Job Description

Title: Risk Communication and Community Engagement Consultant 

Purpose: Support EPHI team of MoH and RHBs on planning, implementation, and monitoring of risk communication and community engagement activities & interventions in the context of emergencies

Location: Addis Ababa (seconded to EPHI) with frequent travel to emergencies-affected regions and deployment to the regions as necessary

Duration: 11 months

No. of consultant:  One at the national level (seconded to EPHI)

Background and Justification

World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, WHO’s the highest level of urgency. On 11 March, WHO made the assessment that COVID-19 could be characterized as a pandemic. On March 13, the first confirmed COVID-19 case was declared by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia. By June 23, 2022, there were 486,373 positive cases and 7,526 passed away with COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The Ministry of Health has successfully launched COVID-19 vaccine at the national, regional and city administrations level on March 13, 2021 by vaccinating health workers and support staffs followed by next target group vaccination based on prioritization. As of June 23, 2022, a total of 42,039,505 people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 

On the other hand, there has been other health emergencies including vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks such as measles and polio in pocketed areas of the country. To ensure preparedness and response plan, particularly around Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) plays a crucial role in any disease outbreaks. According to a humanitarian update[1] (June 3, 20222), there are more than 10 million people in Amhara and 3.9 million people in Tigray who need health services and interventions. It is important to ensure tailoring integrated RCCE strategies to reach the most vulnerable groups such as IDP, refugees, migrants and communities residing in conflict or post-conflict settings. UNICEF has been providing support to the Ministry of Health and Ethiopian Public Health Institute on the development, implementation and monitoring of RCCE strategies at a national and sub-national level including reaching the most vulnerable communities with life-saving interventions.

Hence, UNICEF Ethiopia Country Office is seeking a national Risk Communication and Community Engagement Consultant for 11 months in developing, pretesting, implementing, and monitoring of evidence-based RCCE strategies with a focus on disease outbreaks among the most vulnerable populations in close collaboration with MoH and EPHI. The objective of this position is to provide technical support on the development and implementation of RCCE strategies on disease outbreaks and RCCE in humanitarian settings. UNICEF is playing a critical role on RCCE in emergencies, and FMOH and EPI teams are counting on UNICEF’s support to provide substantial and comprehensive assistance on this.

1. Purpose 

The overall objective is to ensure the planning, development, implementation and monitoring of RCCE strategies on any potential or current disease outbreaks and tailored SBC strategies for populations residing in conflict-affected settings. The position will be seconded to EPHI.

Key functions/accountabilities:

1. Technical support on designing and implementation of evidence-based RCCE initiatives for public health and other emergency preparedness and response

2. Capacity building of EPHI, MoH/RHBs and partners on RCCE

3. Documentation, monitoring and evaluation of RCCE activities in emergency contexts

4. Advocacy, networking, partnership building, and coordination of SBC/RCCE in public health and other emergencies.

Specific Tasks

With technical support and overall supervision from SBC Specialist, Health Section of UNICEF Ethiopia, the RCCE Consultant will be responsible for the coordination of RCCE technical working group to plan, develop, implement and monitor RCCE strategies on any potential or current disease outbreaks and tailored SBC strategies for the population residing in conflict-affected settings. The RCCE Consultant will also be deployed to emergency-affected areas for SBC/RCCE technical surge support. 

The RCCE Consultant is expected to provide technical support to the following activities: 

1. Technical support on designing and implementation of evidence-based RCCE initiatives for public health and other emergency preparedness and response

• Provide technical support to MoH and EPHI while facilitating RCCE technical working group to ensure the RCCE strategies and approaches are developed and implemented to reach the most vulnerable communities affected by public health or other emergencies

• Provide technical support to sub-national RCCE working groups on RCCE strategies and interventions in coordination with sub-teams, Emergency Operation Center, emergency pillars, programs and sectors

• Support development, pretesting and dissemination of evidence-based quality RCCE tools, materials and guidelines in different formats and different local languages

• Coordinate with the government and media agencies at the central level on regular public opinion monitoring and social listening particularly on rumors, fake news, media coverage on disease outbreaks and other health practices

1. Capacity building of EPHI, MoH/RHBs and partners on RCCE

• Provide support for capacity building of frontline health workers, social mobilizers, media and hotline operators on RCCE interventions

• Support MoH/EPHI on the development of RCCE training packages, tools and materials

• As needed, emergency deployment to regions for support on RCCE activities

1. Documentation, monitoring and evaluation of RCCE activities in emergency contexts

• Facilitate and participate in monitoring and evaluation for RCCE activities and field visits to regions in close collaboration with MoH and EPHI

• Conduct rapid assessments to identify knowledge, perception and practice gaps around potential disease outbreaks such as polio, measles, cholera, etc. as required

• Ensure timely reports on RCCE pillar activities and disseminate them among partners and key stakeholders on a bi-weekly and monthly basis

• Provide a monthly written report on the progress of implementation, challenges and opportunities

• Collect human-interest stories from the field on the voices and experiences of communities and stakeholders 

1. Advocacy, networking, partnership building, and coordination of SBC/RCCE in public health and other emergencies

• Coordinate and liaise with EPHI and UNICEF for RCCE-TWG meetings and ad-hoc meetings as necessary including preparation of meeting agenda, meeting minutes, and any necessary follow-up actions 

• Facilitate strategic partnerships with key stakeholders for intensified RCCE responses, creating a working relationship with universities, public and private sectors, community-based organizations, media, religious groups, etc. to develop evidence-based RCCE interventions and ensure community engagement at different settings and levels

• Participate and contribute in regular UNICEF SBC management meetings such as SBC Section meetings and SBC network meeting

5.  Reporting

The position will be seconded to Ethiopian Public Health Institute and will report to the SBC Specialist at the health section of UNICEF ECO.

Job Requirements

. Expected background and Experience

• Advanced university degree in social science, public health, sociology, anthropology, psychology, communication for development/Social and behavioral change communication or relevant fields

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant SBC/RCCE experience in disease outbreaks/public health or emergencies response in Ethiopia 

• In-depth understanding of Ethiopian communities and key stakeholders at national and regional levels

• Capacity in the designing, planning, monitoring, evaluation, training, and skills transfer of participatory approaches in risk communication and community engagement interventions

• Excellent communication skills with fluent English and Amharic languages

• Proven ability to work effectively with government and multi-stakeholders

• Experience in generating evidence around social and behaviors around health practices

• Capacity in the documentation of best practices and lessons learned around SBC/
  RCCE interventions 

Desirable: Excellent facilitation, organizational and analytical skills. Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to present information in Word and PowerPoint formats. Ability to manage and analyze basic data in Excel and produce charts/graphs. Strong interpersonal skills and working effectively with people at all levels. Previous experience working with UNICEF or UN agencies. Familiarity or experience with public health or other emergencies program will be an asset. 

How to Apply

Register using the following LINK