Social & Behavior Change Officer (Polio), NO-B, Temporary Appointment # 124305, Islamabad – Pakistan (364 days)

UNICEF works in some of the most challenging places in the world to reach the 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, deliver!

Pakistan was the sixth country in the world to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, less than one year after it was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. However, children and adolescents living in Pakistan still face acute challenges.

UNICEF supports the Government of Pakistan to accelerate progress for children, work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and help children realize their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Children. This will be made through, among other things, strong partnerships with provincial authorities, teachers and health professionals, frontline workers and social mobilizers, communities and families, and, of course, the children and adolescents themselves. 

In particular, UNICEF will work so that:

• Every child survives and thrives by being in good health, immunized, protected from polio, and accessing nutritious food.
• Every child learns.
• Every child is protected from violence and exploitation and registered at birth.
• Every child lives in a safe and clean environment, with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. 

To learn more about UNICEF work in Pakistan, please visit the country website, www.unicef.org/pakistan, and videos on YouTube and Vimeo.

The Social and Behavior Change Officer (Temporary Appointment) reports to the Communication Manager (SBC) in Islamabad for general guidance and technical supervision and, in close collaboration with the national and provincial EOCs, provides technical and operational support to the Communication Manager and SBC team by administering, implementing, monitoring, and/or evaluating a variety of S&BC initiatives and activities to promote community engagement and participation, and measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization for polio eradication. Through communication and attention, as well as the empowerment and involvement of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change and mobilization. This subsequently contributes to achieving sustainable and concrete results in eradicating poliovirus and improving children’s rights, survival, and well-being in the country.

How can you make a difference?

The Social Behavior Change Officer (Temporary Appointment) reports to the SBC Specialists in Islamabad for general guidance and technical supervision in close collaboration with the national and provincial governments and partners.

Main duties and responsibilities for the post include the following:

Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities

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.

• In collaboration with national and provincial SBC teams, relevant government officers, and other UN/NGO partners, design, implement, and/or participate in SBC situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioral drivers.
• Initiate, commission, manage, and/or utilize qualitative and quantitative research on social and behavioral drivers that includes behavioral analysis, human-centered design, social listening, behavioral insights, participatory research, and/or RCT.
• Support data collection, tracking, monitoring, and reporting of SBC results and prepare syntheses of derivatives.
• Collate and summarize data, evidence, and trends for social and behavioral issues to inform evidence-based SBC strategies, plans, and activities.
• Assist in establishing 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, healing, and strength.  
• 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, reporting, and disseminating SBC results.
• Conduct and/or participate in in-country program monitoring and evaluation exercises and recommend work plan revisions based on the results.

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

• In collaboration and consultation with UNICEF national and provincial SBC teams, relevant government officers, and other UN and 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 and consultation with UNICEF national and provincial colleagues and implementing partners, select appropriate SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring the quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches. In this process, coordinate with SBC stakeholders and partners to align plans and activities.
• Identify or propose action-based, evidence-based program or strategy recommendations based on current data, evidence, and trends for priority social and behavioral issues. Ensure the integration of the latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in program approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders. 
• Apply the skills of designing, planning, implementing, and monitoring community engagement and SBC interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies.

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

• Represent UNICEF’s interests in partnerships and manage the development of and progress against joint project agreements with relevant partners; represent the UNICEF CO, Polio, and SBC Section in different forums and among partners as appropriate and necessary. 
• Collaborate with national, regional, and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches. 
• Cultivate resource mobilization opportunities and contribute to proposals, reports, and other materials to support resource mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for SBC, including staff, consultants, and external vendors.  
• Identify, recruit, and collaborate with consultants, vendors, and other technical experts to support delivery of SBC activities. Plan, use, and track the use of resources and verify compliance with organizational guidelines and standards. 
• Contribute to financial planning, budget planning tracking, and financial management for SBC.  
• Advocate for including community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral work plans based on active participation in sectoral program planning and reviews and viable recommendations for integrating SBC. Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in the country program, and sectoral plans. 
• Identify, disseminate, and adopt best practices and innovative approaches and technology in SBC, integrate them into program approaches, and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them. 
• Coordinate with stakeholders and partners to implement community engagement and SBC in humanitarian actions. 

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

• Identify, design, and/or organize SBC training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including new approaches such as behavioral analysis, behavioral insights, human-centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Use and adapt 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 to uptake new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally. 
• Coordinate and provide inputs into SBC capacity assessments. 
• Identify and mobilize resources to support capacity development internally and externally and provide SBC technical support and capacity building to government counterparts.  
• Identify and contribute to developing mechanisms to strengthen systems for community engagement in humanitarian contexts.  
• Develop and/or adapt 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:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or above) in one of the following fields is required: social and behavioral science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public relations or another relevant technical field.
  * A first University Degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development program planning, communication for development, public advocacy, or another related area.
• Relevant experience in the UN and polio program is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English and Urdu is required. Knowledge of other local languages is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1), Works Collaboratively with others (1), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1), Innovates and Embraces Change (1), Thinks and Acts Strategically (1), Drive to achieve impactful results (1), Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

Life at UNICEF

Working at UNICEF is highly rewarding. With attractive remuneration package encompassing competitive pay and benefits, a culture that helps staff thrive and diverse opportunities for personal and professional development, we aim to help you maintain a fulfilling life both at and outside the office.

We make sure you and your loved ones receive the resources and care that you need to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. Our contracts, wellbeing policies and initiatives ensure that you are well equipped to effectively deliver for children such as;

• Tax exemption, family allowances, hardship benefits, 10 UN holidays and annual leave allowance, maternity, paternity, adoption leave, medical and dental insurance, pension etc.
• Career support, staff wellbeing programme, breastfeeding policy, flexible work arrangements, childcare room, family support, policies & initiatives, security etc.
• UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 

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 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:

• This VA is open to all internal and external candidates.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to delivering the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates will be prioritized.
• Verified educational certificates/HEC Attested Degrees are a pre-requisite for employment at UNICEF. During the recruitment process, candidates must present HEC-attested degrees/certificates.
• UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Appointments are also subject to immunization (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees considered for employment with UNICEF are usually 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 medical clearance is not obtained or necessary inoculation requirements are not met within a reasonable period for any reason.