Humanitarian Action Advisor – Child Protection in Humanitarian Action
SOS Children's Villages
Quick Take
Lead the integration and quality assurance of child protection standards across SOS Children's Villages' humanitarian programmes across East Africa, providing technical advisory support to national offices responding to crises.
Master's degree in Social Work, International Development or related field; 5+ years progressive child protection experience in humanitarian settings; deep expertise in Child Protection Minimum Standards and IASC guidelines.
Senior advisory role with significant regional impact on child protection policy, competitive salary (KES 250–400k/mo), opportunity to shape humanitarian response in high-need contexts, and chance to influence HDP nexus integration across the region.
Job Description
SOS Children's Villages is seeking a technically strong and passionate Humanitarian Action Advisor – Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPiHA) to join its regional humanitarian team based in Nairobi. This is a senior advisory role that ensures child protection principles are systematically embedded across all humanitarian programming delivered by SOS Children's Villages Member Associations (MAs) across the region.
Reporting within the Humanitarian Action Service, the Advisor will provide expert technical leadership, quality assurance, and capacity-building support to national offices and partners responding to acute and protracted crises. The role also champions the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, ensuring communities receive uninterrupted, inclusive, and child-centred services even in the most challenging operating environments.
- Lead the integration of Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPiHA) standards, gender equality, and inclusive approaches across programme design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting cycles.
- Review and provide technical quality assurance on humanitarian project proposals, ensuring full compliance with the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS).
- Develop technical guidance notes, tools, and standard operating procedures that support Member Associations in delivering high-quality child protection responses.
- Support proposal development for humanitarian funding streams, including drafting child protection components and contributing to multi-sector appeals.
- Build the technical capacity of national office staff and partners through training, mentorship, and on-the-job coaching on CPiHA principles and practices.
- Pilot and scale innovative approaches to child protection programming in humanitarian settings, including community-based protection mechanisms.
- Drive institutionalisation of the HDP nexus approach, ensuring deliberate integration of short-term lifesaving and long-term recovery programming.
- Represent SOS Children's Villages in inter-agency coordination forums, including Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) and cluster coordination platforms.
- Support disaster preparedness planning, recovery programming, and pre-positioning of partnerships at national and international levels.
- Monitor programme quality and accountability mechanisms, contributing to donor reporting and internal evaluations.
- Hold a Master's degree (MSc, MA, or MBA) in Social Work, International Development, Humanitarian Studies, Human Rights, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrate at least 5 years of progressive experience implementing or advising on child protection programmes in humanitarian contexts, including emergency response and recovery phases.
- Apply in-depth knowledge of the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), IASC Guidelines, and Sphere Standards to real programme situations.
- Design and deliver capacity-building interventions — training curricula, workshops, or coaching — for national staff and partner organisations.
- Write technically sound and compelling grant proposals and donor reports, particularly for institutional humanitarian donors (ECHO, UNICEF, BHA, GFFO).
- Navigate inter-agency coordination effectively, including active participation in cluster or sector coordination mechanisms.
- Analyse protection risks and design gender-responsive, inclusive interventions for children affected by conflict, natural disaster, or displacement.
- Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences, including non-specialists, government counterparts, and community members.
- Demonstrate readiness for field deployments to humanitarian response settings, including hardship or conflict-affected areas.
SOS Children's Villages offers competitive compensation aligned with INGO sector standards. For a senior advisory role at this level based in Nairobi, the estimated monthly package ranges from KES 250,000 to KES 400,000, depending on experience and qualifications. The position is offered on a full-time contract basis. Specific salary details will be confirmed during the recruitment process.
- International INGO working environment with global exposure
- Opportunities for field deployments and professional development
- Collaborative and mission-driven team culture
Ideal candidates are senior child protection practitioners with a strong humanitarian background, demonstrated experience with CPMS, and a passion for systems-level change. You thrive in fast-paced, multi-cultural environments, are comfortable with ambiguity, and have a track record of influencing programme quality at scale. Candidates with experience working across East Africa or in protracted crisis contexts are strongly encouraged to apply.
Do not apply if you have fewer than 5 years of hands-on humanitarian child protection experience, lack familiarity with the CPMS framework, or are unwilling to travel to field locations including hardship areas. This is not an entry-level role and requires the ability to work independently at a senior advisory level from day one.
- Prepare an updated CV and a tailored cover letter addressing your experience in child protection in humanitarian action.
- Submit your application through the official SOS Children's Villages careers portal or the platform where this vacancy is listed.
- Ensure your cover letter explicitly references your experience with the Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS) and inter-agency coordination.
- No fees are charged at any stage of the SOS Children's Villages recruitment process — do not pay for any certificate, assessment, or notarisation.
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Due to the volume of applications, individual feedback may not be provided.
