UNFPA Surge Response Roster: Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Experts

Are you a dedicated professional with expertise in Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) prevention and response? Do you thrive in challenging environments and want to make a tangible difference during crises?
If so, the UNFPA Surge Roster needs you!
UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is committed to delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. We promote gender equality and empower women, girls, and young people. Our goal is ending the unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices, including SEA, by 2030.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to make a direct impact during humanitarian emergencies, protecting the health and rights of women and girls.
• Deployment for short term (3 to 6 months) surge missions as part of UNFPA humanitarian response.
• A platform to utilize your expertise in SEA Prevention and Response.

We are looking for candidates with a PSEA Expert profile to provide strategic and technical guidance on protection from SEA across UNFPA’s programs and operations in humanitarian emergencies, coordinate and oversee the implementation of UNFPA’s PSEAH Strategy and IASC PSEA priorities, ensure the application of SEA prevention and risk mitigation interventions, support or establish systems for safe reporting and survivor support (in coordination with GBV actors), and represent UNFPA in interagency PSEA coordination fora.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Coordination & Implementation

• Provide strategic and technical guidance on PSEA response and prevention priorities in relation to current and expected emergencies in line with international guidelines and good practices.
• Develop and conduct learning and capacity building tools and standards for Civil Society Organization (CSO) and government partners on the protection fromSEA.
• Coordinate and oversee the functioning of reporting and SEA accountability mechanisms and systems, including facility/site level reporting mechanisms, mapping of SEA support services, and referral pathways.
• Conduct/lead rapid assessment/s to identify SEA-specific risks and contributing factors.
• Based on risk assessments, design SEA risk mitigation and action plans
• Explore opportunities to ensure life-saving Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services are accessible to, and relevant for, survivors of SEA (including those most at risk of SEA - women, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, etc). 
• Systematically identify and operationalize linkages between Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and GBV at programmatic and service delivery level, with SEA survivors support, SEA reporting systems, and SEA prevention and risk mitigation actions
• Carry out or support a joint SEA risk assessment to inform senior UN leadership and Government bodies and provide recommendations to improve programs to minimize risks and opportunities for sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Reinforce and develop mechanisms that enable survivors of SEA to safely report incidents and access support services; support efforts that promote disciplinary action against perpetrators in collaboration with existing UNFPA partners.
• Draft a Code of Conduct that clearly prohibits SEA, clarifies reporting obligations and processes, enforces clauses when breached, and encourages safe reporting.
• Ensure personnel and staff are knowledgeable about  PSEA and the Code of Conduct, including appropriate conduct for aid workers and how to submit and receive complaints under internal and inter-agency reporting systems.
• Develop, disseminate and support with the implementation of  PSEAchecklists and tools with humanitarian workers regarding
• Promote and advocate for PSEA clauses in partnership agreements that clarify reporting and investigation responsibilities (in line with UNFPA’s agreed policies and procedures with donors).
• Participate in and support the interagency PSEA Network, including through the implementation of key actions in the Network Action Plan

Establish and Strengthen Safe and Accessible Reporting Mechanisms, Survivor Support systems, and Referral Pathways

• Support the establishment of safe and accessible reporting mechanisms for SEAH that have been co-designed in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including communities (particularly women and girls).
• Advocate for joint and interagency reporting mechanisms managed by the PSEA Network membership to ensure the broadest scope of participation.
• In coordination with the Protection Cluster, GBV and Child Protection sub-clusters, mobilize the PSEA Network to conduct a mapping exercise of available services and gaps to address the support needs of SEA survivors, particularly in collaboration with UNFPA’s GBV programs team.
• Assist the PSEA Network to train service providers and ensure communities know where and how to report, what happens after a report is made, and where survivors can access support in the wake of a violation
• Support the strengthening of the existing community-based PSEA systems and mechanisms to actively engage in identifying, referring, reporting, and supporting survivors of SEA.

Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitor PSEA actions implemented by UNFPA through implementing partners to crisis-affected populations.
• Monitor UNFPA’s PSEA activities by keeping a close record of activities (e.g., capacity building, safety audits, SEA risk mapping, risk analysis and mitigation actions, consultations with communities, etc)).
• Prepare regular progress reports and document lessons learned, sharing them with the regional office and other units as necessary.
• Maintain an overview of the situation and identify crucial gaps and priorities in PSEA activities.
• Provide timely and accurate reports on activities to the humanitarian coordinator.
• Undertake field visits to monitor programmes, consultations and focus groups with community members (particularly women and girls), and conduct periodic program review with government counterparts and other partners; propose and/or undertake action on operational procedures affecting PSEA activities implementation.
• Design, prepare, implement, monitor, and evaluate PSEA activities in the field.
• Collect, analyze, and evaluate data to ensure achievement of objectives and/or take corrective action when necessary to meet office objectives related to PSEA.
• Contribute towards preparation of the situation analysis by compiling data, analyzing, and evaluating information and writing chapters of the analysis related to PSEA.

Qualifications and Experience

PSEA Expert (Focusing on a broad PSEA and GBV Coordination role)

• Advanced University Degree in social work or other social sciences, public health, community health, international relations, international law, human rights or related field.
• 5-7 years of experience, of which 3 are at the international level, working on SEA prevention and responses in humanitarian and/or development settings.
• Experience in coordination and programming of GBV (or PSEA) in international (complex and emergency) environments.
• Demonstrated leadership and management experience within a multinational and multicultural environment.
• Direct experience providing support to SEA survivors is an asset.
• Knowledge of differences and similarities of GBV and SEA programming is essential.
• Fluency in English is required; additional language skills are a strong advantage.

How You'll Be Assessed

1. Resume & Application Review: Your resume, application, and supporting paragraph will be examined to determine if your experience and skills align with UNFPA's surge needs.
2. Technical & Soft Skills Assessment: You may be asked to complete a technical assessment tailored to the PSEA area of expertise to evaluate your knowledge and problem-solving abilities. You may also have to answer questions relating to soft skills.
3. Video Interview: Candidates may be invited to a recorded video interview covering both technical and behavioral aspects relevant to humanitarian work.
4. Reference Checks: Professional references may be requested as a final step to gain further insights into your work ethic, performance under pressure, and suitability for surge deployments.

We look at the whole picture, considering your technical and soft skills, adaptability, commitment to UNFPA's mission, and potential to successfully contribute in crisis settings.
Selected candidates will be added to UNFPA’s Surge Response Roster and contacted for any opportunities that meet their profile.