CP program approaches and practice.
• Confirmed experience in developing competency-based training modules
• Experience working with harmed and at-risk children in the NGO working system.

Skills Required:

• Supervisory/basic managerial skills.
• Technical and report-writing skills.

Key Working Relationships:

• The CP Officer will directly report to the senior CP Officer with additional oversight from the CP Manager and, technically, to the Child Protection Team based in Addis Ababa.

Language Skills:

• English fluency is required.
• Local language is a plus.