Requirements Breakdown
Must Have
- Master's degree (MSc, MA, or MBA) in Social Work, International Development, Humanitarian Studies, Human Rights, or closely related field
- Minimum 5 years progressive experience implementing or advising on child protection programmes in humanitarian contexts (emergency and recovery phases)
- In-depth knowledge of Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), IASC Guidelines, and Sphere Standards
- Proven experience designing and delivering capacity-building interventions to government and NGO staff
- Strong technical writing and proposal development skills for humanitarian funding streams
Nice to Have
- Experience with Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus programming and integration
- Familiarity with inter-agency coordination platforms (CP AoR, cluster systems) in East Africa
- Track record of piloting and scaling innovative child protection approaches in fragile contexts
- Experience with donor reporting, M&E frameworks, and accountability mechanisms in humanitarian settings
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Salary Context
Competitive senior-level salary for humanitarian technical advisor role in Nairobi
The KES 250,000–400,000/mo range reflects mid-to-senior humanitarian advisory positions in Kenya and is broadly competitive for international NGO regional roles. Salary variation typically depends on years of specific experience, advanced qualifications, and prior salary history; roles with extensive field crisis response experience command the upper end of this range.
About SOS Children's Villages
SOS Children's Villages is a leading international humanitarian and development organisation focused on child protection and family strengthening across Africa and globally. Operating in multiple East African countries, SOS provides emergency response, long-term child welfare services, and community-based protection programming, with strong positioning in humanitarian coordination forums. Working here offers exposure to high-impact programming, access to a global network of child protection expertise, and the opportunity to shape regional humanitarian standards.
Likely Interview Questions
- 1
Tell us about a time you led the integration of child protection standards across a multi-country humanitarian response. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
- 2
How have you operationalised the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus in your previous work? Give a specific example of how you bridged short-term lifesaving and long-term recovery programming.
- 3
Describe your experience with Child Protection Minimum Standards. How have you ensured compliance in programme design and what quality assurance mechanisms have you established?
- 4
Walk us through your approach to building the capacity of national office staff and partners on child protection in humanitarian action. What methods have proven most effective?
- 5
How would you represent SOS Children's Villages in inter-agency coordination forums, and what would your strategy be for advocating for child protection priorities within cluster coordination systems?
Application Tips
Emphasise specific quantifiable achievements in child protection humanitarian response: number of staff trained, programmes scaled, or funding mobilised; use CPMS and IASC Guidelines language to signal technical fluency.
Highlight any experience in East Africa or working across multiple country offices—this regional context is critical for the role, so evidence of multi-country programme oversight is a strong differentiator.
Showcase examples of technical products you have authored (guidance notes, SOPs, training curricula) and evidence of their adoption by partner organisations—this demonstrates the quality and influence the role requires.
Career Path
Roles that lead here
Where this leads
Skills & Keywords
Honest Assessment
Green Flags
- Clear technical focus and seniority level; this is a genuine advisory role (not entry-level), signalling investment in expertise and meaningful influence over regional programming.
- Competitive salary range (KES 250–400k/mo) is solid for humanitarian technical roles and suggests the organisation values talent retention.
- Explicit mention of HDP nexus and innovation piloting indicates the organisation is moving beyond traditional humanitarian silos—appealing for candidates seeking strategic, forward-thinking work.
- Reporting within a dedicated Humanitarian Action Service suggests robust organisational structure and potential for career progression within a larger global network.
Watch Out
- Job description cuts off mid-sentence in the required skills section ('Design and deliver capacity-building interventions — t'), suggesting the posting may be incomplete or hastily prepared.
- No mention of whether this is a remote, hybrid, or fully field-based role; given it is regional, clarity on expected travel and office time would be important.
- Contract position with no stated contract duration, renewal prospects, or benefits outlined—typical humanitarian posts are 1–2 years; confirmation on this would be prudent before applying.
A Day in the Life
Monday morning you review child protection components of three humanitarian proposals from member associations responding to displacement crises, flagging gaps against CPMS and drafting feedback; by Wednesday you are co-facilitating a training session with national office staff on community-based protection mechanisms and the HDP nexus, and you spend Thursday preparing remarks for next week's CP AoR coordination meeting on protection monitoring. Interspersed throughout the week are mentoring calls with field-based partners, quality assurance of monitoring reports, and drafting a technical guidance note on child protection in cash-based assistance programming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications do I need to be a Humanitarian Action Advisor – Child Protection in Humanitarian Action at SOS Children's Villages?
You need a Master's degree in Social Work, International Development, Humanitarian Studies, Human Rights, or a related field, plus at least 5 years of progressive experience implementing or advising on child protection programmes in humanitarian emergency and recovery contexts. In-depth knowledge of Child Protection Minimum Standards, IASC Guidelines, and Sphere Standards is essential.
Is the Humanitarian Action Advisor – Child Protection in Humanitarian Action role at SOS Children's Villages remote?
The posting indicates the role is based in Nairobi and reports within the Humanitarian Action Service regionally, but does not explicitly state whether it is remote, hybrid, or office-based. Clarify travel expectations and working arrangements with the recruiter before applying.
How much does a Humanitarian Action Advisor – Child Protection in Humanitarian Action earn at SOS Children's Villages?
The salary range is KES 250,000–400,000 per month, which is competitive for mid-to-senior humanitarian technical advisory roles in Kenya. The exact salary within this band typically depends on your years of experience, advanced qualifications, and previous compensation history.
What are the career growth opportunities for this role?
As a senior advisor role within a global organisation, you can progress to regional leadership positions (Humanitarian Director), policy advisor roles at donor or UN agencies, country director posts, or senior technical advisory roles in larger international organisations. The role also offers exposure to inter-agency platforms, which can open doors in the wider humanitarian sector.
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