Chief Child Protection

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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For every child, the right to Protection

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Violence against children remains widespread in Madagascar, with many children exposed to multiple forms of violence at different stages of their childhood. Social and cultural norms continue to favour the use of violence as a form of discipline and child-rearing, with 9 in 10 children aged 1–14 experiencing violent methods of discipline and 8 in 10 experiencing psychological violence (MICS 2025). Physical discipline cuts across socio-economic and geographic groups and affects children relatively equally regardless of whether they live in urban or rural areas, household wealth or the education level of their mother. At the same time, other protection risks show significant disparities, with violence and other vulnerabilities generally more prevalent in rural and remote areas and marked differences across regions. Lower levels of maternal education are also associated with higher prevalence of violence. Reported physical and sexual violence can be higher among women and girls in urban areas and among those with higher levels of education, which may in part reflect greater awareness of violence, increased ability to recognize and report it, and greater trust in available support mechanisms. Violence against adolescent girls and women remains a particular concern: 17% of girls aged 15–19 have experienced physical violence and 7% sexual violence, while among girls and women aged 15–49 who have experienced physical or sexual violence, 56% have never sought help or spoken to anyone about it (MICS 2025). Child marriage remains widespread, with 42% of women aged 20–24 having been married before age 18 and 12% before age 15, while 14% of men aged 20–24 were married before age 18, one of the highest prevalence rates globally. The situation has deteriorated since the previous MICS in 2018, with child marriage increasing for both girls and boys. Child labour is another significant protection concern, with 25% of children aged 5–17 engaged in child labour and one in four of these children working in hazardous conditions (MICS 2025). These challenges are compounded by persistent social and cultural norms, limited awareness of rights and available services, and unequal access to protection and response mechanisms, particularly for children and families living in remote and underserved communities.

The Chief, Child Protection reports to the Deputy Representative, P5 for general guidance and direction. The Chief is responsible for managing and supervising all stages of child protection programmes/projects from strategic planning and formulation to delivery of concrete and sustainable contributions to national and international efforts to create a protective environment for children against all harm and to protect their rights to survival, development and well-being, as established under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, international treaties/frameworks and UN intergovernmental bodies.

The Chief is responsible for establishing the plans of action and overseeing work progress to ensure the achievement of concrete and sustainable programme/project results according to plans, allocation, results based-management approaches and methodology (RBM) and UNICEF’s Strategic Plans, standards of performance and accountability framework.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Managerial leadership
2. Programme development and planning
3. Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results
4. Advisory services and technical support
5. Advocacy, networking and partnership building
6. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Job Description Chief Child Protection Madagascar.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: international development, human rights, law, psychology, sociology, international law, social work or another relevant social science field.
• Work Experience: At least 8 years of relevant work experience in child protection, programme management, humanitarian response, gender-based violence, social welfare, case management, protection coordination, emergency preparedness, systems strengthening, advocacy and any other related fields is required.
• Skills: Proven expertise in Programme Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Child Protection Programmes, with a strong focus on delivering measurable and sustainable results is required. Demonstrated Leadership, Advocacy, and Humanitarian-development Coordination skills, with the ability to build partnerships and drive impact in complex environments is required.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French are required.

Desirables

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Relevant experience in programme development in child protection related areas in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Having experience in sector coordination and experience in emergency preparedness is also considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is desired.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children's data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments are conditional on the selected candidates willingness to comply with current or future vaccination requirements, should UNICEF mandate it for personnel. Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, will result in the cancellation of the selection or may lead to other administrative measures, including separation from service.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.