Social & Behavior Change Specialist, P3, TA at UNICEF

How can you make a difference?

The Social and Behaviour Change Specialist reports to the Chief of Social and Behavior Change Section for general guidance and supervision. The Specialist provides technical and operational support for developing a systematic, planned and evidence-based strategy and process for SBC as an integral part of programme development, planning and implementation. Through communication and engagement, as well as the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization. This subsequently contributes to the achievement of sustainable and concrete results in improving children’s rights, survival and wellbeing in the country.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Generate & Use Evidence: Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.
• Design, plan and implement: Design, plan and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Advocate & Build Partnerships: Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.
• Build Capacities Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.

  key functions/accountabilities:

Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.

• In collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, design and conduct SBC situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioral drivers; initiate, commission, manage and/or utilize qualitative and quantitative research on social and behavioral drivers that include behavioural analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and/or RCT.
• Establish community feedback mechanisms and use feedback to inform community engagement and SBC actions for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. Generate and use SBC evidence, data, and assessments for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience.
• Develop terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives and apply tools, methodologies and frameworks for data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting and disseminating SBC results.
• Conduct and/or participate in country programme monitoring and evaluation exercises and make recommendations on workplan revisions based on the results.
• Develop and manage relationships with external partners, vendors and consultants for research and evidence generation and support of SBC.

Design, plan, and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioral evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.

• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government agencies and other UN/NGO partners, develop, implement and monitor evidence-based SBC strategies and activities, including SBC’s 1000 Days of Child’s Life’s strategy, in line with global standards and UNICEF priorities and approaches.
• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral colleagues and implementing partners, select appropriate SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches. In this process, oversee coordination with SBC stakeholders and partners to align plans and activities.
• Identify, propose, and implement evidence-based programme/strategy recommendations from current data, evidence, and trends for priority social and behavioral issues and ensure the integration of latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in programme approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders.
• Apply the above skills of designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions in all contexts, including emergency and humanitarian contexts.
• Make viable recommendations on inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioural approaches in sectoral work plans and strategies. Advocate for the inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral workplans based on active participation in sectoral programme planning and reviews and viable recommendations for the integration of SBC.

Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors, and teams, and partnership building.

• Represent UNICEF’s interests in partnerships and manage the development of and progress against joint project agreements with relevant partners; represent the UNICEF CO and SBC Section in national and international level fora and among partners as relevant and necessary.
• Collaborate with national, regional, and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches.
• Cultivate resource mobilization opportunities and produce proposals, reports, and other materials to support resource mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for SBC, including staff, consultants, and external vendors.
• Identify, recruit, and supervise staff, consultants, vendors, and other technical expertise to support the delivery of SBC activities. Plan, use, and track the use of resources and verify compliance with organizational guidelines and standards.
• Contribute to financial planning, budget planning and tracking, and financial management for SBC.
• Identify, disseminate, and adopt best practices and innovative approaches and technology in SBC, integrate them in programme approaches and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them.
• Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in the country programme, and in sectoral plans.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement and SBC in emergency and humanitarian actions.

Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.

• Identify, design, and organize SBC training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human-centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Develop and/or use and adapt existing UNICEF learning resources, guidelines and training materials to build SBC capacity among staff, implementing partners and relevant government and non-government counterparts.
• Develop and institutionalize best practices, facilitate the exchange of experiences and provide technical assistance for the uptake of new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally.
• Plan and implement SBC capacity assessments within the CO.
• Identify and mobilize resources to support capacity development internally and externally and provide SBC technical support and capacity building to government counterparts.
• Initiate and manage partnerships with academia and learning institutions for the delivery of SBC capacity development activities.
• Identify and develop mechanisms to strengthen systems for community engagement in emergencies and humanitarian contexts.
• Develop and/or adapt capacity development tools and activities for emergencies and humanitarian programming with a focus on preparedness, response and recovery

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

Education:

• An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public relations or another relevant technical field.

Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, social and behaviour change, communication for development, public advocacy or another related area.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset