Social & Behavior Change Specialist, NO-3, Lilongwe, Malawi, Period up to 31 December 2023, Open to Nationals of Malawi Only

Contract

This is a NO-3 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-3 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, an advocate…

UNICEF Malawi Country Programme (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS III) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF). The programme supports the Government of Malawi in meeting its commitment to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country programme is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ‘all girls and boys in Malawi, especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights’. The programme focuses on early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms), programme effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, innovation, social protection and social policy and external communication). The programme is based on ‘leaving no child behind’, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’.

Social and Behaviour Change (S&BC) in the UNICEF Malawi Country Office (MCO) aims to address the cognitive, social and structural determinants of individual practices and societal changes in both development and humanitarian contexts together with families and communities by applying various participatory and innovative tools and approaches. S&BC at MCO is based on social and behavioural evidence generated and implemented with families and communities using participatory and human-centered processes. As an S&BC Specialist, you will be at the forefront of the development and implementation of an evidence-based systematic, planned, and locally owned S&BC strategy that promotes the adoption of positive and protective practices for children across sectors for social change and transformation to make communities inclusive and equitable.

How can you make a difference?

The Malawi Country Office offers an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for you to join our dynamic Community Development and Resilience (CDR) team, where you will be responsible for providing technical support for generating the latest social and behavioural evidence to understand people, their beliefs, value, socio-cultural norms and the economic and institutional contexts that shape their lives, to engage them and increase their influence in the design, implementation and monitoring solutions for change.

In your role, you will be under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the S&BC Manager under the Community Development and Resilience section, however, you will work in close coordination with other sectoral programme specialists and S&BC specialists to achieve measurable social and behavioural results to bring positive and transformative change.

This job presents a unique and significant opportunity for a dynamic, qualified, vibrant, motivated, and committed person to contribute to the overall achievement of transformative S&BC results for children with professional excellence and by delivering on the following key responsibility areas, but not limited to -you are however encouraged to read the attached and detailed job description Job Description_TA NOC SBC Specialist 2022_Signed.pdf in order to view the full role and its requirements:

• Technical support to government counterparts and partners on evidence-based S&BC programming, risk communication, social mobilization, and community engagement interventions aligned with global standards and UNICEF’s organizational priorities and approaches.
• Generation and utilization of research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of S&BC programs and outcomes in both development and emergency contexts and to build the evidence base.
• Promote the application of innovative approaches to the implementation of evidence-based S&BC interventions that strengthen the MCO’s capacity to research and analyse driving social and individual behaviours and norms, using a wide range of qualitative participatory tools such as human-centred design.
• Operationalization of S&BC by advocating for S&BC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors, and teams, and partnership building with government, academia, and civil society organizations.
• Strengthen the S&BC function at MCO by promoting continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in S&BC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.

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

Education:

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

  Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, S&BC, social marketing, public advocacy, or another related area.

• Experience in developing S&BC communication tools and materials is essential.
• Experience in Human Centered Design (HCD) and other user-centered approaches are assets.
• Experience managing analysis, synthesis, documentation and dissemination of lessons for a range of stakeholders is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency context is considered an asset.

Expected technical knowledge and skills:

• Strong organizational skills, analytical capabilities, ability to work in a fast-paced emergency environment, and ability to handle multiple tasks are preferred.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Chichewa is required – excellent written and verbal skills.

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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

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. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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.

Remarks:

The 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.

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which UNICEF will facilitate, is required for IP positions. 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.

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/.

The vacancy announcement is open to all candidates – internal UNICEF staff holding permanent, continuing and fixed term appointments and external candidates.

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

UNICEF Malawi Office is seeking individuals who are motivated to make a real difference and serve the children of Malawi with resourcefulness, resilience, creativity, and professional excellence.