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Chief, Social & Behavior Change (NOD), Fixed Term, #104736, Port Sudan, Sudan - MENA(Sudanese only)

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Job no: 573274

Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment

Duty Station: Port Sudan

Level: NO-4

Location: Sudan

Categories: Human Resources, Information Communication Technology, Supply Management, Legal Affairs, Operations, Administration, Social and Behavior Change, Financial Management, Facilities Management, Transportation

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, protection.

II. Organizational Context and Purpose for the job

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.

Social and Behavior Change in UNICEF is a cross-cutting programme strategy that addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of social change in both development and humanitarian contexts. SBC uses the latest in social and behavioral sciences to understand people, their beliefs, values, and the socio-cultural norms that shape their lives, with the aim of engaging them and increasing their influence in the design of solutions for sustainable behavior and social change. SBC is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate, with corporate results across sectors revolving around social and behavioral practices like immunization, breastfeeding, hygiene, and positive discipline.

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

Job organizational context:

UNICEF Sudan is operating in a L3 Emergency context, responding to the current large scale crisis in Sudan. This post leads UNICEF Sudan’s SBC CE work across all 18 states of Sudan and is based in Port Sudan

Purpose for the job:

Under the general guidance of the Deputy Representative Programmes, and in close coordination with Sectoral and Cross-Sectoral Sections and Offices, responsible for the design, management, execution, monitoring and evaluation of regional strategies related to Social and Behavior Change (SBC) and Community Engagement and providing technical support to sections and filed teams in delivering SBC initiatives that advance human rights based approaches and community engagement to promote sustainable results for children in Sudan in the humanitarian, peace and development programming. Support UNICEF offices and partners in applying the latest evidence-backed approaches in the social and behavioral sciences to programming by identifying and addressing the social determinants of behavior and empowering communities in change processes.

How can you make a difference?

III. Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

1. Generate & Use Evidence: Generate and utilize 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.

2. Design, plan and implement: 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.

3. Advocate & Build Partnerships: Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.

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

1. Generate and utilize 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.

• Provide expert advice to UNICEF senior managers, decision makers and planners of government donor organizations, civil society groups, private sector and other partners on SBC, AAP, social mobilization and community engagement interventions in line with global standards and UNICEF’s organizational priorities and approaches.

• Participate in country programme planning and reviews to determine/discuss the behavioral and social drivers to be addressed and ensure successful and sustainable delivery of programme results. Provide technical advice to inform strategies and plans of action for SBC.

• Guide SBC teams in bringing insights from latest developments and best practices in the social and behavioural sciences and participatory approaches to community engagement to improve SBC program outcomes related to issues such as social norms change, violence against children, vaccine uptake, nutrition, disease prevention, etc.in humanitarian and resilience contexts and across country contexts- with a focus on community resilience.

• Prepare materials and documentation for SBC strategies and plan (as a component of the CO and/or UNDAF programmes) to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.

• Support programme cycles and provide quality control for County Programme Development, as required

• Provide technical support to XXX 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.

• 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 and support preparedness activities across all countries in the region.

• Make viable recommendations on operational strategies in the areas of SBC and AAP and guide on appropriate materials and activities to reach communities.

• Provide inputs into relevant UNICEF monitoring and planning tools such as the RAM.

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.

• Promote and advocate for application of evidence, insights, innovations and new technologies from the latest developments in social and behavioral sciences to inform SBC strategies and activities.

• Provide technical advice and leadership in development, implementation and monitoring of SBC strategies in line with global standards and UNICEF priorities and approaches

• Advise on technical quality, consistency and relevance of SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches.

• Approve and use resources as planned, manage and monitor programme funds, and verify compliance with organization guidelines and standards.

• Identify, vet and recruit consultants, vendors and other technical expertise to support delivery of SBC activities. Manage and oversee their activities and deliverables.

