[Hiring] Child-Friendly Governance Consultant @AGORA

Role Description

To support the coordination, monitoring, documentation, and institutionalization of Child Friendly Governance (CFG) across provinces and municipalities, ensuring lessons are captured and disseminated for learning, visibility, advocacy, and sustainability.

This consultancy contributes to output 3 of the Social Policy Section’s biannual workplan for 2024-27:

• National and subnational government officials have enhanced capacities to use a more evidence-based and child-friendly approach to ensuring adequate and equitable investments in children.

Goal:

To support the coordination, monitoring, and institutionalization of Child Friendly Governance (CFG) at the national level and across Southern and Western Provinces and selected municipalities, while documenting lessons learnt and good practices for learning, visibility, advocacy, and national ownership.

The consultancy will also strengthen communications, capacity-building, and the development of a CFG Community of Practice to ensure sustainability and scale-up across Sri Lanka.

Objectives:

• To advance national and subnational institutionalization, including capacity-building and CFG course content development.
• To provide technical support for CFG implementation in Southern and Western Provinces and selected local authorities.
• To consolidate technical resources, document lessons learnt and organize national learning workshops.
• To support communication and outreach activities and the development of a CFG Community of Practice.

Qualifications

• Education in social sciences, including economics, public policy, sociology, law, human rights, international development, or any other relevant field.
• At least two years of relevant experience in governance, social policy, or child rights within Sri Lanka.
• Experience working on Child Friendly Governance (CFG) or related child-friendly governance initiatives.
• Experience collaborating with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), particularly in participatory planning, budgeting, or monitoring of social sector spending.
• Experience engaging with media and communications platforms to raise awareness of governance reforms, child rights, or local government initiatives.
• Excellent English language skills and knowledge of at least one local language.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong communication skills, including excellent professional English writing skills and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Solid grasp of economic, political, legal and human rights situation of Sri Lanka.

Requirements

• Familiarity with Sri Lanka’s decentralization and local government systems, including Provincial Councils, Municipal Councils, Urban Councils, and Pradeshiya Sabhas.
• Understanding of current governance challenges in Sri Lanka (e.g., fiscal constraints, equity in service delivery, community participation).

Competencies

• Drive to achieve results for impact.
• Works collaboratively with others.
• Builds and maintains partnerships.
• Thinks and acts strategically.
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness.
• Innovates and embraces change.

Benefits

• UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities throughout the recruitment process.

Application Process

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV).
• Cover letter.
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template).

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.