Contract type: Temporary Appointment, Consultant
Level: P-3
Location: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles
Categories: Child Protection, Emergency
Seeking external candidates only
Contract Type: Temporary Appointment (TA) or Consultancy
Duration: 3 months to 364 days
Location: Countries based in Eastern and Southern Africa
Job Description
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, hope
Since two years, countries in the ESA region have experienced an alarming increase in the number of new, or re-emerging humanitarian emergencies, including public health (including Ebola, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, wild poliovirus, and Cholera), armed conflicts and natural disasters emergencies.
UNICEF ESAR has prioritized the critical need to support countries to rapidly scale up capacity to prevent, mitigate, and manage ongoing and anticipated emergencies as well as to enhance capacity for preparedness and response to these emergencies.
Purpose
The purpose of this external announcement is to attract suitable Child Protection on Communication for Development (C4D) Specialist candidates interested in working in any of the countries within UNICEF’s East and Southern Africa region to respond to emergencies for the next 36 months. The countries within each region are listed on the following website: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/index.html.
How can you make a difference?
The Communication for Development Specialist will work closely with the Child Protection sector, Advocacy and Communication staff and other sectors working on Child Protection-related issues to design, test and implement strategic behavior-change communication, social mobilization and advocacy activities that aim to:
- (a) prevent Child Protection-related risks;
- (b) analyze and equitably address the trends and dynamics of the issues/problems related to protection of children from abuse, exploitation, separation, abandonment, discrimination and trafficking including sexual exploitation;
- (c) facilitate the social mobilization interventions of UNICEF and its partners;
- (d) facilitate increased community participation in Child Protection programs
- e) advocate for children’s rights at national and provincial levels
- (f) engage the media and other key stakeholders as advocates for children’s rights and,
- (g) facilitate increased community participation in recovery programs
- (h) identify and contribute to the mobilization of resources to support the implementation of work
Key activities & duties
- In collaboration with partners and relevant decision makers, organise and manage the formative research, development, pre-testing and production of culturally-relevant Child Protection messages, activities and communication materials to facilitate effective and efficient program delivery and sustainable shifts in the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of specific stakeholder groups;
- Ensure UNICEF program staff are fully oriented to the role and function of Communications for Development (C4D) as an integrated component of convergent program planning and delivery
- Develop and maintain partnerships with national, provincial and local media, government departments/sectors, formal and informal community leaders and other civil society organisations, to orient and coordinate their involvement in child protection-focused C4D activities;
- Provide technical support and capacity development to government and humanitarian counterparts in the development and appropriate use of communication for social change, aimed at both individual behaviour change and collective actions, with a view to eventual sustainable handover;
- Manage orientation of selected media at national and provincial level to facilitate a sustainable and positive shift in public discourse about children’s rights and protection of children from violence.
- Monitor and evaluate activities via applied communication research and frequent visits to project sites. Disseminate communication research findings and ensure exchanges of experience and new methods to government officials, program staff and other UNICEF partners and humanitarian community;
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Education-
- Advanced university degree in communications, social sciences or other relevant field.
Work Experience-
- A minimum of 5 years relevant experience with either the UN and/or NGO.
- Excellent commination and interpersonal skills, and proven success in facilitating interagency processes to achieve a common goal.
- Proven professional experience in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating C4D and social change communication programs on specific issues, preferably related to children.
Language Requirement:-
- Fluency in verbal and written English and/or French (depending on the country office’s official language).
- Exceptional written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation in country of assignment and knowledge of another UN language or a local language is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues
UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)
Works Collaboratively with others (1)
Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children.
The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.
All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions.
Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF.
UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
Deadline: E. Africa Standard Time