INTERSOS is an international, non-profit, humanitarian organization on the front line of emergencies, bringing assistance to victims of armed conflicts, natural disasters, and extreme exclusion with particular attention to the protection of the most vulnerable people. Since 1992 our humanitarian workers have been helping people affected by humanitarian crises: we provide first aid, food, shelter, medical assistance, and basic goods. We ensure that basic needs, such as education, access to clean water, and health assistance, are met.

Position                 Child Protection Specialist

Reports to              Protection Coordinator

Supervise               N/A

Status                    Full Time

Duty Station          Erbil, Iraq with frequent field visits to Ninewa                              and Salah AL-din Governorates.

All INTERSOS employees are expected to perform their roles and responsibilities according to the INTERSOS charter of values, code of ethics, PSEA, and Child Protection policies. The job description is mandatory for all positions within INTERSOS and shall be signed by the employee within the first week of employment.

General Description of the Program:

INTERSOS has been working in Iraq since 2003 with programs aimed at responding to urgent material safety needs and enhancing access to basic social services for vulnerable individuals and communities in Iraq and Kurdistan. Following the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation which negatively affects also neighboring countries, in November 2013 INTERSOS resumed its operations in the country to contribute towards ensuring emergency relief and social
protection assistance for the Syrian refugees fleeing their home in search of safety. Furthermore, since the surge in violence between armed groups and government forces with fighting spreading into Central and Northern Iraq in July 2014, INTERSOS extended its operations in Kurdistan region and is currently providing services aimed at assisting both Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs in camp and non-camp settings, with interventions mainly concentrated on the community services, protection, Food security and education sectors. Since October 2016, INTERSOS has enlarged its geographical areas and intervention sectors in order to respond to the Mosul humanitarian operation, in particular in Ninewa and Salah al-din Governorates with Health, Protection, and Education in Emergencies Activities.

Purpose/objective of the position:

The Child Protection (CP) Specialist will support the Protection Coordinator in defining, supervising, and implementing the Child Protection component of the protection program at INTERSOS Iraq
In close collaboration with the Protection Coordinator, the CP Specialist will provide technical guidance and advice to protection staff, ensuring that specific CP components of the program  are delivered according to internal guidelines and in line with international standards and principles, in order to achieve the mission’s goals effectively, according to INTERSOS human resources vision and values.

The CP Specialist will be responsible for guaranteeing high quality and timely CP interventions, in coordination with the CP team of NNGO and INGO INTERSOS Partners, and the Protection team of INTERSOS. S/He will i) train/re-train the CP team on CP CM, basic Child Protection concepts and working with children, ii) mentor the team on a daily basis at field level, iii) facilitate ad-hoc workshops on technical CP topics, IV) Advocate for child rights on the local and national level.

Reporting lines:

The CP Specialist will report to the Protection Coordinator for implementation of the protection activities(line and technical manager).

Generic Duties:

Coordination and support:

• Contribute to the design of the protection strategy of the mission and provide technical support and assistance to the implementation of the CP-related components (case management, PSS, and
education).
• In coordination with the Protection Coordinator, support to contextualize and adapt internal and global guidelines, making sure these are rolled out and known by relevant staff.
• Ensure cohesion and harmonization of CP-related activities and services across the different implementation sites within the mission.
• In coordination with the Protection Coordinator, deliver trainings and workshops to protection staff to build their skills on CP-related topics identified with them.
• Support the Protection Coordinator to deliver trainings and workshops to non-protection staff to build their skills and knowledge of CP-related principles and enable them to mainstream gender component in their sectors
• In coordination with the Protection Coordinator, assess CP needs and gaps of target populations in current and prospective areas of operations, periodically update the protection situation analysis and inform the program accordingly.
• Support the Protection Coordinator in ensuring that protection data is collected, stored, archived, processed, analyzed and disseminated in ethical modalities, in line with internal data protection protocols.
• Under the supervision of the Protection Coordinator, undertake regular field monitoring visits and provide support tools to monitor the quality of program implementation.
• Support the Protection Coordinator in the follow-up on the implementation of the Child Protection (CP) policy.

Networking and Partnerships:

• Maintain collaborative working relationships with relevant clusters and related working groups at the national and/or field level.

• In coordination with the Protection Coordinator, ensure that main CP concerns are brought to relevant stakeholders to advocate for the respect of human rights and minimum protection standards.
• Network with CP Specialists of other missions to share best practices and resources.

Person Specifications :

     Education and professional experience:

• BA in relevant field (Social Science, Psychology, Social Work, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law or other fields related to social development and humanitarian work).

• Master’s Degree in a related field preferred.

     Competencies: (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities) 

• Minimum four years of relevant work experience in child protection with an INGO;
• Strong theoretical, technical and practical knowledge in Child Protection;
• Demonstrated ability to work within a humanitarian context (experience with IDPs is an asset);
•  Very good understanding of protection, human rights law and international humanitarian law rights and international humanitarian principles;
•  Experience developing and facilitating training programs on CP;
•  Computer literacy (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CPIMS a plus);
•  Excellent analytical and reporting skills on protection and human rights;
•  Experience in proposal writing is desired.

     Behavioral competencies:

•  A high degree of flexibility and ability to work in insecure, stressful,  and hardship environments;
•  High confidentiality, respect, and non-discriminatory attitude;
•  Diplomatic skills in networking with partners, authorities, and donors;
•  Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
•  Strong time management skills, resourcefulness, and attention to detail;
•  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work and integrate into a multicultural team. 

    Languages and other:

• Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken);
• Ability to travel to field sites within Iraq.