Social & Behavior Change Specialist – P3  

If you are a committed, creative professional and you would like to make an active and lasting contribution to build a better and safe world for children, we would like to hear from you. Our State of Palestine Office is seeking dynamic qualified candidate to join our team as Social & Behavior Change Specialist at the P-3 level based in Gaza.

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, a chance

UNICEF in the State of Palestine (SoP) works to uphold the rights of children to access services and protection, from early childhood through to adolescence. Our objective is to ensure that every child in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, irrespective of background or circumstance, has an equal chance to fulfil their potential.

In the past years, UNICEF in the State of Palestine has achieved a high reach and engagement through its communication channels. UNICEF-SoP would like to build on this and continue engaging with our audience, who are not only seek information but are willing to have important conversations on crucial issues concerning children’s wellbeing and rights. 

How can you make a difference?

The Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Specialist, based in the Gaza Strip, will provide technical and operational support for developing systematic, planned and evidence-based Humanitarian action, using SBC as an integral part of programme development, planning and implementation. Through communication and engagement, as well as the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization. This subsequently contributes to the achievement of sustainable and concrete results in improving children’s rights, survival and wellbeing in the country.  The Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Specialist will report to the Chief of SBC, based in East Jerusalem, for general guidance and supervision with a matrix management to the Chief of Field Office in Gaza.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

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.

– In collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, design and conduct 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 include behavioural analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and/or RCT. 

– Establish 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, recovery and resilience. 

– Develop 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 and reporting and disseminating SBC results.

– Conduct and/or participate in country programme monitoring and evaluation exercises and make recommendations on workplan revisions based on the results.

– Develop and manage relationships with external partners, vendors and consultants for research and evidence generation and support of SBC.

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.

– In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, develop, implement and monitor evidence-based SBC strategies and activities, in line with global standards and UNICEF priorities and approaches.

– In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral colleagues and implementing partners, select appropriate SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches. In this process, oversee coordination with SBC stakeholders and partners to align plans and activities.

– Identify, propose and implement evidence-based programme/strategy recommendations from current data, evidence and trends for priority social and behavioral issues and ensure the integration of latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in programme approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders.

– Apply the above skills of designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies.

– Make viable recommendations on inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioural approaches in sectoral work plans and strategies. Advocate for the inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral workplans based on active participation in sectoral programme planning and reviews and viable recommendations for the integration of SBC. 

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

– Represent UNICEF’s interests in partnerships and manage development of and progress against joint project agreements with relevant partners; represent the UNICEF CO and SBC Section in national and international level fora and among partners as relevant and necessary.

– Collaborate with national, regional and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches.

– Cultivate resource mobilization opportunities and produce proposals, reports and other materials to support resources mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for SBC, including staff, consultants and external vendors. 

– Identify, recruit and supervise consultants, vendors and other technical expertise 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 and tracking and financial management for SBC. 

– Identify, disseminate, and adopt best practices and innovative approaches and technology in SBC, integrate them in programme approaches and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them.

– Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in the country programme, and in sectoral plans.

– Coordinate with stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement and SBC in humanitarian actions.

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

– Identify, design, and organize SBC training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human-centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Develop and/or 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.

– Develop and institutionalize best practices, facilitate the exchange of experiences and provide technical assistance for the uptake of new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally.

– Plan and implement SBC capacity assessments within the CO. 

– Identify and mobilize resources to support capacity development internally and externally and provide SBC technical support and capacity building to government counterparts. 

– Initiate and manage partnerships with academia and learning institutions for the delivery of SBC capacity development activities. 

– Identify and develop 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?

Education:

An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field. 

Experience:

– A minimum of (5) five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, social and behavior change, communication for development, risk communication and community engagement, or another related area. 

– Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset. 

– Experience working in Humanitarian Action and Emergency response is desirable.

Language Requirement:

– Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is highly desirable. 

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?

(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 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

This 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 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. 

Remarks:

Special Remarks: In the current evolving emergency context, this position will be based in Gaza where medical facilities have been negatively affected and individual chronic and/or serious medical conditions cannot be adequately addressed.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable 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 will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also 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 cancelled.

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.

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.

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

This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position: 

• Application preparation: Before you apply for this position: Improve your application documents by registering for a Job Application Support. Our coaches are here to help tailor your application to the requirements of the job (service provided at your own cost). 

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