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Introduction:
Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement, and disaster. CWS does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability, or veteran status in employment or the provision of services.
Primary Purpose:
CWS seeks a Child Protection and Welfare Specialist to provide technical assistance in CWS’s programs serving refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable communities in the United States. The Child Protection and Welfare Specialist supports program teams to ensure that protection and welfare mechanisms are effectively, systematically considered, and applied to all relevant dimensions of CWS programming, including mitigating the risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation across programs. This position is responsible for providing evidence-based technical guidance to various teams in a goal-oriented manner that delivers excellent results and expands CWS’s protection work.
The Child Protection and Welfare Specialist will work closely with CWS’s US National Programs teams and report directly to the Senior Director of Migrant and Emergency Services. The position may also support program components related to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA).
Essential Duties:
Serve as a subject-matter expert and source of information and analysis of child protection and welfare issues within CWS’ US programs portfolio.
Provide technical assistance and support to CWS headquarters and local staff to mainstream Child Protection approaches and methods into current and new programming.
Provide high-level recommendations, analysis, and training to CWS teams related to child welfare and protection.
Contribute to the level developing and strengthening of protection minimum standards, toolkits, and guidelines to ensure the overall quality of service provision related to child protection.
Conduct coaching, mentoring, and training of trainers on mainstreaming Child Protection principles to local CWS networks and affiliates on child protection and welfare principles.
Identify risks to children in CWS programming and provide evidence-based mitigation strategies programming (i.e., Do no Harm) through dedicated technical assistance.
Work with Senior Director of Migrant and Emergency services department to develop Child Protection tools and standards for CWS, with accompanying common approaches, quality indicators, consolidated CP agency guidelines, program manuals, and training curriculum packages.
Support and train CWS Unaccompanied Children Case Worker teams with Child Safeguarding awareness training and establish guiding principles for managing children at risk to ensure appropriate measures and actions are taken to protect UACs.
Provide technical assistance to new business development ventures, including proposal development and reporting processes to expand CWS’s domestic protection footprint.
Help coordinate with teams on the developing and implementing policies, positions, and communications materials on protection issues.
Represent CWS in select Child Protection inter-agency fora and support the development of joint Child Protection advocacy/policy initiatives emerging from these working groups.
Attend high-level engagement seminars and present at relevant conferences to promote CWS work, raise awareness of emerging CP issues and cultivate a new partnership with high-value stakeholders for further growth and advancement in this field.
Professional Qualifications:
Master's degree with significant study in or pertinent to the specialized field, including but not limited to social services, international relations, human rights, humanitarian affairs, public health, gender studies, disaster management, or a related field.
At least 5-6 years of demonstrated professional and practical experience working on child protection issues directly related to advising, assessing, designing, monitoring, managing, implementing, or evaluating child protection/welfare and response in humanitarian or refugee/immigration contexts.
A minimum of 1-2 years of direct field experience (international or domestic) in applying for child protection, child rights/safeguarding programming, and rights-based approaches.
Direct experience in designing, commissioning and delivering training of technical competencies to different target groups.
Ability to work with several different teams remotely.
Ability to work on several different programs at the same time, as well as the flexibility to manage competing priorities.
Strong knowledge of and experience working with institutional donors in humanitarian settings preferred.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.
CWS’ U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Policy requires all new staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination as soon as reasonable, no longer than 60 days of employment. Any employee who is pregnant, who is nursing, who has a disability, or who has a medical condition that prevents them from safe vaccination, or who rejects vaccination because of sincerely held religious beliefs, may contact the CWS Benefits Administrator to request a reasonable accommodation as defined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
CWS offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- 403 (b) Retirement Plan
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Paid Time Off
- Life Insurance and AD&D
- Long Term and Short Term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Health Savings Account
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Commuter Benefits