Social & Behavior Change Officer, NOA (FT), Ankara, Turkiye, Turkish Nationals Only

Contract

This is a NO-1 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-1 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, education

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in 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

How can you make a difference?

Social and Behaviour Change in UNICEF is a cross-cutting programme strategy that analyses and addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of individual practices and societal changes in both development and humanitarian contexts. SBC uses the latest in social and behavioral sciences to understand people, their beliefs, their values, the socio-cultural norms and the economic and institutional contexts that shape their lives, with the aim of engaging them and increasing their influence in the design of solutions for change. SBC brings social and behavioral evidence generation together with participation in community-led and human-centered processes. SBC is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate, with corporate results across sectors revolving around behaviors like immunization, feeding practices, learning, hygiene, and positive discipline, as well as transformations across sectors needed to make societies more inclusive, equitable and peaceful.

UNICEF SBC employs a mix of approaches including community engagement, strategic communication, applied behavioral science, service delivery improvement, systems strengthening, social mobilization and policy advocacy to advance child rights, survival, development, protection and participation.

UNICEF Türkiye has made great strides in social and economic development, achieving significant results in terms of reduction of poverty and inequality, as well as improvement of access to basic services for the most vulnerable. Nevertheless, some areas of the Sustainable Development Agenda require accelerated efforts to maintain progress already achieved and address remaining gaps, especially in terms of gender equality (SDG 5), and boys’ and girls’ access to quality education (SDG 4). Gender and Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is intrinsic to UNICEF TCO’s Country Programme Strategy (CPD 2021-2025) aligned to UNICEF’s Strategic Plan as well as to deliver on sustainable developmental goals. Cultural beliefs, attitudes, behaviours and practices of individuals, families and communities may promote or act as critical bottleneck for in delivering results for programmes. In some cases, these may accelerate and promotes adoption or influence positive behaviours and establishes new norms including changing negative gender norms. Hence, an integrated, multi-level and inter-sectoral approach is needed to address deeply entrenched harmful gender and social norms and behaviours in the programmes. Responding to such needs, Gender and SBC is a key cross-cutting strategy in the UNICEF Turkey’s Country Programme Document (CPD) aims to (a) accelerate change in behaviours and social norms including around gender at individual, family, and community level, contributing to combating protection risks and increase in demand for and uptake of basic services and (b) strengthening systems for better inclusion of and engagement with marginalized communities through information, dialogue and participation.

Further, on 6 February 2023, two devastating earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck Pazarcık and Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. The earthquake heavily affected the neighbouring provinces of Adıyaman, Kilis, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Malatya, Elazığ as well as Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır and Hatay, where around 13.5 million people reside including around 2 million Syrian refugees. Impacts have been felt across the 10 provinces in which a state of emergency has been declared (Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Hatay, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa) and Elazığ. The earthquakes and aftershocks have caused catastrophic devastation, with at least 9.1 million people in the 11 hardest-hit provinces likely to have been directly impacted. More than 50,000 people lost their lives, and over 100,000 people were injured. The UNICEF SBC section in collaboration with programme section is supporting government, local municipalities and implementing partners with community insights, capacity development, resources and tools for implementation and monitoring.

Under the general guidance of the Chief, SBC Section and in close coordination with Sectoral and Cross-Sectoral Specialists and Officers, contributes to/responsible for the design, management, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based, inclusive and innovative SBC strategies in support of the country programme.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Support the generation and utilization of behavioural research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.
• Support the design, plan and implementation of SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Support the operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC approach, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.

1. Generate and utilize behavioural research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.

• In collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, support the design, implement, and/or participate in SBC situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioral drivers.
• Support the initiation, commission, management and/or utilization of qualitative and quantitative research on social and behavioral drivers that include behavioural analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and/or RCT.
• Support data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting SBC results and prepare syntheses of results.
• Collate and summarize data, evidence and trends for social and behavioral issues to inform evidence-based SBC strategies, plans and activities
• Assist in establishment of community feedback mechanisms and use feedback to inform community engagement and SBC actions for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. Generate and use SBC evidence, data, and assessments for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience.
• Contribute to terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives and apply tools, methodologies and frameworks for data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting and disseminating SBC results.
• Support the country programme monitoring and evaluation exercises and make recommendations on workplan revisions based on the results.

2. Design, plan and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.

• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, provide technical and administrative support for the development, implementation and monitoring of evidence-based SBC strategies and activities, in line with global standards and UNICEF priorities and approaches.
• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral colleagues and implementing partners, support the selection of appropriate SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches. In this process, support the coordination with SBC stakeholders and partners to align plans and activities.
• Support the Identification of actional evidence-based programme/strategy recommendations from current data, evidence and trends for priority social and behavioral issues and ensure the integration of latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in programme approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the application of the above skills of designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies.

3. Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and building alliances and partnerships.

• Collaborate with national, regional and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches.
• Support resource mobilization opportunities and contribute to proposals, reports and other materials to support resources mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for SBC, including staff, consultants and external vendors.
• Support the identification, recruitment and collaboration with consultants, vendors and other technical expertise to support delivery of SBC activities. Support the planning, use and tracking of resources and verify compliance with organizational guidelines and standards.
• Contribute to financial planning, budget planning and tracking and financial management for SBC.
• Advocate for the inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral workplans based on active participation in sectoral programme planning and reviews and viable recommendations for the integration of SBC. Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in the country programme, and in sectoral plans.
• Support the identification, dissemination, and adoption of best practices and innovative approaches and technology in SBC. Support their integration in programme approaches and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement and SBC in humanitarian actions.

4. Promote continuous learning, strengthening and scaling up in SBC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff, partners and implementers.

• Support the identification, design, and/or organization of SBC training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human-centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Support the use and adaptation of existing UNICEF learning resources, guidelines and training materials to build SBC capacity among staff, implementing partners and relevant government and non-government counterparts.
• Contribute to the development and institutionalization of best practices, facilitate the exchange of experiences and provide technical assistance for the uptake of new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally.
• Support the development of SBC capacity assessments
• Contribute to the identification and mobilization of resources to support capacity development internally and externally and provide SBC technical support and capacity building to government counterparts.
• Identify and contribute to the development of mechanisms to strengthen systems for community engagement in humanitarian contexts.
• Support the development and/or adaptation of capacity development tools and activities for humanitarian programming with a focus on preparedness, response and recovery.

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

• A university degree (Bachelor’s or higher) in a social science or relevant areas including sociology, anthropology, behavioural science, psychology, communication and/or related field is required.
• A minimum of one year of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: Social development programme, Community engagement, Social and behaviour change, Programme advocacy or related areas. Relevant experience in an UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Turkish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

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 here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. 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. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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.

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.

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