Social & Behavior Change (SBC) Specialist at UNICEF

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Regional Adviser, Social and Behaviour Change and in close collaboration with the Chiefs of Nutrition, Health and WASH, the SBC Specialist is responsible for assisting selected UNICEF Country Offices in ESAR in the design, management, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based, human-right oriented and measurable behaviour and social change strategies to increase community engagement, social accountability, and demand and uptake of high-impact health and nutrition services and practices, both in development and humanitarian contexts. In the context of multiple Level 2 and Level 3 emergencies in the region, including the Horn of Africa Drought, multiple public health outbreaks and the recent increase in zero-dose communities in ESAR, the incumbent will contribute to reinforce the design, implementation, monitoring and measurement of SBC interventions to address the multiple deprivations and hazards faced by communities. The incumbent will also support selected country offices to reinforce capacity to design contextualised tools/methodology to collect social and behavioural data/evidence to inform SBC interventions. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will have the following major duties and responsibilities: 

• In line with the Global Community Engagement Standards, and in order to reinforce community engagement both in development and humanitarian contexts, provide technical support to selected UNICEF COs involved in emergency response in the design and implementation of evidence-based SBC plans of action aiming at: (a) Behaviour and social change at individual/household and community levels in key behaviours related to child health and nutrition, with a special focus on the uptake of life-saving nutrition services in emergency, adoption of infant and young child feeding practices, norms and practices around improved food production/animal husbandry and health seeking behaviours with a focus on routine immunization and engaging zero-dose communities; (b) Increased community participation in child nutrition, health and hygiene intervention; and (c) Reinforced systems to collect community feedback and social listening data, and ensure optimum social accountability.
• Provide SBC technical inputs into the implementation of a regional Social & Behaviour Change Strategy for nutrition, looking at both drivers of stunting in the region, as well as addressing (with a focus on SBC preventive efforts) wasting and moderate and severe acute malnutrition in emergency-prone or affected countries (e.g. Burundi, Madagascar, South Sudan, among others) and with a focus on the Horn of Africa Drought (HoA) L3 emergency (Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia). Support ESAR COs in informing SBC preparedness plans, develop funding proposals, design evidence-based community engagement interventions and assist with institutional capacity building of government, academia and other key stakeholders on SBC approaches. 
• In close coordination with the ESARO nutrition team and other data specialists, support COs to reinforce collection and use of both qualitative and quantitative evidence and data to (1) design socially relevant SBC plans/interventions with robust M&E frameworks; (2) adjust existing programming and fund mobilisation regional initiatives and (3) more systematically monitor progress and learn from SBC interventions in key HoA drought affected countries, as well as in other priority countries such as Burundi, Madagascar and South Sudan. 
• Reinforce regional partnerships with SBC and RCCE networks platforms to further strengthen the coordination and the response to the Horn of Africa drought response, as well as to design evidence-based SBC approaches in collaboration with UN agencies such as WFP and FAO and other stakeholders to address those norms and cultural practices limiting the types of foods that are produced through subsistence agriculture and the animals that are kept at community level, which reduces the availability of nutrient-dense foods that children need. 
• Support ESAR COs to organize and deliver in-country training and mentoring programmes of both UNICEF CO staff and SBC partners on how to collect and use social science data and innovative approaches such as human-centred design and behavioural insights to inform/adjust SBC programming on child health, with a focus on routine immunization and engaging zero-dose communities, and nutrition. 
• Support ESARO in regularly engaging COs to update their funding needs, level of expenditures and spending plans to support demand for vaccines and address the needs of zero-dose communities.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in  the social/ behavioural sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, community-based development) with emphasis on community engagement, participatory communication, social and behaviour change (SBC) planning, participatory research -including human-centred design-, data collection and analysis, training and evaluation of SBC interventions.
• A minimum of five of relevant professional experience in the planning and management of social and behaviour change programmes, including three years in developing countries is required. Practical experience in humanitarian response and complex crisis is a strong asset.
• Work experience in applying innovative Social and Behaviour Change approaches (e.g. human-centre design, Behavioural Insights, developing robust M&E systems) applied to SBC or RCCE is required. 
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French or Portuguese is an asset.