Re-Advertised External and Internal Vacancy Announcement : Social and Behavior Change & Community Engagement Specialist, P-4, Amman, Jordan (MENARO)

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 127,176 USD and 163,967 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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

How can you make a difference?

The Social and Behaviour Change & Community Engagement Specialist, in the MENA Regional Office, provides technical oversight and quality assurance support to 15 country offices and one multi-country area office across the MENA region, as well as leads on regional initiatives to strengthen social and behaviour change and community engagement (SBC-CE) (formerly known as Communication for Development -C4D) across the region.

The SBC-CE Specialist reports to the Regional Advisor, SBC-CE for general guidance and supervision. The Specialist provides technical and operational support to regional and country teams for systematic, planned and evidence-based SBC and CE as an integral part of regular and humanitarian programme development, planning and implementation. Through support to strengthen socio-behavioural research driven programming including communication and engagement, as well as the mobilisation, empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/. This subsequently contributes to the achievement of sustainable and concrete results in improving children’s rights, survival, development and wellbeing in the region.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1.Technical support and oversight to countries on designing, planning and implementing SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioral evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms.

• Provide advice to UNICEF MENA country offices, government counterparts and partners on SBC, risk communication, social mobilization and community engagement interventions in line with global standards and UNICEF’s organizational priorities and approaches.
• Provide technical support to MENA country offices in formulating, implementing and evaluating quality and appropriate SBC initiatives for both development and humanitarian contexts by facilitating efficient programme delivery, guiding on quality of materials/activities and supporting appropriate research and implementation.
• Bring insights from latest developments and best practices in the social and behavioral sciences and participatory approaches to community engagement to improve SBC program outcomes related to health, nutrition, WASH, environmental, protection, education and other issues in both humanitarian and development contexts.
• Provide technical inputs on accountability to affected people (AAP), risk communication and community engagement to countries that are actively responding to humanitarian and or health emergencies. Support preparedness activities across all countries in the region.

2- Effective generation and utilization of research, data and evidence to inform the design, measurement, monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes and to build evidence base for SBC

• Support country teams in developing terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives,
• Strengthen offices capacity to research, analyze and equitably address trends that drive social and individual behaviours and norms, using a wide range of approaches including, behavioural analysis, human centered design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research, RCT, and other quantitative and qualitative approaches
• Provide technical support to countries in establishing monitoring mechanisms to collect, analyse and report on SBC indicators
• Provide advice and technical support in the development and implementation of tools (quantitative and qualitative) for the monitoring, evaluation, and documentation of SBC activities.
• Disseminate SBC research findings and best practices and support the exchange of experiences and uptake of new methods among government officials, programme staff, UNICEF partners, and/or the wider SBC field.
• Support countries in organizing and managing formative research, development, pre-testing, and production of country culturally relevant materials and activities to support SBC.

3-Ensure smooth SBC programme delivery by providing technical and operational support

• Establish regional SBC work plans (within sectoral work plans as appropriate), including allocation of resources, monitoring or progress, etc. Provide support to sectoral programs to ensure SBC objectives are met.
• Participate in budget planning and management of programme funds and support country offices in budget planning
• Make operational decisions on appropriate materials and media to reach target audiences, technical resources required, allocation of financial resources, as well as the time frame for various activities in support of the achievement of country programme and organizational goals.

4- Strengthen the SBC function by advocating for SBC, coordinating across offices, networking and partnership building

• Develop, build and maintain partnerships at the regional level with UN agencies, research and implementing organizations, academia, media, INGOs, and other relevant organizations to promote SBC programs and assist in developing the same at the country level
• Participate in strategic regional conversations and support COs in discussions on policy and agenda setting for SBC advocacy and investments, and related external relations and resource mobilization initiatives
• Support offices in ensuring adequate human and financial resources to deliver on SBC work plans, and advocate for and mobilize resources to support them.
• Participate in inter-agency groups and/or civil society networks to scale-up SBC programs and enhance results

5- Promote continuous learning, innovation, strengthening, and scaling up of SBC through capacity building of UNICEF staff and partners

• Support the design and implementation of regional innovative practices, approaches, and latest technology on multiple media and social/digital platforms and networks for SBC-CE that are appropriate/available for the CO context and audience.
• In collaboration with HQ and relevant sections, develop tools, guidelines, and training materials and facilitate capacity building on SBC, risk communication, community engagement, and other related topics for staff and partners who are involved in planning, implementation, and evaluation of SBC interventions
• Identify and plan training and learning opportunities for staff and partners on new approaches, including BI, HCD, social listening, behavioral analysis, and so on.
• Plan and lead regional level SBC capacity assessments and support country offices in conducting national capacity assessments
• Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge learned on SBC in UNICEF and externally to build the capacity of staff and partners.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social and behavioral science, including sociology, anthropology, communication studies/communication for development, psychology, and/or related field is required.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience at the national and international levels in developing, implementing, evaluating, and managing social and behavioral change strategies and content is required.
• *A first-level university degree with ten years of relevant experience mentioned above may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree
• Demonstrated expertise in the application of social and behavior change science, theories, research, and analysis, to all stages of the programmes cycle.
• Proven ability to manage social research, including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods for formative assessments, identifying behavioral drivers, and tracking, measurement, and evaluation of social change is desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to stay current with new developments in the SBC field is required. Familiarity with new and emerging approaches such as behavioral insights, human-centered design, social listening, among others is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in the execution of complex priorities, processes, and projects in office work plans.
• At least four years of country programme experience with a multilateral development agency or national NGO in a low- or middle-income setting.
• Experience in working in complex humanitarian contexts or emergency situations.
• Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders at multiple levels, including providing technical support and capacity building and establishing/managing external partnerships.
• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in French or Arabic will be considered an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

▪ 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)

▪ Drives to achieve impactful results (1)

▪ Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

View our 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.

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:

Those who applied in the first advertisement need not apply again

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

This position is not considered an elevated risk role. However, UNICEF reserves the right to conduct further vetting/ assessment within the scope of child safeguarding as appropriate.

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

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/.