Call for Interest: Consultancy – Social and Behavior Change

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, a fair chance 

UNICEF is a United Nations agency that promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child. Together with partners, UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, for the benefit of all children, everywhere.

Since 1948, UNICEF has been working with the Philippine government and civil society to promote and protect the rights of Filipino children. UNICEF works on long-term development programmes in the following areas: Education; Health; Nutrition; Disaster Risk Reduction; Adolescent Development; Emergency Response; Peacebuilding; Social Policy; HIV & AIDS; Child Protection; and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene.

Purpose of the Engagement:

UNICEF Philippines is embarking on its 9th Country Program for Children, which includes a strategic shift from Communication for Development (C4D) to Social and Behavior Change (SBC). This transition aims to enhance systems strengthening and integrate SBC across key program areas such as health and nutrition, education, child protection, and climate change, environment and resilience. The consultancy will support these initiatives by providing expert advice, coordination, and implementation of SBC strategies.

This announcement targets candidates with interest in working in different regions in the Philippines for the next five years. The SBC Unit aims to have a pool of expertise who can provide support when needed, in both development and humanitarian settings, to better respond to current challenges in the country, for both Filipino and non-Filipino populations. This will also be an opportunity to better tailor the identification of new profiles in line with the ongoing transition from Communication for Development to Social and Behaviour Change, at global, regional, and national levels.

Methodology & Approach (Recruitment and Engagement Process):

Based on the applications, suitable individuals will be identified for the roster. The roster will contain pre-screened individuals found suitable for the assignment. Candidates will be placed in the roster based on their application, indicating sectoral and technical specializations. and called upon based on the suitability of the assignment and availability. The hiring process will be need-based with specific terms of reference shared with relevant individuals as per their area of interest indicated in their application. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee any future contractual relations with UNICEF. Qualified applicants will be pooled and offered a contract covering a period and may be extended/renewed as needed subject to performance review and validation with fixed professional rates per contract for the duration of the contract. Travel and daily subsistence allowance will be dependent on the assignment location, consultant’s place of recruitment, and duration.

Specific TORs with deliverables and timelines will be shared during recruitment, and contracts will be issued accordingly.

The contract serves as an on-call/as-needed arrangement between UNICEF and the individual for any required services and outputs during the agreed period.

Duration of individual assignments is dependent on the section’s volume of requirements. This will be discussed and agreed upon between UNICEF through the hiring section or requiring Units and the individual consultants prior to the start of every assignment.

Scope of Work:

Based on needs, candidates will be responsible for the preparation, implementation, documentation, and evaluation of the defined assignment within the different areas of expertise mentioned below.

Description of the Assignment:

The consultancy will involve preparation, implementation, documentation, and evaluation of assignments across the following areas. Consultants will support programs and provide technical expertise, as required, by UNICEF Philippines in the following sectors:

Technical Categories:

• Planning and strategy development for SBC: Coordinating the development of evidence-based SBC strategies with government and CSO partners, facilitating the creation of monitoring frameworks and action plans across sectors, while ensuring that partners take the lead in the actual development process.
• Capacity building on SBC: Facilitating and coordinating workshops, mentoring, and training activities to strengthen the capacity of partners, government counterparts, and communities in SBC approaches; supporting the development of training modules for in-person and/or online training, conducting training needs assessments, and providing input to facilitator’s and participants’ manuals, training evaluation tools, and skills and competency frameworks, ensuring partners take ownership of the process.
• Generating social and behavioral data: Supporting the research design and facilitating the coordination of quantitative and qualitative research, assessments, and behavioral data analysis, ensuring that government and partners lead the process to inform program strategies; providing guidance in the development and/or adaptation of data collection tools.
• Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Behavioral Insights (BI): Coordinating and facilitating participatory approaches and behavioral science integration in SBC programs, guiding the HCD process while ensuring that partners are empowered to apply HCD principles and tools for peoplecentered design.
• Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE): Facilitating the coordination of communication and community engagement strategies, especially for emergencies (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters), ensuring that partners and government take the lead in the implementation.
• Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP): Supporting the establishment of mechanisms for information sharing, feedback, and participation of affected communities, while ensuring that the lead on strengthening feedback mechanisms remains with government and partners to promote accountability.
• Peacebuilding, Social Cohesion, and Conflict-Sensitive Programming: Facilitating the coordination of initiatives aimed at promoting conflict-sensitive behavior change and social cohesion, ensuring that the partners lead the design and implementation.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Participation: Supporting the engagement of youth, children, and other key stakeholders in advocacy and program participation, with partners leading the advocacy and participation process.
• Social Norms Programming: Coordinating efforts to address harmful social norms and/or promote positive social norms using participatory methodologies, while ensuring that government and partners lead the actual design and implementation.
• Policy Advocacy: Facilitating the packaging and presentation of data and information for policy advocacy, ensuring that government and partners take the lead in influencing policies that enable behavior change.
• Narrative, Photo, and Video Documentation: Supporting partners in coordinating the creation of SBC multimedia assets to highlight program impact and drive engagement, ensuring that they lead the development process.
• Development, Testing, and Production of SBC Tools and Materials: Coordinating the production and refinement of communication materials for SBC interventions, with government and partners leading the development and production process.
• SBC Systems Strengthening: Facilitating analysis and coordination for strengthening SBC systems, while supporting government systems to institutionalize SBC capacities within institutions; fostering multi-sectoral collaboration and ensuring partners lead the integration of SBC into data management, information systems, and advocating for budget allocations.
• LGU Coordination: Facilitating partnerships with local governments to ensure program implementation and sustainability, with local government units taking the lead in driving these initiatives.
• Technology for Development (T4D): Supporting partners in leveraging mobile and digital tools to amplify SBC efforts and engage communities or specific population segments, co-designing digital solutions with government and partners leading the implementation.

