Social Behaviour Change and Justice Consultant

The Social Behaviour Change and Justice Consultant will develop practical continental guidance on engaging community-based and informal justice mechanisms to strengthen their alignment with child rights standards and laws protecting girls from female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage across Africa. The role involves analyzing models of interaction between formal and informal justice systems, defining typologies of alignment, identifying promising practices, and developing evidence-based recommendations for governments, practitioners, and development partners. The consultant will build on UNICEF's recent community justice scoping exercise and broader evidence base, including stakeholder interviews, to produce high-quality technical guidance, frameworks, and knowledge products. Key deliverables include a comprehensive report, policy briefs, toolkits, and recommendations tailored for regional and national stakeholders. The position requires extensive engagement with multiple countries in Africa and collaboration with regional institutions, civil society organizations, traditional and religious leaders, and government institutions. The consultant will facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations, workshops, and co-creation processes to ensure inclusive and contextually relevant outputs.

An advanced university degree (master’s degree or higher) in Law, Social and Behaviour Change, Social Sciences, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, International Development, Human Rights, Gender Studies, Public Policy, or another relevant field; A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in child protection, justice sector reform, legal pluralism, governance, human rights, social and behaviour change, community engagement, gender equality, prevention of violence against women and girls, or a related field; Demonstrated experience working on the prevention of harmful practices, particularly child marriage and/or female genital mutilation, in Africa; Proven experience conducting qualitative research, including literature reviews, policy analysis, key informant interviews, synthesis of findings, and development of evidence-based recommendations; Demonstrated experience analyzing legal and policy frameworks and their implementation within diverse cultural and community contexts; Experience developing high-quality technical guidance, frameworks, toolkits, policy briefs, or other knowledge products for governments, UN agencies, or international development organizations; Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, workshops, or co-creation processes involving government institutions, civil society organizations, traditional and religious leaders, community representatives, and development partners; Experience working across multiple countries in Africa and engaging with regional institutions is highly desirable; Excellent written and spoken English is required; Fluency in French is highly desirable; Knowledge of Portuguese or Arabic would be an asset; Strong understanding of child rights, child protection systems, and legal and policy frameworks related to FGM, child marriage, gender equality, and violence against women and girls; Demonstrated knowledge of community-based, customary, traditional, and religious justice mechanisms and their interaction with formal legal systems, particularly within African contexts; Strong understanding of social norms and community engagement approaches to strengthening implementation of laws and promoting gender equality.