Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Officer, Consultant,11.5 Months , NO-B, Shire, Ethiopia

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, commitment

Purpose: to ensure development, implementation, and monitoring of SBC interventions on Health (COVID-19 RCCE, COVID-19 vaccination, immunization, maternal and child health), WASH, Nutrition and Back to learning for IDPs and host communities in Shire AOR /Tigray region.

How can you make a difference?

With overall supervision by Emergency Manager of Shire Sub-Office, the consultant will provide technical support for UNICEF SBC interventions, including emergency operations in the region. Besides, He/She will Support social, and behavior change technical working groups to accelerate SBC approaches and interventions to promote practice of desired behaviors with a focus on social mobilization, advocacy, community engagement, multi-channel

The consultant is expected to provide technical support to following activities:

• Develop and support implementation of regional plans on health and nutrition SBC interventions and demand promotion activities.
• Support the structures at zonal, woreda and community levels including facilitation/revitalization of social mobilization committees in coordination with partner agencies.
• Facilitate coordination, planning, implementation, and monitoring of SBC interventions such as multi-channel communication, community mobilization, capacity building, advocacy and interpersonal communication with a specific focus on COVID-19, immunization, maternal and child health and nutrition interventions.
• Facilitate community rapid assessments as necessary.
• Document best practices, lesson learned and challenges in forms of monthly report, human interest stories and photo/video recording as relevant.
• Develop, maintain, and update the regional level SBC strategies/plan of actions towards demand for COVID-19 vaccine, routine immunization, nutrition-related practices, as well as promoting hygiene promotion and back to learning/school retention services.
• Provide support for capacity building of frontline health workers, social mobilizers, community influencers, health extension workers, media, and hotline operators on SBC activities
• Support to contextualize the development, pretesting, translation and repackaging of existing as well as new Behavior Change and Communication (BCC) materials in consultation with sectors, UNICEF sections, and other relevant stakeholders.
• The consultant will need to present the draft documents as well as the monthly reports and final report to UNICEF FO and CO
• At the beginning of the assignment, the consultant is expected to produce and agree with Shire Emergency Manager and SBC officer in Mekelle on work plan schedules for the assignment period.
• Participate in fortnightly SBC online network meetings organized by SBC Section.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• First-level University Degree in in Health Promotion/Communication, Social/Behavior Change Communication, Public Health, and relevant Social Sciences.
• A minimum of two [2] years of relevant professional experience in Social and Behavior Change communication, social mobilization, community engagement.
• Analytical, interpersonal and advocacy skills, sensitive to and awareness of the local development, good knowledge of computer management and applications.
• Excellent communication and written skills.
• Basic photography skills with the ability to edit photos and write captions.
• Desirable basic editing and videography skills.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Core Competencies

▪ Works Collaboratively with others (1)

▪ Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)

▪ Drive to achieve impactful results (1)

▪ Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

▪ Innovates and embraces change (1)

▪ Thinks and acts strategically (1)

▪ Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (1)

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

To apply via a hard copy, please see the following contact information:

Mekelle UNICEF office for the Mekelle location: Contact Rahel.

Shire UNICEF office for the Shire location: Contact Meaza Zeray.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.