• Provide technical advice on the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies

• Guide on the development and coordination SBC and RCCE plans for preparedness and response

• Advise and lead on the SBC components of Accountability to Affected Populations frameworks

• Advise on inclusion of social and behavioral drivers in sectoral workplans and strategies

• Advocate among UNICEF offices and partners for inclusion of social and behaviural approaches in sectoral workplans, strategies and funding plans.

• Provide remote and direct technical field support for SBC development and implementation.

• Facilitate cross – sectoral implementation of SBC-related projects and programmes.

• Ensure quality of SBC activities, material/products and engagement opportunities.

• Lead in the development of policies, methods, frameworks and tools for SBC programming.

• Facilitate efficient programme delivery, providing guidance on quality of products, activities, research and implementation.

• Participate in budget planning and management of programme funds and support country offices in budget planning

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

• Establish and maintain regional/global partnerships and resource mobilization opportunities to support SBC, including building Business for Results partnerships. Advocate for UNICEF priorities within these mechanisms. Support UNICEF offices in managing national level partnerships.

• Lead collaboration with national, regional and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches

• Mobilize financial resources for SBC at the regional level and support UNICEF offices in national level resource mobilization.

• Mobilize human resources for SBC at regional level and support UNICEF offices in mobilizing resources.

• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, tracking and management of funds for SBC at regional level. Support UNICEF offices in national level financial planning/management for SBC.

• Represent UNICEF interests among regional stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement and SBC in humanitarian actions. Provide technical advice to UNICEF offices for coordination among stakeholders and partners at the national level.

• Represent UNICEF’s regional SBC interests among partners in national, regional and international level fora.

• Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in country programs, and in sectoral plans.

• Provide leadership in a regional level approach/vision for SBC and foster collaboration/networking among national SBC teams in the region.

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

• Develop and/or apply tools, guidelines and training materials to build regional/global SBC capacity among CO staff, implementing partners and other relevant government and non-government partners.

• Develop regional SBC capacity development initiatives, including new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human centered design, social listening, digital engagement, and social accountability mechanisms. Provide technical guidance to offices in creating the same.

• Lead on the identification, design and organization of national and regional learning opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behaviorual analyses, behavioural insights, human centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms.

• Lead and plan SBC capacity assessment and support offices in conducting capacity assessments

• Provide technical guidance and support to country offices to provide SBC capacity building for government counterparts

• Initiate and manage partnerships with academia and learning institutions for delivery of regional SBC capacity development activities. Provide technical advice to UNICEF offices in establishing national level partnerships for learning.

• Provide technical assistance to systems strengthening initiatives for community engagement in humanitarian contexts

• Plan and implement regional capacity development activities for community engagement and SBC in humanitarian programming with a focus on preparedness, response and recovery. Provide advice to UNICEF offices in national level capacity development.

• Identify and mobilize resources to support capacity development across relevant and applicable modalities.

IV. Impact of Results

The efficient and effective technical, operational and managerial support provided to the development and implementation of SBC strategies, products and activities directly impact on the ability of UNICEF to promote social, political and economic action and changes in behaviors, social attitudes, beliefs, norms and practices of individuals, communities, institutions and society, as a whole. This in turn contributes to enhancing the ability of UNICEF to fulfill its mission to achieve sustainable, locally-owned and concrete results in improving child rights related to survival, development, protection and participation in the country.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Social Behavioral Change Specialist Level 4.doc

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

Minimum requirements:

VI. Recruitment Qualifications

Education:

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a social and behavioral science, including sociology, anthropology, communication studies/communication for development, psychology and/or related field is required.

• Experience: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.

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 country programme experience in with a multilateral development agency or national NGO in a low- or middle-income setting is an asset.

Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders at multiple levels, including providing technical support and capacity building and establishing/managing external partnerships.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

i) Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

ii) Core Competencies (For Staff with Supervisory Responsibilities)

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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 canceled.

Remarks:

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

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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 does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Advertised: E. Africa Standard Time

Deadline: E. Africa Standard Time