National Risk Communication and Community Engagement Consultant

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, health

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in late February 2020, the Government of North Macedonia has continually initiated a set of measures and activities aimed to prevent the transmission of the disease and reducing the risks associated with the disease in the country. Among the activities have been risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) activities to provide the public with clear accurate

information and ensure the public are informed and practice measures to protect themselves, their families, and communities.

UNICEF is seeking a qualified consultant with experience in risk communication and community engagement to support Government efforts. More specifically, through this consultancy, UNICEF will provide technical support to the Ministry of Health to support the implementation of national COVID19 risk communication and community engagement strategies and activities.

Reporting to the UNICEF Communication Officer and working daily with the head of the Ministry of Health public relations department [or other official designated by the Ministry of Health] for guidance, the consultant will be required to provide technical and operational support to the Ministry

of Health by administering, executing and implementing a variety of tasks to support the implementation of national COVID19 related RCCE strategies and plans.

How can you make a difference?

Support Ministry led coordination of national COVID19 risk communication and community engagement strategies and plan implementation, including but not limited to:

• Provide secretariat support to designated national taskforce or other group designated by the Ministry to coordinate and oversee the implementation of a national RCCE strategy and plan as guided by the Ministry of Health.

• Identify and map partners to support COVID19 RCCE strategy and plan implementation and support the Ministry to mobilise support from partners to address gaps, this may include supporting the development of concept notes and proposals to support resource and

partnership resource mobilization.

• Provide operational support to organise regular meetings with key partners and stakeholders as designated by the Ministry of Health to coordinate the implantation of COVID19 RCCE strategies and plans, including maintaining partnerships through proactive collaboration with Ministry of Health partners and stakeholders supporting the implementation of national RCCE efforts to ensure efforts are harmonized, link and/or coordinate messaging to enhance outreach and contribution to results.

• Prepare progress reports for the Ministry of Health on the overall implementation.

Support to the implementation of national COVIS19 risk communication and community engagement strategies and plans, including but not limited to:

• Provide hands on technical support to ensure Government COVID19 vaccine webpage and other related digital public information platforms are up-to-date through regularly review and identifying content gaps and update needs, developing draft written content updates and overseeing approval in accordance with Ministry of Health operational procedures and ensuring content updated in a timely manner using content management systems.

• Work with Ministry of Health designated team to develop and support the implementation of scenario planning for COVID19 vaccines uptake.

• Work with partners to establish a formal misinformation and rumour management system within the Ministry of Health.

• Develop and support the implantation of evidence generation plan and work with partners supporting evidence generation activities to ensure behaviour insights data feeds into decision-making mechanisms and strategy and plan implementation/adjustment.

• Other tasks related to the evolving situation with COVID19 risk communication and community engagement as designated by the head of the public relations department of the Ministry of Health.

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

• At least 2 (two) years of experience in public relations or risk communication and community engagement or related technical field • Experience in planning, implementation and monitoring of communication plans • Excellent command of Macedonian and English; verbal and written. Knowledge of other local languages is an asset. • Demonstrated coordination and leadership capacity. • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. • Ability to work within tight timeline. • Demonstrated tact and high sense of responsibility and discretion. • Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards. • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Duration: 11.5 months

Estimated start date: 1 January 2022

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Selection Criteria:

All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements. Candidates who fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

1. Technical Criteria – max 70% of total evaluation – max 70 points (Education, Experience and Demonstrated competencies). Only candidates who obtained at least 49 points from the technical part, will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation.

2. Financial Criteria - 30 % of total evaluation – max. 30 points: Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].

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:

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.

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.