Local Consultancy: Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Consultant for BARMM

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to nutrition and care that reach every community.

UNICEF has been an active partner of the Government of the Philippines and civil society in realizing the rights of every Filipino child, in line with priorities to achieve the SDGs. UNICEF efforts have been focused on the most vulnerable regions identified by the Government of the Philippines Development Plan, particularly in the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. To ensure that interventions are sustainable and scaled up, UNICEF will support both the national and local government units (LGUs) as the main instruments of delivering services and building systems. The level of engagement with government institutions will consider capacities, economies of scale and sector issues.

UNICEF Philippines has two offices. One office is based in Manila and a field office in Cotabato City, the second largest city in Mindanao, Southern Philippines, with some 300,000 population. The city is the regional administrative center of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and over 80 percent of the population is Muslim. Mindanao is both conflict-affected and prone to frequent earthquakes and typhoons.

Visit this link for more information on Philippine Country Office: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Nutrition Officer in Mindanao Field Office, the consultant will work in close technical coordination with the MFO Cross Sectoral Team covering SBC, Sector Leads and SBC unit in Manila, UNICEF PMNP team, programme assistants, and government partners at the subnational and local level. The consultant will be co-managed by the Health and Nutrition Team, and Cross-Sectoral (SBC) team— with MFO-specific tasks under the management of the SBC Team, and CNF-related tasks under the management of the HN Team. The postholder is required to perform the following tasks.

1. SBC Evidence Generation and Pilot Testing of SBC Tools for Health and Nutrition

• Conduct Mapping and Desk Review of Existing SBC Initiatives: Identify and document existing SBC programs and interventions, materials, strategic documents, and research outputs. Conduct desk reviews to analyze social norms, motivations, and behavioral determinants influencing health and nutrition practices in BARMM.
• Analyze and Disseminate Desk Review Findings: Synthesize findings from desk reviews and share insights with internal and external stakeholders of the PMNP to inform the design and refinement of the Regional SBC Strategy.
• Provide Technical Support for Formative Research: Offer guidance and oversight in the design and implementation of formative research activities to generate evidence that will inform SBC strategy development and implementation.
• Co-Lead Development and Refinement of SBC Materials and Tools: Support the development, adaptation, pre-testing, review, approval, and dissemination of culturally appropriate SBC interventions, materials and implementation tools (e.g., toolkits) to support effective SBC programming.

2. Regional and Sub-regional Health and Nutrition SBC Strategy Development and Localization

• Support the Development of the Regional SBC Strategy: Facilitate the formulation of a comprehensive Regional Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy for Health and Nutrition, in close collaboration with the SBC Institutional Contractor and relevant stakeholders. Ensure alignment with the Regional Plan of Action for Nutrition (RPAN), the Bangsamoro Food Security and Nutrition Plan (BFSNP), and other relevant national health and nutrition priorities and policies.
• Support Localization and Quality Assurance of Sub-Regional SBC Plans: Provide technical assistance to provinces and municipalities in developing and contextualizing SBC strategies, ensuring integration into Local Nutrition Action Plans (LNAPs). Support municipalities in ensuring the quality, completeness, and accuracy of SBC strategic plans, progress reports, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

3. Coordination and Monitoring of Health and Nutrition SBC Strategy Implementation

• Conduct monitoring activities for implementation of Health and Nutrition SBC strategy: : Coordinate and collaborate with other PMNP consultants (e.g., F1KD, IM, Governance), UNICEF sector leads, government partners, and other agencies (e.g. UN agencies, I/NGOs) for joint site visits, data collection, stakeholder consultations, and other field activities to ensure coherence and synergy across PMNP components.
• Engage BARMM Ministries on SBC Interventions and Advocacies: Work closely with the Ministry of Health and other relevant BARMM ministries to gather and consolidate information on ongoing SBC strategies and interventions related to health and nutrition across the region. This in turn will also be utilize as a form of advocacy on all levels of programming.
• Report monitoring results: Identify any gaps, issues and concerns raised by government partners during SBC technical assistance implementation. Provide timely recommendations to address challenges and improve delivery.
• Document and Gather reports: Document good practices and recommendations and share accordingly with UNICEF team, and partners. Gather relevant SBC data for UNICEF reporting.

4. Support Cross-Sectoral SBC Implementation under CPC 9

• In close collaboration with the SBC Officer, cross-sectoral team, and sector leads, support the strategic implementation and integration of UNICEF’s SBC Strategy across key sectors, ensuring a complementarity approach and alignment with the core standards and inclusion principles outlined above:
  • Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
  • Child Protection
  • Education

5. Policy Advocacy for Nutrition Financing

• Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy and Communication Strategy: The consultant will support the development of a Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy and Communication Strategy that strengthens political commitment, resource mobilization, and accountability for nutrition at the provincial level. This will include analyzing the nutrition financing landscape, identifying key decision-makers and influencers, defining clear advocacy objectives and priority financing asks, and developing evidence-based messages and approaches tailored to provincial contexts, aligned with national nutrition priorities and Social and Behavior Change (SBC) principles.
• Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy Toolkit and Campaign Package: The consultant will develop a Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy Toolkit and Campaign Package to operationalize the strategy. The toolkit will translate evidence and policy priorities into practical advocacy and communication materials for use by government counterparts, civil society, and partners. This will include standardized messaging, briefing and presentation materials, campaign concepts, and adaptable communication products to support coordinated advocacy actions and sustained engagement to influence nutrition financing decisions at the provincial level.

