National Social & Behavior Change Officer, at NOB level, FT, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, PAT#94328- for Tajik nationals only

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Tuesday 23 Aug 2022 at 18:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a NO-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-2 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, a champion

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Purpose:

The Social & Behavior Change Officer reports to the Deputy Representative for supervision and guidance. The Officer provides technical and operational support to the S&BC Specialist and programme colleagues by overseeing, implementing, monitoring and/or evaluating a variety of S&BC initiatives and activities to promote community engagement and participation, and measureable behavioral and social change/mobilization, requiring the application of technical and theoretical skills and thorough knowledge of organizational goals, rules, regulations, policies and procedures to complete tasks.

How can you make a difference?

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

  1. Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities
  2. Support to implementation of S&BC activities
  3. Advocacy, networking and partnership building
  4. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1. Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities

  • Research and/or participate in conducting comprehensive S&BC situation analysis of social, communication, cultural, economic 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 S&BC component of the Country Programme of Cooperation (and UNDAF).
  • Collect, synthesize, draft and/or organize materials and related documentations for evidence-based S&BC strategies and plans (as a component of the CO and/or UNDAF Programmes) to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.
  • Assess, select and/or recommend appropriate information and materials for S&BC initiatives verifying accuracy and quality for dissemination.
  • Monitor and assess the impact of S&BC strategies and 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.
  • Act as one of the Gender focal points for UNICEF and actively participate in or support Country Management Team (CMT); Programme Management Team (PMT); and other committees to ensure strategic inclusion of gender in all country-specific programming
  • 2. Support to the implementation of S&BC activities
  • Collaborate and/or consult with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to research, develop, and produce evidence-based strategies and test, produce and use quality S&BC materials, organize events and activities to ensure community engagement and participation, and maximum outreach and impact on behavioral and social change.
  • Provide technical, administrative and logistical support and background materials to carry out S&BC strategies and activities and recommend operational strategies, approaches, plans, methods and procedures to ensure community engagement and participation, and optimum outreach and impact.
  • Assess and recommend potential contacts, networks, resources and tools to support maximum impact and outreach of S&BC initiatives.
  • Follow up and monitor the production of S&BC 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 planning for S&BC initiatives. Monitor/track the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations and standards of ethics and transparency.
  • Coordinate with RO, HQ and sectoral colleagues within CO to plan, utilize, monitor and report on programmatic funds with gender components that are allocated to the country-specific interventions for the Country Programme, under the Country Office senior management

3. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

  • Build and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with national and international civil society organisations, 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 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 S&BC outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes
  • Liaise and consult with sections, government and other external partners (civil society, NGOs, private sector) to support convergence, and develop and reinforce partnerships in gender programming.
  • Collaborate with other UN agencies and partners to enhance robust gender results in sectoral programmes at the country level. If necessary, represent UNICEF in external meetings on gender integration into sectoral and cross-sectoral results

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 products to key audiences including partners and donors.
  • Support the organization, administration and implementation of capacity building initiatives, including partnerships with training and academic institutions, to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders/partners across programme sectors in S&BC planning, implementation and evaluation in support of programmes/projects. Develop training materials for training activities, and revise and update them as necessary.

Impact of results

The efficient and effective technical, administrative and operational support provided to the development and implementation of S&BC advocacy initiatives and products directly impact on the ability of UNICEF to promote social, political and economic action and changes in behaviors, social attitudes, beliefs and actions by communities, individuals and societies on children’s rights, survival and wellbeing. This in turn contributes to enhancing the ability of UNICEF to fulfill its mission to achieve sustainable, locally-owned and concrete results in improving the survival, development and wellbeing of children in the country.

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

Education: A university degree in one of the following fields is required: social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public relations or another relevant technical field.

Experience: A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, communication for development, public advocacy or another related area. Previous working experience in Gender and/or emergency is an asset.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Russian and Tajik is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS)

Competencies and level of proficiency required (based on UNICEF Professional Competency Profiles)

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

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

To view our competency framework:

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 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.

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.

APPLICATION:

The candidates, who are interested to apply for the position, should follow the electronic application's instructions. It requires the applicant to upload a detailed CV and academic degrees/diplomas, and to upload at least two latest performance evaluation reports from the current and previous direct supervisors.

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:

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments may also be 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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org