Sectoral Areas:

• Child Protection: Violence Against Children, Child Early and Forced Marriage, Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, Positive Parenting, Birth Registration.
• Education: Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, Alternative Learning System.
• Health and Nutrition: Immunization, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, Healthy Diets.
• Climate and Environment Resilience: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), Disaster Risk Reduction.

Deliverables:

Deliverables will be identified in specific TORs during the actual recruitment process based on the scope of the assignment. These may include the development of strategies, conducting capacity building, documentation, and monitoring specific projects. Examples include:

• Design evidence-based SBC strategic plans with monitoring frameworks and activities through community engagement, dialogues, social mobilization, advocacy, and other SBC approaches.
• Support strengthening and establishing community platforms for children, youth, and communities, including linkages with local government structures.
• Facilitating coordination with partners to ensure systematic planning and support in the implementation of context-specific strategies for raising demand for and acceptance of quality services, while ensuring that partners, including private sector entities, take the lead in both planning and execution.
• Prepare, tailor, and customize training packages as per community needs.
• Deliver or facilitate the delivery of training (SBC, RCCE, AAP) on-job coaching, mentoring for UNICEF staff, implementing partners, government counterparts, and local stakeholders.
• Provide technical assistance to partners working with traditional and religious leaders, community influencers, private sectors, municipalities, and caregivers to promote social behavioral change.
• Schedules will be identified in specific TORs during the recruitment process as deliverables vary based on the actual scope of the assignment.

Organization & Management:

The Consultant will be managed by the assigned section/unit head who will be responsible to:

• Orient the consultant and outline the parameters of the required services.
• Provide copies of the units team profile and objectives.
• Provide and agree with the consultant on the work schedule, timelines and deadlines.
• Provide relevant feedback and evaluation of the service provided and outputs submitted.

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

• Bachelor’s Degree in Development Communication, Social/Behavioral Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Community Development), or Health Promotion, with an emphasis on Participatory Communication, Strategic Communication Planning, Social Mobilization, Participatory Research, Training, and Impact Evaluation of Communication Interventions.

General Requirements:

• Demonstrated experience in SBC planning, social and behavioral data analysis, research, and evaluation.
• Minimum of three years of experience in SBC or relevant sectors.
• Familiarity with child rights, governance, and decentralization.
• Fluency in English and, ideally, Filipino (oral and written).
• Experience with UNICEF or other development agencies is an asset.

Specific Requirements by Technical Area:

• HCD and BI: Demonstrated experience in HCD or BI for SBC interventions, with a background in psychology, design thinking, or related fields.
• Photographers: Expertise in development-related photography, professional equipment, and photo editing skills.
• Peacebuilding: Knowledge of conflict-sensitive programming.
• Supporting documents, such as portfolios or certificates, will be required to verify expertise in these areas.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is essential.
• Ability to facilitate meetings and workshops in English.
• Fluency in Filipino (oral and written) is an advantage.
• Please indicate in the cover letter which category you are applying for also indicate any specializations including on gender, disability; if regular programming and/or humanitarian

HOW TO APPLY:

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an online candidate profile in http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ by 18 November 2024 Only applications sent through the e-recruitment portal under Job Number: 576898 will be considered.

All candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, and the duly filled P 11 form which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc indicating three (3) professional references with contact details. Please indicate your ability, availability and portfolio of professional work (e.g., links to online gallery/show reel). Applications with incomplete requirements will not be considered.

Only shortlisted consultants will be contacted.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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.

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