Children will be part of the main interview board for the long-awaited Ombudsman for Children, due to be appointed early next year.
Candidates for the national post of protector and promoter of children's rights will also have to engage in role-plays with children, as well as undergoing a second interview exclusively with a children's panel.
The National Children's Office yesterday issued tenders to nine groups working with children to organise the involvement of children in the comprehensive interview process for the post.
The tender winner will help select between 50 and 60 children aged between 9 and 17 who will receive information about the role of the office. Their opinions on the skills they feel are necessary for the post will inform the job specification.
This group will be gender-balanced and include children from urban and rural backgrounds, as well as those with disabilities. It will also include Travellers, ethnic minorities, disadvantaged children and young parents, said a spokeswoman for the National Children's Office.
Sixteen people elected by this larger group will then be involved in interviewing the candidates and engaging in role-plays with them, where the children will present scenarios. Two young people will sit along with three or four adults on the main interview board, where they will have equal voting rights, the spokeswoman said.
She said it had not yet been decided how to apportion marks for the two interviews - one with the main board and another with the children's panel - or for the meeting with the role-play group.
The job will be advertised in the autumn, with interviews scheduled for December.