SBC Specialist (Emergency) – UNICEF

Job Description

Job no	558124
Contract type	Temporary Appointment
Location	Sudan
Duty Station	Khartoum
Level	NO-3
Categories	Social and Behavior Change
Advertised	22 Dec 2022 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline	04 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time

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, www.unicef.org/sudan

Sudan, surrounded by the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya and South Sudan, positioned next to East, West, South and North Africa, is surrounded by complex conflicts in an unpredictable, volatile and rapidly evolving region. Sudan is by size the third biggest country in Africa, with a diverse population of around 42 million people. Sudan’s children make up half of the total population, and the past two decades have seen their lives significantly improve: fewer girls and boys are dying before their fifth birthday, primary school attendance is increasing, immunization coverage is high and the country remains polio free. Still, millions of children continue to suffer from protracted conflict in Darfur, the Kordofan’s, and Blue Nile, from seasonal natural disasters, malnutrition and disease outbreaks, and from under-investment in basic social services. More than three million of Sudan’s school aged children are not in the classroom. UNICEF has been in Sudan since 1952 and continues with a presence in 12 of Sudan’s 18 states.

How can you make a difference?

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) in UNICEF is a cross-cutting programme strategy that analyses and addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of individual practices and societal changes in both development and humanitarian contexts.

SBC uses the latest in social and behavioral sciences to understand people, their beliefs, their values, the socio-cultural norms and the economic and institutional contexts that shape their lives, with the aim of engaging them and increasing their influence in the design of solutions for change.

SBC brings social and behavioral evidence generation together with participation in community-led and human-centered processes. SBC is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate, driving behavioral and social results across sectors around themes including immunization, feeding practices, learning, hygiene, and positive discipline, as well as transformations across sectors needed to make societies more inclusive, equitable and peaceful.

UNICEF SBC employs a mix of approaches including community engagement, social and behaviour change communication (SBCC), applied behavioral science, service delivery improvement, systems

Main Duties and Responsibilities

 20221130_TOR_SBC_TA_NO3_SBC Specialist (Emergencies).pdf

The SBC Specialist (Emergencies) will be responsible for the following SBC tasks and approaches:

 Planning and strategy development: ensure SBC efforts for emergency preparedness and response benefit from structured action plans and strategies that are developed ahead of time and rapidly deployed when shocks occur;

1. Applied behavioral science: 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;
2. Community engagement: partner with and empower communities to explore, plan and act together on their priority issues, including by strengthening the link between people and the systems, structures

and services designed to meet their needs i.e. strengthening governance, quality of service delivery

and systems, and improving accountability mechanisms;

4. Social and Behavior Change Communication: design holistic and data-driven communications to enable change, including by applying tactics from marketing, social and community mobilization, mass media, entertainment, advocacy, interpersonal communication, social media and other communication approaches;
5. Coordination: Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, monitoring and evaluation, and partnership building;
6. Knowledge management: Promote continuous learning, strengthening and scaling up SBC through documenting and disseminating emerging best practices and lessons learned.
7. Planning and strategy development
   1. Supervise SBC preparedness planning and strategy/template development for recurring and seasonal all-hazard shocks with particular attention for health and nutrition-related emergencies, but including floods, droughts, water- and vector-borne infectious disease outbreaks as well as armed conflict.
   2. Coordinate and develop capacity for deployment of additional SBC surge capacity as needed for bolstering emergency response efforts.
8. Applied behavioural science
   1. Mapping and regular updating of relevant socio-behavioural data sources for commonly recurring health emergencies.
   2. Lead rapid sociobehavioural data collection in emergency settings and design fit-for-purpose methodologies to inform SBC and sectoral-programmatic activities and reporting, including coordination of data sharing with relevant partners and stakeholders.
   3. Design capacity building modules and strategies for frontline responders, partners and Field Office SBC experts on rapid data collection and analysis methodologies.
9. Community engagement
   1. Map and design strategies to strengthen community early warning systems for priority hazards.
   2. Integrate community resilience approaches into RCCE activities and approaches.   
   3. Liaise with relevant internal colleagues on Accountability to Affected Populations. 
10. Social and Behaviour Change Communication
    1. Set priorities and strategies for development of new SBCC materials (messages, multimedia, campaign action plan templates) for key recurring hazards and utilization of existing assets, and ensure timely pre-production and pre-positioning of assets to relevant Field Office locations.
    2. Design processes and adapt tools and strategies for testing, production, distribution and dissemination of appropriate health emergency-related SBCC materials for tailored and focused audience reach and behavioural impact, in consultation and collaboration with internal and external partners.
    3. Collaborate with internal and external partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging and use of multiple media and communication platforms to enhance SBC outreach.
11. Coordination and advocacy
    1. Coordinate strategically with relevant partners, UN sister agencies (especially WHO), line Ministries, local NGOs, for prioritized and forward-planned RCCE efforts, advocacy, and external communication.
12. Knowledge management
    1. Review and plan for regular inputs to key humanitarian Situation Reports and other relevant meetings, documents and knowledge repositories.

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

• Expected background and experience
  • Education:
  Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, 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 and behaviour change, communication for development, risk communication and community engagement, accountability to affected populations, or another related area.Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset. Relevant experience in emergency and/or humanitarian settings is considered an asset.
  • Languages:
  Fluency in English and Arabic is required.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: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

i) Core values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities) *

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

*The 7 core competencies are applicable to all employees. However, the competency Nurtures, Leads and Managers people is only applicable to staff who supervise others.

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.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable females  are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

Advertised: 22 Dec 2022 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 04 Jan 2023 E. Africa Standard Time