Consultancy: Pool on Social Behaviour Change for promotion of vaccine to strengthen routine Immunization and COVID-19 recovery. Req

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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.

Consultancy Title: Consultancy Pool on Social Behaviour Change for promotion of vaccine to strengthen routine Immunization and COVID-19 recovery.

(Expertise in Behavioural Insights, Social Data, Digital & Infodemic Management, service experience and RCCE for promotion of vaccine demand – RI) and C-19 will be considered)

Section/Division/Duty Station: Immunization Section, Health Team – New York HQ

Duration: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026 (3 years) Home Based

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

As COVID-19 vaccine supply improves, achieving high global vaccination coverage will require strengthening health systems that can generate robust demand for vaccines (including routine immunization) and promote public health and social measures, diagnostics and therapeutics to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, there are barriers to achieving high coverage. Challenges with decreased trust in health authorities, unsettled science, and the infodemic also negatively impacts adherence to health guidance. Addressing challenges to vaccine confidence—the belief that vaccines work, are safe, and are part of a trustworthy medical system—requires the right expertise and local insights. We need to address these challenges by filling human resource gaps, sharpening skills and building interdisciplinary connections needed to improve COVID-19 vaccine demand, improve routine immunization and support public health and social measures in countries during COVID-19 recovery.

Scope of Work:

The purpose of this announcement is to establish a pre-screened Experts Pool on Social Behaviour Change for promotion of vaccine demand to maintain and restore routine immunization and promote COVID-19 vaccination. Experts screened from this solicitation process will be deployed as need arises. The experts from this roster are expected to support countries with the following tasks based on the country need:

• Upskill/build capacity of in-country partner immunization SBC/RCCE program staff, as well as professionals in this sphere to address the critical immunization program needs and socio-behavioural insights, social data etc. as follows:

- Providing diagnostics and socio-behavioral insights into reasons for low vaccine confidence or uptake of PHSM in specific communities

- Developing evidence-based strategies, messages, materials and reports

- Designing and deploying effective interventions that are centered around the needs of communities

- Incorporating M&E and health systems strengthening approaches to support public health and social measures and other emergency response efforts.

• Assemble appropriate resources and practical applications, tools and best practice for field responders, develop any missing materials, and develop training materials for promoting demand for vaccines across the following:

- Social data and science of vaccine demand

- Immunization program, preparedness & service strengthening

- Behaviorally-informed public health intervention design

- Digital interventions and infodemic management

- Risk and health communication

- Service experience and delivery improvement

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Milestones and deliverables indicated above based on the need of the hiring offices.

Timeline: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026

Qualifications

(1) Education

• Advanced University degree in the social/behavioral sciences, (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Health Education).
• Additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree
• Fluency in English, both spoken and written, is required. Knowledge of another UN languages is an asset.

2) Work experience

• Work experience (at least 3 years) with emphasis on strategic communication planning for behavior development, social mobilization, and participatory communication, and research, training/ facilitation and impact evaluation of communication interventions
• Experience in Results-Based Measurement and in social and behavior change monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience working in the UN system agency or development organization is an asset. Familiarity with emergency response is an asset.
• Knowledge on promotion of vaccine demand to maintain and restore routine immunization and promote COVID-19 vaccination is required.
• Completion of comprehensive training on behavioral insights, social data, digital & infodemic management, service experience and RCCE for promotion of vaccine demand – RI and C-19 is preferred.

3) Competencies

• Strong analytical skills and experience synthesizing information from multiple sources.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Requirements****:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate hope.

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

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.