6. Support SBC implementation during Emergencies

• Perform other tasks aligned with the UNICEF-DOH PMNP partnership agreement, including SBC support in Emergency Preparedness and Response.
  • Assist in implementing other SBC interventions and deploying support as needed during emergencies including participation in rapid assessments, providing inputs for situation reports, development and implementation of RCCE in the context of emergency response, including feedback mechanisms under the Accountability to Affected Population framework.
  • Support the coordination with partners and sectors involved in disaster response ensuring alignment with overall response.

Tasks and Deliverables:

1. Detailed Consultancy Workplan
   • Detailed Consultancy Workplan Report
2. Regional SBC Strategy Document
   • Deliverables: 2.1: Technical Assistance Report
3. Sub-Regional SBC Strategic Plans
   • 3.1: Province-wide SBC Strategic Plan
   • 3.2: Municipal level SBC Strategic Plan1
4. Capacity Building Report
   • 4.1: Provincial level training Report
   • 4.2: Municipal level training Report1
5. Creation of SBC Report
   • 5.1: Regional level SBC Network
   • 5.2: Policy level SBC network
6. Human Interest Story
   • 6.1: Q1 Human Interest Story
   • 6.2: Q2 Human Interest Story
   • 6.3: Q3 Human Interest Story
   • 6.4: Q4 Human Interest Story
7. Policy Advocacy for Nutrition Financing
   • 7.1: Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy and Communication Strategy
   • 7.2: Provincial Nutrition Financing Advocacy Toolkit and Campaign Package
8. Cross-Sectoral SBC integration Sectoral Report
   • 8.1: SBC Technical Assistance Report – WASH CER Sector
   • 8.2: SBC Technical Assistance Report – Child Protection Sector
   • 8.3: SBC Technical Assistance Report – Education Sector
9. SBC Implementation Monitoring Report
   • 9.1: Provincial level SBC Implementation Monitoring Report
   • 9.2: Municipal level SBC Implementation Monitoring Report
10. Emergency SBC Response Report (Ad Hoc Only)

*Detailed Terms of Reference may be requested. 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education:

University degree (Master’s or Bachelor’s) in social and behavioral sciences or a related discipline, including but not limited to sociology, anthropology, communication studies or development communication, mass communication, psychology, behavioral science, nutrition, public health, or other relevant fields.

Work Experience: 

• At least 5-7 years of technical experience in the following:
  • Strategic communication planning process, social data and behaviour analysis, monitoring and evaluation of SBC and/or communication interventions
  • Field Monitoring
  • Convening and engaging multi-stakeholders to achieve project and deliverables and contribution to programme objectives
  • Programme and project implementation with local government units
  • SBC Capacity Building and/or Training Delivery

Knowledge and Skills:

• Knowledge of the following:
  • Social and behaviour change and/or development communication, behaviour change models or frameworks, behavior insights, human centred design, and communication theories and their application in multisectoral nutrition programming
  • Maternal and child health and nutrition as a subject matter
  • National and local government mandates and roles and responsibilities for health and nutrition, planning, and budgeting processes
  • Community engagement, social mobilization, and advocacy
• Strong analytical and presentation (oral and written) skills, including using people and leadership skills.
• Candidates with local knowledge and experience in the regional assignments are encouraged to apply.
• Relevant field experience and previous work experience in the UN are highly desirable.
• Additional knowledge and technical skills required include: a. Proven experience in material development, adaptation, and pre-testing of SBC, advocacy, and communication products b. Advanced cross-sectoral coordination skills, with demonstrated ability to work across health, nutrition, social protection, education, WASH, and governance sectors c. Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)experience, particularly in emergency and humanitarian contexts
• Understanding of Local Government Unit (LGU) budget policies and Public Financial Management (PFM), including their application to policy advocacy and nutrition financing.

Language Requirements: 

• Fluency in English, Filipino and local language is desirable.

HOW TO APPLY

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an online candidate profile in http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/ by 12 February 2026. Only applications sent through the e-recruitment portal under Job Number: 590788 will be considered.

All candidates are requested to submit a COVER LETTER, and the duly filled P11 Form which can be downloaded from our website at P11 Form.docx (sharepoint.com) indicating three (3) previous supervisors. Please indicate your professional fees and the soonest availability to take on the post based on the above terms of reference.

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 

[add the 8^th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be 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 canceled.

Remarks:  

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable eligible and suitable candidates irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

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.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.