Child Protection Officer

Host entity: UNICEF

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Education, Youth

Application deadline: 26/09/2026

Mission and objectives

UNICEF was established in 1946 to supply emergency relief to millions of children suffering in the aftermath of World War II. The organization still functions to ease the suffering of millions of children in emergency situations across the world. UNICEF also focuses on the protection and promotion of child rights, working for the survival, protection, education and healthy development of every child.

UNICEF has worked in Jordan since 1952 to promote and protect the rights of children. In the following decades, significant progress has been achieved for children. Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2013, UNICEF has significantly increased its operation to respond to the challenges faced by both refugee children and those in the communities where they live.

Building on the lessons learned from this emergency response, UNICEF Jordan moved to a vulnerability approach in 2018 - supporting interventions that target the most vulnerable children in the country, regardless of their nationality.

Assignment context

The UN Volunteer will be embedded within UNICEF Jordan's Child Protection Programme and work closely with the Education Programme, Ministry of Social Development (MOSD), Ministry of Education (MOE), school counsellors, teachers, principals, social service providers, and implementing partners supporting ST4LR. The assignment focuses on strengthening systems and capacities within 300 target schools to identify children at risk of dropping out, establish and operationalize school-level Early Warning Systems (EWS), strengthen referral pathways to child protection and social services, support safe and supportive learning environments, and enhance school-based counselling and psychosocial support services. Activities primarily contribute to Results 3.2 and 3.3 of the ST4LR programme.

National UN Specialist Volunteers in Jordan are entitled to:

• Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) at the amount of JOD 1,186.33;
• Annual and learning leaves;
• Free Medical and life insurance;
• Free access to different learning platforms.

For more information on UN Volunteer benefits, entitlements and support, please visit:
https://www.unv.org/volunteer-your-country-conditions-service

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Child Protection Specialist, the UN Volunteer will:

1. Support implementation of school-level dropout prevention initiatives in targeted schools through collaboration with the MOE and MOSD directorates, school leadership and NGO implementing partners. Assist in the development, rollout and monitoring of school-level early identification and alert systems to track chronic absenteeism, academic underperformance and other dropout risk factors.

2. Support and guide targeted schools to analyze attendance and learning data and identify children at risk of dropping out.

3. Facilitate capacity building for teachers, principals and counsellors to develop individualized action plans for at-risk children and monitor implementation of support measures.

4. Strengthen coordination between schools and child protection, psychosocial support and social assistance service providers to ensure timely referrals and follow-up of vulnerable children.

5. Support mapping and strengthening of referral pathways between schools and community-based child protection and social service actors.

6. Facilitate training and coaching activities for educators, counsellors and school leaders on child protection, positive discipline, nurturing practices, case identification, safe referrals and safeguarding principles.

7. Support implementation of school- and community-based initiatives promoting safe, supportive and inclusive learning environments.

8. Monitor school-based counselling initiatives and psychosocial support interventions for children experiencing bullying, violence, family conflict, emotional distress or other protection concerns.

9. Contribute to awareness-raising and community engagement activities related to violence prevention, positive parenting, child rights, inclusion and child well-being.

10. Support monitoring, documentation and reporting of programme implementation, including collection and analysis of child protection and student retention data.

11. Conduct field visits to schools and communities to monitor implementation quality, identify challenges, document good practices and propose corrective actions.

12. Prepare technical reports, briefing notes, presentations, success stories and lessons learned related to dropout prevention, child protection and psychosocial support interventions.

13. Undertake any other related duties assigned by the supervisor.

Skills and experience

At least three years of professional experience in child protection, safeguarding, education, social work, psychosocial support, case management, or related areas.

• Experience supporting programmes addressing violence against children, school safety, child well-being,
student retention, or vulnerable populations.
• Experience coordinating with government counterparts, schools, NGOs and community-based organizations.
• Familiarity with referral mechanisms, case management principles and child safeguarding standards.
• Experience facilitating capacity building, workshops and trainings.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• Experience monitoring programme implementation and analysing data.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.


Assets
• Experience working with UNICEF, UN agencies or international organizations.
• Experience supporting education programmes.
• Familiarity with Early Warning Systems, attendance monitoring systems or dropout prevention initiatives.
• Experience working with the Ministry of Education or school-based child protection programmes in Jordan.
• Knowledge of MHPSS programming and school counselling systems.

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Creativity
• Judgement and decision-making
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism
• Self-management

Living conditions

Amman, the capital, is a peaceful city with over four million residents. People are friendly to visitors. Services in terms of banking, transportation, health and communications are easily available. Though Arabic is the official language, English is widely spoken among the majority of the population, especially in Amman. Road network is good both in terms of spread and quality of the roads. Public transportation in Amman is limited. Taxis are relatively cheap and easily available. There are a number of shopping malls, restaurants, gyms, and cinemas. A large variety of accommodation options can be found; however, it is worth noting that prices in Amman have generally increased in the past few years. There are no specific security threats. Amman is a very easy city in which to live; large, many amenities, very modern and serviced by an international airport with direct flights to most capital cities. According to the assessment of the UN Department of Safety & Security (UNDSS) Jordan is a family duty station (category A hardship).

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the insurance plan.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.