National Consultant: Senior Child Rights Advisor (6 Months - Part-Time)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to empowerment

The Government of The Gambia has demonstrated strong commitment to promoting, protecting, and fulfilling the rights of all children, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), and other relevant international and regional human rights instruments to which The Gambia is a State Party. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare (MoGCSW) serves as the primary government institution mandated to lead the development, coordination, and implementation of child rights policies, programmes, and legislative frameworks across the country. Following the Concluding Observations issued by the CRC Committee in February 2025, the Ministry is also leading the development and operationalization of a roadmap for their implementation.

Despite significant progress in advancing children’s rights in The Gambia, numerous challenges persist, including gaps in the legislative framework, weak coordination mechanisms among duty bearers and rights holders, limited capacity within government institutions to effectively implement child rights programming, insufficient integration of child rights principles across sectors, and inadequate monitoring and accountability systems to track the realization of children’s rights. These challenges underscore the critical need for sustained technical expertise and strategic guidance within the Ministry to accelerate progress toward the full realization of children’s rights in accordance with international standards and national commitments.

In recognition of these needs, upon request of the MoGCSW, UNICEF The Gambia will support the placement of a Senior Child Rights Advisor at the Ministry on a part-time consultancy basis. This strategic placement aims to strengthen the Ministry’s technical capacity to advance child rights across all spheres of law, policy, and practice, ensuring that The Gambia fulfills its obligations under international human rights law and that every child in The Gambia enjoys their inherent dignity and fundamental rights without discrimination. Following initial capacity building efforts that are targeting critical staff, it will also contribute to mainstreaming child rights across the different areas of the Ministry.

How can you make a difference? 

The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide sustained, high-level technical assistance and strategic advisory support to the MoGCSW to advance the realization of children’s rights in The Gambia through strengthened policy frameworks, institutional capacity, inter-sectoral coordination, and rights-based programming approaches.

Specific objectives:

1. Providing authoritative technical guidance on the development, review, and implementation of policies, and strategies, in alignment with the CRC, ACRWC, and international human rights standards, while mainstreaming child rights in the priority areas of the Ministry.
2. Enhancing coordination and collaboration mechanisms among government ministries, departments and agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, children and young people, and other stakeholders engaged in child rights promotion and protection
3. Building sustainable capacity within the Ministry and partner institutions through training, mentoring, technical support, and knowledge transfer on child rights frameworks, rights-based approaches to programming, and international human rights standards and mechanisms.
4. Strengthening the internal institutional capacity of the Ministry by reviewing and improving internal processes, organizational structures, and operational policies to ensure they are aligned with child rights principles.
5. Strengthen the capacity of the Ministry to advocate for adequate and equitable resource allocation for child rights programmes.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: ToRs - Child Rights Expert.docx.pdf 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

[Include the vacancy requirements aligned to the category and level of the position. You can see examples in the branded VA example.]

• Education:
  • Advanced degree (Master’s degree or higher) in Law, Human Rights, International Human Rights Law, Child Rights, Social Policy, International Development, or closely related field.
  • Specialization or additional training in child rights, children’s law, or human rights-based approaches to programming is highly desirable.
• Work Experience:
  • Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience working on child rights issues at national, regional, or international levels, with substantial experience providing high-level technical advisory services to government institutions, international organizations, or major civil society organizations
  • Demonstrated extensive experience in child rights policy development, legislative reform processes, and implementation of international human rights standards, with proven track record of influencing policy and legal frameworks affecting children
  • Substantial experience working with government institutions in advisory capacity, providing technical assistance on human rights, child rights, legislative reform, policy development, or rights-based programming
  • Proven experience in capacity building, training design and facilitation, mentoring, and knowledge transfer with government officials and civil society partners
• Skills
  • Strong analytical and writing skills, with the ability to produce high-quality technical documents and policy recommendations.
  • Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.
  • Demonstrated excellence in building and maintaining partnerships.
  • Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and deliver results within tight deadlines.
  • Strong skills in training and facilitation are an asset. 
  • Deep understanding of international human rights law and mechanisms, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the work of relevant treaty bodies and special procedures.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.