Consultant for Children's Participation

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, is a United Nations agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development. UNICEF employs a large workforce dedicated to its mission, fostering a culture of belonging and growth, and providing an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Job Overview:
The consultancy role involves supporting the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through the KALAHI-CIDSS National Program Management Office (NPMO) in enhancing children's participation within the Philippine Community Resilience Project (PCRP). The consultant will develop a comprehensive Children's Participation Sub-Manual that aligns with the PCRP’s Project Operations Manual and existing sub-manuals. This role requires piloting the module in Bataraza, Palawan, and providing capacity-building support to Area Coordinating Teams (ACTs). The final output aims to enable local government units (LGUs), ACTs, and communities to integrate children's participation into resilience planning and monitoring processes, ensuring alignment with safeguarding and inclusion principles.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will undertake several interrelated tasks, including: 1) Conducting an inception and technical review of relevant PCRP documents and frameworks to identify integration points for children's participation. 2) Developing a comprehensive Sub-Manual on Children's Participation that includes core principles, operational guidance, and tools for field implementers. 3) Supporting the rollout of the module in Bataraza, providing technical support during child participation consultations. 4) Facilitating validation sessions with stakeholders and refining the Sub-Manual based on feedback. 5) Coordinating with UNICEF and DSWD counterparts to ensure coherence across program components. 6) Documenting lessons learned and developing a final report summarizing outputs and recommendations for scale-up.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social work, social sciences, community development, or related fields with a focus on child protection and children's participation. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) combined with relevant experience may be considered. Additionally, candidates should have strong analytical, technical writing, and documentation skills, as well as proven facilitation and stakeholder engagement abilities.

Educational Background:
An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in social work, social sciences, community development, development studies, public administration, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant field, combined with additional years of progressively responsible experience in child protection or community-based development, may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:
Candidates should have at least 7-10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in child protection and children's participation, including the design and implementation of participatory approaches. Experience in developing operational products such as manuals and training modules for government or community-level implementation is essential, along with engagement with government systems in the Philippines, particularly at national and subnational levels.

Languages:
Fluency in English and Filipino is required for this position. Familiarity with KALAHI-CIDSS or similar community-driven development processes is desirable, as is prior experience working with UNICEF or international development organizations.

Additional Notes:
The consultancy contract duration is 6 months, and the working arrangement is remote. This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes, requiring additional vetting and assessment. UNICEF promotes diversity and inclusion in its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their background. The organization does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment process and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding and ethical participation of children.