[Hiring] Consultant for Child Best Interests Determination @AGORA

Role Description

UNICEF State of Palestine seeks to engage a consultant to develop standardized Best Interests of the Child (BIC) Assessment and Determination Procedures to strengthen child protection and child justice systems in Palestine.

• Review the existing legal and institutional framework.
• Consult with key stakeholders.
• Develop practical procedures, guidance, and implementation tools to support child protection counsellors, justice actors, and other relevant professionals.
• Ensure consistent application of the Best Interests of the Child principle across various cases.
• Initiate and organize a formal process for assessing and determining the best interests of the child.
• Build procedures on factors such as:
  • Opinions and views of the child.
  • Legal reasoning.
  • Timely perception.
  • Establishment of facts.
• Develop flexible procedures/mechanisms applicable by different child protection and judicial actors.
• Include special measures for emergency cases with criteria for interim measures.
• Overall improvement of a responsive and protective child protection system for children in Palestine.

Qualifications

• Masters: An advanced University degree in law, social work, or international human rights.
• Work Experience: At least five years in applied research and policy analysis, including publications in peer-reviewed journals in the field of child protection, child rights, and child justice.
• Skills:
  • Demonstrated technical expertise in child protection.
  • Excellent English writing and good communication and presentation skills.
  • Ability to express ideas and concepts concisely and clearly in written and oral form.
  • Ability to adhere to strict deadlines in uncertain and ambiguous national environments.
• Language Requirements: Professional level knowledge of Written and Spoken English. Arabic language is an asset.

Requirements

• UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
• Commitment to include everyone irrespective of race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other status.
• UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities and neurodivergence.
• UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process.
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
• UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with its aims and objectives.

Benefits

• Paid parental leave.
• Breastfeeding breaks.
• Reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.