Social and Behaviour Change Consultant to Design and Roll out Behavioural Insights and Social Data for Mother and Child Cash Transfer

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, Change 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbkJiMmvKqk

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of Work:

The Social and Behaviour Change & Community Engagement interventions will support the Mother and Child Cash Transfer programme to involve and inform the communities and the rights-holders about the cash transfer program at the earliest stage possible. It is essential to engage communities right from the onset of the programme implementation that will empower them to be part of the process,  feel ownership and ensure that the community members are engaged, consulted and their concerns are heard, and questions are answered. An effective SBC & CE strategy helps to counter any local-level politicization or misunderstanding of the program among the general population and reduces the susceptibility of beneficiaries to exploitation and abuse. 

UNICEF aims to meaningfully engage and empower communities and build capacity of partners in effectively delivering SBC interventions under the MCCT programme focused on:

• Research, evaluation, and broader evidence generation and learning agenda to systematically capture outcomes for women and children, and the effectiveness of programme design features, implementation processes and operational mechanisms to serve as the basis for developing a nascent social protection system in Afghanistan.

The overall objectives of SBC in MCCT will aim to:

• Generate evidence for improving knowledge, influencing positive behavioural change and documenting good practices in relation to health-seeking behaviour and good maternal and child health practices.

To ensure effective implementation of SBC in MCCT Strategy, UNICEF Afghanistan Country office is seeking an individual consultancy to support in designing behavioural insights tools for MCCT evaluation exercise and for community engagement mechanisms to contribute to achieving impactful results for MCCT through strengthening behavioural insights and social data management and analysis, evidence generation and knowledge management systems.

Responsibilities:

The Consultant will be supervised by and report to SBC Manager, with regular meetings with Social Policy section and other team member on progress status and next steps, and ad hoc communications and meetings if/as needed. The consultant will work closely with the UNICEF Afghanistan Country Office through the SBC Section and in close collaboration with the Social Policy team.

Main tasks and responsibilities include three key pillars for implementing SBC in MCCT Strategy:

Generating Evidence and Knowledge Management:

• Support in incorporating behavioural insights (BI) and social data in the MCCT evaluation for tracking and adjusting the change strategies and to amplify good practices for creating a conducive environment for the well-being of children and their families through humanitarian economic opportunities.
• Designing SBC tools for conducting assessments and evaluations to track and set up base-/mid-/end-lines using a behavioural insights approach to identify key behavioural determinants, motivational drivers, barriers, social structures and norms, social networks and their communication, and traditions that sustained current behaviours within MCCT behavioural priorities.
• Ensure SBC elements are built on scientific theories and incorporated/embedded in the overall MCCT evaluation with clear, measurable indicators and outcomes for the SBC components.
• Facilitate the documentation of good practice and lessons learnt for SBC in MCCT programme as appropriate to the Afghanistan’s context, and knowledge management networks, including technical working groups, technical discussions at national, regional, and global platforms, as needed.

Monitoring Tools for Community Engagement and Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide recommendation for implementation and adjusting based on existing and/or new BI and social data to programme for more effective SBC & CE interventions.
• Support alignment of the planned SBC/Community engagement interventions with the intended project outcomes and evaluation methods.
• Monitor the implementation of the project and ensure SBC and programme teams (and partners/service providers) are timely informed on how to use social data for reporting and adjusting, if needed, SBC interventions.
• Share information and provide technical advice the programme teams and partners on specific tools and mechanisms designed to address concerns and feedback from communities, stakeholders and the public.

Building the capacity:

• Advise teams and partners on incorporating and/or translating behavioural insights and social data tools into training and orientation packages to ensure evidence-based approach is applied for effective engagement of participants groups and community members.
• Train partners on proper M&E for the SBC components.

Knowledge Management and Documentation:

• Ensure the process of implementation of the SBC in MCCT Strategy Implementation focused on BI and SD best practices is documented for wider dissemination and exchange of knowledge.

Tasks/Milestone	Deliverables/Outputs	Timeline
Support in incorporating behavioural insights (BI) and social data in the MCCT evaluation for tracking and adjusting the change strategies and to amplify good practices for creating a conducive environment for the well-being of children and their families through humanitarian economic opportunities. Designing SBC tools for conducting assessments and evaluations to track and set up base-/mid-/end-lines using a behavioural insights approach to identify key behavioural determinants, motivational drivers, barriers, social structures and norms, social networks and their communication, and traditions that sustained current behaviours within MCCT behavioural priorities. Facilitate the documentation of good practice and lessons learnt for SBC in MCCT programme as appropriate to the Afghanistan’s context, and knowledge management networks, including technical working groups, technical discussions at national, regional, and global platforms, as needed.	SBC tools for Behavioural Insights and Social Data are designed and incorporated to the MCCT programme and its evaluation exercise.	First Quarter (February to March) starting from the day of signing the contract. Estimated number of working days is 60 days.
Monitoring Tools for Community Engagement and Feedback Collection (CEFC) Mechanisms Provide recommendation for implementation and adjusting based on existing and/or new Behavioural insights (BI) I and Social Data (SD) to programme for more effective SBC & CE interventions. Ensure SBC and programme teams (and partners/service providers) are timely informed on how to use social data for reporting and adjusting, if needed, SBC interventions. Share information and provide technical advice the programme teams and partners on specific tools and mechanisms designed to address concerns and feedback from communities, stakeholders, and the public.	Monthly reports on utilization of BI and SD tools to monitor and report CEFC interventions.	First month of the assignment up to last month of the assignment. (February to July)   Estimated number of working days is 60 days.
Building the capacity Ensure training packages and mechanism incorporate/translate BI and social data in a simplified way for effective engagement of participants groups and community members. Facilitate technical orientation sessions for to UNICEF teams and partners teams on utilizing BI and SD in data collection, analysis, and usage during the implementation (One for UNICEF and one for partners).	One training package incorporating BI and SD usage. Two orientation sessions (one for UNICEF teams and one for partners) are delivered.	During second and third quarters of the assignment (April to July). Estimated number of working days is 30 days.
Knowledge Management and Documentation Provide final report to document the SBC in MCCT Strategy Implementation focused on BI and SD best practices for review/ endorsement and wider circulation and exchange of knowledge.	One case study/journal article on BI and SD for MCCT. Final report is submitted for review and endorsement. BI and SD designed (finalized) tools compiled as a package for knowledge management is submitted for knowledge management.	During the last months of the assignment. (July)   Estimated number of working days is 30 days

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social Behavioural Science, Anthropology, Psychology, and other relevant university degree.
• At least 5 years of experience providing strategic and technical guidance in designing and implementing SBC strategies.
• Experience in conducting formative research using mixed methods, behaviour science insights research required.
• Humanitarian (and development nexus) experience considered an asset.
• Advance knowledge of social and behaviour change programming in public health, nutrition, WASH, and emergency humanitarian response.
• Knowledge of cash (plus) programming, particularly on social protection, health, and nutrition related interventions.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills to work and manage in-persona and remote working modalities with the relevant teams, sections, and partners.
• Experience in working and managing diverse teams and coordinating with multi-sectoral working groups and facilitating technical discussions at difference platforms (on-line and on-site).
• Demonstrated abilities to manage, work and deliver in complex situations.
• Excellent technical writing and oral presentation skills.
• Advance professional level of written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of local language/s is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

 To view our competency framework, please visit 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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:  

Interested consultants are required to apply online, indicating availability and all-inclusive lump sum fee to undertake the terms of reference.

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.