Head of Participation & Rights Education (OCO-HPRE24)

Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) | Head of Participation & Rights Education

The Head of Participation and Rights Education will have responsibility for assisting the Ombudsman for Children in delivering their key statutory obligations under Section 7 of the 2002 Act to:

• Promote awareness among members of the public, including children and young people, of matters relating to children’s rights and welfare, including the principles and provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
• Consult with children and young people and to highlight issues relating to children’s rights and welfare, which are of concern to children and young people themselves.
• Encourage public bodies to develop policies, practices and procedures that are designed to promote children’s rights and welfare
• Collect and disseminate information on matters relating to children’s rights and welfare.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Manage the development and operation of the OCO’s Participation and Rights Education Unit, including the direct line management of the Participation and Rights Education Co-ordinator and third-party contractors.
• Act as a key member of the senior management team in the OCO, reporting directly to the Ombudsman for Children. Responsibilities in this regard include contributing to the strategic and business planning for the Unit and the OCO as a whole, delivering on key business plan objectives, contributing to, and collaborating on, the development of initiatives by other Units within the OCO, and providing advice to the Ombudsman.
• Manage the Participation and Rights Education budget in line with OCO and public service policies and procedures and deliver on key performance measures.
• Undertake key actions and/or initiatives to promote matters relating to children’s rights and welfare, including the provisions of the UNCRC, with key government departments, public bodies and non-governmental organisations at national and international level.
• Represent the OCO at local, national and international level through events, conferences, collaborations, advisory groups and Oireachtas Committees. This may involve engaging with the media at times.
• Manage the effective development and delivery of the OCO’s rights awareness and education programme, including the delivery of third-level and professional seminars and lectures.
• Develop and oversee new initiatives to consult with and highlight the views of children and young people, including particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged children who may find the OCO hard to reach.
• Oversee and support the operation and continuance of the OCO’s Youth Advisory Panel (YAP).
• To advise on and manage research projects as determined from time to time by the Ombudsman for Children.
• To work with colleagues from across the OCO on Office wide projects.
• To engage with HR in the recruitment of new staff, as and when required.
• Any additional duties as may be assigned from time-to-time by the Ombudsman for Children

Essential Requirements:
Candidates must, on the closing date for this competition, satisfy the following requirements:

• A qualification of at least Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications from a recognised University or Institution in a relevant discipline.
• At least 5 years’ experience of working directly with children and young people in a professional capacity relevant to the role of Head of Participation and Rights Education.
• At least 2 years’ experience of managing staff at an appropriate level.
• Possess the core competencies described below.

Desirable Requirements:

• Full, clean driver’s licence and access to a car
• Previous experience of engagement with international monitoring processes and procedures

How to Apply:
To apply, candidates must submit an Application Form via the online application portal. Only application forms fully submitted online will be accepted into the campaign.

All candidates should visit www.ocojobs.com to download a copy of the Application Form and to access further information on the competition.

Closing Date:
Your application must be submitted on the online application portal before 12.00pm on Wednesday, 15 May 2024. Applications will not be accepted after this time