Child Psychologist

General Background

GRC are policy makers, lawyers and development experts dedicated to promoting accountability and strengthening justice systems through the application of international law. With ongoing operations in some of the world’s most complex legal and security environments, Global Rights Compliance continues to provide specialised legal expertise, policy solutions, and strategic advisory services to uphold justice and strengthen the rule of law globally.

GRC’s work in Iraq aims to enhance the capacity of stakeholders in Duhok to integrate international law standards and best practices to organise, process and mobilize evidence of international crimes.

We are looking for a Child Psychologist to join our team. The Child Psychologist will review and refine the guidance on interviewing former child soldiers, working alongside the team's operational expertise to ensure it is developmentally appropriate, clinically informed, and aligned with trauma-informed best practice. The role will strengthen the guidance in key areas, including consent, memory, linguistic and ideological triggers, safeguarding thresholds, and verbal interventions, and support its development into a practical, standardised protocol that can be applied consistently by field staff, researchers, and case workers to ensure interviews are conducted safely, ethically, and in accordance with international standards.

Scope of Work

• Review the guidance to ensure the language and expectations are appropriate across the anticipated age range of interviewees, recommending refinements where distinctions between childhood and young adult psychology would strengthen the guidance.
• Review the guidance to confirm that the distinction between investigator observation and clinical judgment is consistently maintained throughout, including within the screening indicators, and recommend any amendments necessary to reinforce this boundary.
• Provide clinical input to strengthen the guidance on linguistic and ideological triggers, including language switching, conditioned vocabulary, and mirroring, ensuring alignment with current trauma-informed practice.
• Provide clinical input and, where appropriate, supporting references to strengthen the guidance on the effects of trauma, captivity, and coercive ideology on memory, ensuring alignment with current evidence and best practice.
• Review the guidance on consent and assent, including the principle of ongoing consent, and confirm its alignment with best practice for the relevant age groups.
• Review the guidance on rapport-building and power dynamics to ensure it is consistent with trauma-informed practice and promotes survivor agency throughout the engagement.
• Review and refine, in collaboration with the author, proposed verbal interventions (including validation and grounding techniques) to ensure they are appropriate, effective, and trauma-informed.
• Support the development of practical safeguarding and referral guidance by reviewing and refining decision-making thresholds and response timeframes to promote consistent field application.
• Review the guidance to ensure it appropriately reflects cultural, linguistic, and gender considerations relevant to the target population, recommending refinements where appropriate.
• Review the guidance to confirm alignment with recognised international standards and good practice for interviewing children and survivors affected by armed conflict, including the Paris Principles and the Murad Code.
• Produce a briefing note to accompany the protocol.

The Child Psychologist shall work collaboratively with the author to finalize any recommended amendments prior to operational use.

Your Background

• Qualification in Psychology.
• Experience in conflict cases and children associated with armed conflict.
• Demonstrated experience in child protection, psychosocial support, or research ethics involving conflict-affected children.
• Familiarity with international standards (Paris Principles, CPMS, IASC guidelines, the Murad Code).
• Experience developing operational protocols or SOPs.
• Trauma-informed interviewing expertise.
• Regional/cultural knowledge relevant to the operating context.

General Background

GRC are policy makers, lawyers and development experts dedicated to promoting accountability and strengthening justice systems through the application of international law. With ongoing operations in some of the world’s most complex legal and security environments, Global Rights Compliance continues to provide specialised legal expertise, policy solutions, and strategic advisory services to uphold justice and strengthen the rule of law globally.

GRC’s work in Iraq aims to enhance the capacity of stakeholders in Duhok to integrate international law standards and best practices to organise, process and mobilize evidence of international crimes.

We are looking for a Child Psychologist to join our team. The Child Psychologist will review and refine the guidance on interviewing former child soldiers, working alongside the team's operational expertise to ensure it is developmentally appropriate, clinically informed, and aligned with trauma-informed best practice. The role will strengthen the guidance in key areas, including consent, memory, linguistic and ideological triggers, safeguarding thresholds, and verbal interventions, and support its development into a practical, standardised protocol that can be applied consistently by field staff, researchers, and case workers to ensure interviews are conducted safely, ethically, and in accordance with international standards.

Scope of Work

• Review the guidance to ensure the language and expectations are appropriate across the anticipated age range of interviewees, recommending refinements where distinctions between childhood and young adult psychology would strengthen the guidance.
• Review the guidance to confirm that the distinction between investigator observation and clinical judgment is consistently maintained throughout, including within the screening indicators, and recommend any amendments necessary to reinforce this boundary.
• Provide clinical input to strengthen the guidance on linguistic and ideological triggers, including language switching, conditioned vocabulary, and mirroring, ensuring alignment with current trauma-informed practice.
• Provide clinical input and, where appropriate, supporting references to strengthen the guidance on the effects of trauma, captivity, and coercive ideology on memory, ensuring alignment with current evidence and best practice.
• Review the guidance on consent and assent, including the principle of ongoing consent, and confirm its alignment with best practice for the relevant age groups.
• Review the guidance on rapport-building and power dynamics to ensure it is consistent with trauma-informed practice and promotes survivor agency throughout the engagement.
• Review and refine, in collaboration with the author, proposed verbal interventions (including validation and grounding techniques) to ensure they are appropriate, effective, and trauma-informed.
• Support the development of practical safeguarding and referral guidance by reviewing and refining decision-making thresholds and response timeframes to promote consistent field application.
• Review the guidance to ensure it appropriately reflects cultural, linguistic, and gender considerations relevant to the target population, recommending refinements where appropriate.
• Review the guidance to confirm alignment with recognised international standards and good practice for interviewing children and survivors affected by armed conflict, including the Paris Principles and the Murad Code.
• Produce a briefing note to accompany the protocol.

The Child Psychologist shall work collaboratively with the author to finalize any recommended amendments prior to operational use.

Your Background

• Qualification in Psychology.
• Experience in conflict cases and children associated with armed conflict.
• Demonstrated experience in child protection, psychosocial support, or research ethics involving conflict-affected children.
• Familiarity with international standards (Paris Principles, CPMS, IASC guidelines, the Murad Code).
• Experience developing operational protocols or SOPs.
• Trauma-informed interviewing expertise.
• Regional/cultural knowledge relevant to the operating context.