National Consultant - Behavioural Insights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this short-term consultancy is to support the WHO Representative Office in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore (“WCO”) and the Ministries of Health in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam to establish and strengthen behavioural insights functions within the ministries, as well as to implement planned and future projects and initiatives in the field of behavioural and social science.

Background

Behavioural science is increasingly used within public institutions to help those responsible for developing policies and programmes gain a better, more accurate and evidence-based understanding of how people behave and make decisions. A growing body of evidence indicates that the success of policies depends on individual behaviours and that policies designed in a relatively traditional way – namely those based on the assumption of rational behaviours, for example – often fail to deliver the expected outcomes. Planning, designing, and implementing policies and programmes based on deeper understanding of human behaviour has been shown to significantly increase their impact.

At the 76th World Health Assembly in May 2023, Member States adopted the first ever Resolution on ‘Behavioural Sciences for Better Health’, which acknowledges the importance of behavioural sciences in understanding the factors that affect health behaviours and in tackling key public health challenges. In the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region (“WPRO”) and under the Communication for Health (C4H) approach, behavioural science is a fundamental tool to support the achievement of specific health outcomes in the Region. In Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, WHO is working closely with government counterparts to strengthen capacities and implement projects based on behavioural insights (BI) approaches and data. The next step takes BI further in both countries with WHO supporting the establishment and strengthening of BI functions within the Ministries of Health and delivery of initial and subsequent BI projects to help achieve each Ministry’s public health priorities.

Therefore, WHO Representative Office to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore seeks a consultant with knowledge and experience in behavioural and social sciences for continued provision of technical support to the Ministries of Health with ongoing and planned activities and to facilitate further knowledge sharing and use of behavioural insights across WHO programmatic areas.

Deliverables

By working closely with the BI Unit at WHO Headquarters and relevant technical expertise/units at WPRO and WCO, the consultant will be responsible for providing technical support to MOH and other partners, the Consultant is expected to perform the following terms of references:

Output 1: Provide technical support for the establishment or strengthening of BI functions within the Ministries: Deliverable 1.1: Build capacities of the task force/core teams assigned to establish or strengthen BI functions through collaborative work and the use of existing or new WHO tools and resources. Deliverable 1.2: Support the development, monitoring and evaluation of a strategy/roadmap/detailed implementation plan for the BI functions. Deliverable 1.3: Co-design and deliver BI trainings and knowledge-sharing sessions as needed, across MOH departments and key stakeholders. Deliverable 1.4: Develop or adapt tools and processes for the respective BI functions based on identified needs, tailored for each country’s specific context.

Output 2: Support the design, implementation, and evaluation of BI projects: Deliverable 2.1: Support national counterparts in the design and execution of behavioural science research and projects, including the development of methodologies, diagnosis of problems, design of interventions, data analysis, and evaluation. Deliverable 2.2: Support the execution of at least two projects, one in each country, based on demand defined by national counterparts. Deliverable 2.3: Maximise the rigour and completeness of the BI approaches and frameworks applied by following best practice, and ensure that WHO technical guidelines, products and tools are integrated and reflected in the projects.

Output 3: Support the WCO in embedding BI approaches and frameworks to various public health activities: Deliverable 3.1: Support the application of BI to the design and execution of diverse public health activities, with a focus on promoting health and addressing behavioural risk factors associated with both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Deliverable 3.2: Support knowledge sharing and capacity building across WHO programmatic areas by contributing to the development of tools for internal use and advocacy materials.

Qualifications, experience, skills and knowledge, and languages

Qualifications required:

Essential: University degree in behavioural sciences, anthropology, psychology or social marketing.

Experience required:

Essential: A minimum of three (3) years of experience in applying behavioural/social science or related disciplines to policy making and/or to program design and implementation, including experience in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating public health activities/programs. Proven experience in capability building and training of others in behavioural insights and/or public health programs. Desirable: Experience applying quantitative/qualitative/mixed research methods to behavioural or social science projects in public health. Experience in supporting and coordinating with stakeholders and/or high-level experts of different background and cultures. Experience working with the Ministries of Health in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, allied health professionals and healthcare professionals. Experience working with the WHO or other UN agencies.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

• Understanding and application of behavioural science theories, frameworks, and approaches. • Able to convene, lead and facilitate multi-stakeholder discussions. • Understanding of policies and procedures, planning and strategy, as well as cross-sectoral skills. • Excellent communication and coordination skills. • Good knowledge and skills in report writing and structural thinking. • Persistence in follow-up, tact and diplomacy to work with international personnel

Language requirements:

Written and spoken fluency in English and Malay are essential. Working knowledge of other UN languages is an asset

Location

The consultancy will be carried out at the WHO Country Office in Cyberjaya, Malaysia

Travel

The Consultant may be required to travel locally to meet with MOH and other stakeholders.

Remuneration

Remuneration : TBD Duration : 6 months, 01 March 2024 to 30 June 2024

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level. • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted. • A written test may be used as a form of screening. • If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO 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 through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review. • For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int. • The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics. The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected] • An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice. • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates. • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. • WHO shall have no responsibility for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO. • Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected]. • In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates.

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