Senior Child Rights Protection Officer at African Union(AU)

Requisition ID: 1421
Location:  Maseru, Lesotho
Reports to: Executive Secretary
Directorate / Department: Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development
Division: African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
Number of Direct Reports: 1
Number of Indirect Reports: 1
Job Grade: P3
Contract Type: Fixed Term

Purpose of Job

• The Senior Child Rights Protection Officer shall provide Child Protection technical support to ACERWC Secretariat and facilitate the implementation of its programme activities.

Main Functions

• Prepare and develop reports, budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Division;
• Provide support to develop resource mobilization strategy with stakeholders’ coordination;
• Manage and supervise direct reports to ensure their effective performance as per organization’s performance management policy and system;
• Conduct complex analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the Division and AU’s internal use;
• Liaise with the various Departments/Units of the ACERWC for coordination and alignment purposes;
• Prepare budgets for the Division in accordance with relevant frameworks. Support the promotion of the activities of the Division including preparing leaflets, guidelines and fact sheets as may be required;
• Actively contribute in the development of strategies, policies, programmes and plans.

Specific Responsibilities

• Design strategies and policies consistent with the Department’s goal to address the pertinent issues in the relevant area.
• Prepare the various documents around the State Party Reporting mechanisms before the ACERWC including developing the list of issues, concluding observations;
• Follow up the implementation of the concluding observations and recommendations in the respective countries.
• Organize the various advocacy/lobbying missions regarding submissions State Party Reports on the implementation of the African Children’s Charter;
• Prepare the relevant documents around the complementary reports submitted by Civil Society Organizations.
• Assist the Secretariat in receiving complaints and determining whether they meet the requirements as prescribed in the African Children’s Charter and the Revised Guidelines on Consideration of Communications by the ACERWC.
• Prepare summary of facts and legal briefs and present them before the ACERWC.
• Undertake extensive legal research into the legal issues raised in the various communications.
• Assist the Committee in drafting admissibility ruling, recommendations, summaries, and legal briefs on Communications for consideration by the Committee.
• Organize on site investigation and follow up missions in the concerned State Parties as directed by the ACERWC.
• Assist the Secretariat to produce periodic research reports on issues related to the Committee’s promotional mandate including specific thematic research and progress reports on the implementation of the ACRWC and various policy instruments and decisions on the rights of children;
• Assist the Secretariat in drafting General Comments of the ACERWC on selected provisions of the Charter
• Collect decisions of child rights cases from domestic jurisdictions which can be regularly fed into the case law database;
• Assist the Committee in monitoring and analysing legal and political developments in Africa relating to Children’s Rights; provide regular feedback and updates on the situation of child rights in Africa;
• Follow up the applications of Observers Status received by the Secretariat.
• Monitor and follow up on the implementation of the Decisions on the AU Policy Organs and other AU organs related to children rights.
• Assist in the preparation and organization of the Committee meetings as well as activities or all meetings involving the Committee; cover the sessions and meetings of the Committee and prepare the reports
• Assist the activities of Special Mechanisms within the ACERWC
• Assist in implementing activities which aims at preventing violations and abuse of children’s rights; and in line with the Committee’s Communication/Complaint and investigation mandate works towards ensuring accountability and providing redress for actual violation of children’s rights in Africa.
• Prepare the various documents around the State Party Reporting mechanisms before the ACERWC including developing the list of issues, concluding observations.
•  follow up on the implementation of the concluding observations and recommendations in the respective countries.
• Organize on site investigation and follow up missions in the concerned State Parties as directed by the ACERWC.
• Assist the implementation of the Decisions on the AU Policy Organs and other AU organs related to children rights.
• Work towards the existence of an enhanced collaboration between the ACERWC and other AU Organs with a mandate on human rights including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights;
• To perform any child protection related activities as may be assigned by the Secretariat or the ACERWC.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• A Master’s Degree in Human Rights Law, Social Work, Child Protection, or International Law. At least ten eight (8) years of relevant professional experience of which three (3) years should be at supervisory level. OR
• A University Bachelor’s Degree in the above-mentioned areas of study, with at least twelve ten (10) years of relevant work experience out of which three (3) years at supervisory levels.
• Previous experience with a human rights organization, especially a child rights organization, at a regional, continental, or international level, will be an added advantage.
• Training in Human Rights, Child Safeguarding and/or Protection is desirable
• Good knowledge of the African System of human rights
• Relevant experience working on child rights issues in Africa
• Relevant exposure to the work of the ACERWC and the African Human Rights System

Required Skills:

• Strong analytical and drafting skills;
• Excellent drafting and report writing skills;
• Good communication, planning and negotiating skills; Personal Abilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work autonomously and in a multi- cultural environment;
• Ability to liaise with a diverse range of people and stakeholders;
• Good organizational skills and ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines; and
• Ability to work in team
• Relevant experience working with the African Union particularly on the African Human Rights system is necessary;
• Previous experience with a human rights organization, especially a child rights organization, at a regional, continental or international level, will be an added advantage.
• Relevant experience working on child rights issues in Africa
• Relevant exposure to the work of the ACERWC and the African Human Rights System
• Applicants must be proficient in one of the African Union working languages (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese or Spanish). Knowledge of one more or several other working languages would be an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight..
• Developing Others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Building Relationships
• Foster Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence:

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge Sharing;
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Orientation:

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment shall be for an initial period of one (1) year, the first three (3) months of which shall be on probation. It shall be renewable subject to performance and availability of funds.

Remuneration
The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of USD100,972.49 (P3 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and USD83,397.18 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.