Communication for Development (C4D) National Individual Contractor, Aleppo, Syria, 6 months (full time)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

BACKGROUND (RATIONALE AND CONTEXT):

Within Syria, the UN estimates that 13.15 out of the 19.96 million Syrians are affected by the crisis and are in need of assistance. The most recent UN population estimates show that 28.4% of the total population is between the ages 10 and 24 representing 5.67 million young people - out of which 4.2 million are between the ages of 10 and 19. According to the UN 2018 assessment estimates, the majority of the population under age of 25 are in Aleppo (18%), followed by Rural Damascus (13%), Damascus (13%) and Idleb (13%).

In response to the crisis in Syria, UNICEF Syria Country Office (SCO) since 2013 focused on responding to the emerging humanitarian needs of the conflict affected women and children with life-saving interventions, especially in health and nutrition, water and sanitation, child protection and education. In addition to developing and implementing more sustainable resilience-building interventions in education, youth and adolescent programming and social protection through a diversified array of modalities.

UNICEF programmatic priorities in Syria are clear in terms of child survival, protection and development. Among these priorities, specific ones have been identified for social and behaviour change interventions: 1) Immunization, 2) Infant Young Children Feeding (IYCF), 3) Hygiene promotion (HP) and 4) Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) and 5) Out of Schools Children (OOSCs).

Communication for Development (C4D) is a cross-cutting programme that supports all programmes for community engagement, behaviour change, uptake of services and demand creation for services. In order to better achieve effective behaviour and social change, C4D needs to get a sense of the prevalence of key behaviours in the identified priority areas, and at the same time understand drivers and barriers associated with these behaviours. The work of C4D goes across all UNICEF programs to improve the demand component and support overall utilization of basic services.

As a result, the focus of C4D work in Syria will be to ensure the realization of the rights of children and the most vulnerable population and foster a conducive environment for child survival, protection and development.

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT (PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT):

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Aleppo Field Office and the technical supervision from the Chief of Communication for Development in UNICEF SCO, the C4D contractor will be providing Communication for Development strategic and operational support to Aleppo Field office; s/he will be accountable for professional technical contribution to project design, planning, administration, monitoring and evaluation of C4D activities, data analysis and reporting, and commitment for enhancement of teamwork and capacity building, in support of achievement of planned objectives of the work plan, aligned with the C4D country strategy. As C4D programming cuts across UNICEF program components health and nutrition, child protection, education, WASH and ADAP – the incumbent is expected to work closely with other program officers and Sections in UNICEF Aleppo Field Office. S/He will be based in the UNICEF Field Office in Aleppo.

SECTION IN CHARGE: Aleppo Field Office (AFO)

LOCATION (GEOGRAPHIC AREA/ DUTY STATION):

The Individual Contractor will be based in Aleppo Field Office.

Field Missions/Travel: field missions are part of the consultant’s tasks during the contracting period, targeted locations to be specified based on the ongoing/planned partnership agreements with NGOs and government partners that should be across the country and the consultant’s area of responsibility.

DURATION:

The selected consultant will work for the period of six months on full time basis. The exact schedule of the activities will be agreed with the consultant based on the consultancy implementation progress. The deadline for submission of final deliverables to UNICEF is prior one week of end of contract

SUPERVISOR:

The contractor will be supervised and report to the UNICEF Chief of Field Office with the technical supervision of the Chief of Communication for Development.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

Lump sum payment will be made monthly against accepted progress report.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payments in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Support to strategy design and development of C4D activities

- Research and/or participate in conducting comprehensive C4D situation analysis of social, cultural, economic, communication and political issues in the country/region. Collect and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information and data to support the establishment of comprehensive and evidence-based information for developing and planning the C4D component of the Country Programmes of Cooperation (and UNDAF).

- Collect, draft and/or organize materials and related documentations for C4D strategies and plans (as a component of the CO and/or UNDAF Programmes) to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.

- Assess and/or recommend appropriate information and materials for C4D initiatives verifying accuracy and quality for dissemination.

- Assess the impact of C4D activities on the CO and UNICEF goals to achieve measurable behavioral and social change resulting in the improvement of children’s rights and wellbeing. Submit qualitative report/synthesis of results for development planning and improvement.

2. Support to the implementation of C4D activities

- Collaborate with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to the design of C4D strategies, and research, develop, test, produce and use quality C4D materials and/or organize events and activities to ensure maximum outreach and impact on behavioral and social change of target audience.

- Provide technical, administrative and logistical support and background materials to carry out C4D activities and recommend operational strategies, approaches, plans, methods and procedures.

- Assess and recommend potential contacts, networks, resources and tools to support the maximum impact and outreach of C4D initiatives.

- Follow up on the production of C4D materials to ensure technical quality, consistency and relevancy of communications materials that are developed, produced and disseminated to target audience (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media etc).

- Collect, assess and organize information for budget planning and management of programme funds and prepare documentations and related materials for financial plan for C4D initiatives. Monitor/track the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations and standards of ethics and transparency.

3. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

- Build and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with national and international civil society organizations, community groups, leaders and other critical partners in the community and civil society to reinforce cooperation through engagement, empowerment and self-determination and to pursue opportunities for greater advocacy to promote UNICEF’s mission and goals for child rights, social equity and inclusiveness.

- Collaborate with internal global/regional communication partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging to enhance C4D outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes.

4. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

- Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge learned/products with global/local partners and stakeholders to build capacity of practitioners/users, and disseminate lessons learned to key audiences including donors and partners.

- Support the organization, administration and implementation of capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders/partners across programme sectors in C4D planning, implementation and evaluation in support of programmes/projects. Develop training materials for training activities and revise them periodically for improvements and updates.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

1. Education:

A University Degree in social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public relations or other related social science field is required.

2. Work experience:

A minimum of 1 year of professional experience in areas of social development program planning, communications and public advocacy and/or related areas. Previous experience at international and/or large organizations some of which preferably served in a developing country is an advantage.

3. Technical knowledge:

Social and Behaviour Change Communication in theory and practices, promotion of knowledge, attitudes and practices through evidence for social advocacy, mass media, community engagement and empowerment, edutainment, capacity building at household, community and organizational level in context of emergencies and humanitarian actions.

4. Languages: Fluency in English and Arabic.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Core values: Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

• Formulating Strategies and Concepts

• Relating and Networking

• Persuading and Influencing

• Applying Technical Expertise

• Learning and Researching

• Planning and Organizing

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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 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.

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.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/