Child Protection and Care System Strengthening Advisor

Background

CRS is seeking a System Strengthening and Partnerships candidate for an anticipated multi-county child development, care, and protection project. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen national systems that protect vulnerable children, support families, and improve early childhood development through locally led and sustainable approaches. The project will improve outcomes for vulnerable children by strengthening child protection systems, supporting families and caregivers, advancing integrated early childhood health and development, and reducing reliance on residential care.

Job Summary

The Advisor acts as the subject matter expert, providing technical advice, guidance, and support to strengthen child protection, care, and development systems in Kenya. Through application of specialized technical expertise, the staff will support project implementation, systems strengthening, capacity development, and learning efforts to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families. The staff contributes to improving policies, practices, service quality, and sustainable system change through collaboration with government, civil society, faith-based, and community stakeholders.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the project’s subject matter expert for child protection and care system strengthening within Kenya. Provide technical guidance on child protection systems, care reform, case management, alternative care, social service workforce strengthening, and related reforms, in coordination with the global technical counterpart and drawing on senior consultants and resource partners with specialised expertise as needed.
• Ensure child protection and care system strengthening approaches reflect current evidence, national standards, safeguarding principles, and country context.
• Analyze the government child protection information management system (CPIMS), with relevant resource partners, from the perspective of high-quality care and support operationalization uptake of recommended improvements.
• Develop child protection competencies and training materials; facilitate training of trainers in coordination and collaboration with partner government and support the rollout and quality of training for health, social service, and community actors.
• Informed by action plans developed with national and targeted subnational public authorities, provide technical support to child protection authorities and other relevant actors to meet national standards, promote supportive supervision, and strengthen implementation quality.
• Work with the Project Director, global technical counterpart, resource partners, other project, MEAL, and implementation teams to align child protection and care system strengthening approaches with Early Childhood Development, family strengthening, alternative family care, parenting, Household Economic Strengthening, and violence prevention.
• Maintain relationships with key project, technical, and partner stakeholders to support coordination, exchange, and shared problem-solving.
• Advise on integration and alignment of government-led data collection systems and relevant CPIMS data into the project’s MEAL system, in collaboration with resource partners where relevant.
• Facilitate safe and inclusive reflection processes with government, civil society, faith-based, community, and implementation stakeholders to interpret results, share practice-based learning, and identify adaptations.
• Review child protection and care system strengthening data, propose program adaptations, and share relevant findings and learning with country, global, and technical stakeholders as appropriate.
• Monitor national and subnational issues that may affect child protection and care system strengthening results and recommend mitigation measures as needed.
• Incorporate and monitor the use of safeguarding and protection best practice in child protection and care system strengthening interventions, in coordination with the Safeguarding Advisor where applicable, and support safeguarding action planning with subawardees as relevant.
• Contribute to reporting, documentation, technical knowledge sharing, and relevant networks.
• Write and present analyses of milestone results and contribute to donor reports, programmatic updates, learning products, briefs, and project communications.
• Participate actively in relevant in-country and global child protection, care reform, and system strengthening working groups, networks, and fora.
• Support partner staff, government counterparts, people with lived experience, and other relevant stakeholders to engage in relevant fora, providing technical preparation and coaching as needed.

• Required/Desired Foreign Language: Ability to clearly communicate in written and spoken English and Kiswahili. Knowledge of the local language of the county is an added advantage.
• Travel Required: The Staff will be expected to travel 70% of the time within the project areas of operation as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Key Working Relationships

• Internal: Anticipated project staff, Health, Education and Social Services Unit, and CRS Kenya MEAL Unit
• External: Local Implementing Partners, GOK, interfaith networks, faith-based organizations, Careleavers, relevant private sector entities, local communities, beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required.
• Minimum of eight years of work experience required in departmental-specific area of specialization.
• Previous experience managing multiple projects in a single department
• Previous experience in managing departmental projects.
• Experience working with government, civil society, faith-based, or community actors.
• Experience applying technical knowledge in the relevant area of specialization including via standards, evidence, and guidance to program implementation.
• Experience with facilitation, coaching, training, and capacity strengthening skills.
• Experience collaborating across technical areas and contribute to integrated project implementation.
• Experience using program data and learning to identify gaps, manage risks, improve quality, and inform adaptation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree
• Demonstrated working knowledge of: (1) Catholic Church organizational structures and (2) Catholic Social Teaching.
• Previous experience in multi-country development programs
• Experience working in complex, multi-partner or multi-country development programs working with national and sub-national government, multiple technical partners, civil society, and other program stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Advanced ability for independent action, decision making, and initiative with strong and consistent attention to detail.
• Strong time management skills, ability to multitask.
• Experience with budget planning and reporting systems.
• Computer proficiency with the ability to utilize MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Proficiency in variety of computer software applications

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability
• Acts with Integrity
• Builds and Maintains Trust
• Collaborates with Others
• Open to Learn

Agency Leadership Competencies

• Lead Change
• Develops and Recognizes Others
• Strategic Mindset

Core Values

• Child-focused . Children always come first in our work. We place the rights and needs of children, and their safety, protection, and well-being and the center of everything we do.
• Accountable . We take responsibility for our actions when carrying out our programs, exercising great care in the use of our resources and seeking to deploy them to maximum effect, always considering the consequences and impact on children.
• Transformative . We support change to create a positive and sustainable difference to the lives of children, and transformation that brings lasting benefits.
• Inclusive . We aim to ensure access to opportunities for everyone. We endeavor to operate in open and honest ways in both our internal and external relationships, developing and delivering flexible approaches that address the needs of all. We involve young people both in matters that affect them and in our advocacy activities

MEAL Competencies

• Track portfolio and project MEAL requirements – both CRS MEAL Policies and Procedures (MPP) and donor requirements.
• Work with MEAL staff and partner staff to implement the MPP and donor MEAL requirements applicable to your projects.
• Complete the annual MEAL procedure self-assessment for your project and develop an action plan to advance MEAL practice.
• Ability to use MEAL data for program improvement, adaptation, and learning.

Disclaimer

This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

What we offer

CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package and the opportunity to work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture that is committed to improving the lives of the poor throughout the world. CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting men, women, boys and girls safe from abuse, exploitation, and harm.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for this position, especially those from marginalized and people with disabilities backgrounds

Data Protection/Disclaimer

Catholic Relief Services is committed to ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data protection.

Recruitment Disclaimer

We wish to notify that CRS does not demand or charge any fee/charges from the aspiring candidates for considering their candidature, or at any time during the recruitment process, nor have we authorized any individual, agency or firm to recruit candidates for us. Any person seeking employment with CRS needs to be cautious and not trust any agency or individual claiming to be our representative and charging fees for providing/securing employment with us.

By applying this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect, and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviours related to the above safeguarding-related topics .