Position: Social & Behavior Change (SBC) Officer

Application Deadline: August, 09/2023

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, commitment 

Ethiopia is situated in the Horn of Africa and is the second most populous country on the continent with an estimated population of 115 million. It borders six African countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, and covers 1,104,300 square kilometers. Approximately 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethiopia represents a melting pot of ancient cultures with Middle Eastern and African cultures evident in the religious, ethnic, and language composition of its people.

Over the past two years, children and their families across Ethiopia faced multiple and complex emergencies, such as the conflict in northern Ethiopia and the drought, which resulted in millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNICEF has programmes in Child Protection, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Social Policy, and Education and serves over 15 million children in Ethiopia. Join UNICEF Ethiopia to contribute to improving the lives of children and women.

To learn about a day in the life of a girl child in Oromiya, Ethiopia, watch the following video.

How can you make a difference?

The Social & Behavior Change Officer reports to the Chief Field Office with a technical reporting line to S&BC Manager for supervision and guidance. The Officer provides technical and operational support to the CFO, S&BC Manager, and internal colleagues 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, requiring the application of technical and theoretical skills and thorough knowledge of organizational goals, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures to complete tasks.

Summary of Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities

2. Support to implementation of S&BC activities

3. Advocacy, networking and partnership building

4. Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

1. Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities

• Research and/or participate in conducting comprehensive S&BC situation analysis of social, communication, cultural, economic, and political issues in the country/region.

• Collect and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information and data to support the establishment of comprehensive and evidence-based information for developing and planning the S&BC component of the Country Programme of Cooperation (and UNDAF).

• Collect, synthesize, draft and/or organize materials and related documentation for evidence-based S&BC strategies and plans (as a component of the CO and/or UNDAF Programmes) to ensure optimum impact, scale and sustainability of achievements/results.

• Assess, select and/or recommend appropriate information and materials for S&BC initiatives verifying accuracy and quality for dissemination.

• Monitor and assess the impact of S&BC strategies and activities on the CO and UNICEF goals to achieve measurable behavioral and social change resulting in the improvement of children’s rights and wellbeing. Submit qualitative report/synthesis of results for development planning and improvement.

2. Support the implementation of S&BC activities

• Collaborate and/or consult with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to research, develop, and produce evidence-based strategies and test, produce, and use quality S&BC materials, organize events and activities to ensure community engagement and participation, and maximize outreach and impact on behavioral and social change.

• Provide technical, administrative, and logistical support and background materials to carry out S&BC strategies and activities and recommend operational strategies, approaches, plans, methods, and procedures to ensure community engagement and participation, and optimum outreach and impact.

• Assess and recommend potential contacts, networks, resources, and tools to support the maximum impact and outreach of S&BC initiatives.

• Follow up and monitor the production of S&BC materials to ensure the technical quality, consistency, and relevancy of communications materials that are developed, produced, and disseminated to the target audience (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media, etc.).

• Collect, assess, and organize information for budget planning and management of programme funds and prepare documentation and related materials for financial planning for S&BC initiatives. Monitor/track the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations, and standards of ethics and transparency.

3. Advocacy, networking, and partnership building

• Build and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with national and international civil society organizations, community groups, leaders, and other critical partners in the community and civil society to reinforce cooperation through engagement, empowerment, and self-determination and to pursue opportunities for greater advocacy to promote UNICEF mission and goals for child rights, social equity, and inclusiveness.

• Collaborate with internal global/regional communication partners to harmonize, link, and/or coordinate messaging to enhance S&BC outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes

4. Innovation, knowledge management, and capacity building

• Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge learned/products with global/local partners and stakeholders to build the capacity of practitioners/users and disseminate products to key audiences including partners and donors.

• Support the organization, administration, and implementation of capacity-building initiatives, including partnerships with training and academic institutions, to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders/partners across programme sectors in S&BC planning, implementation, and evaluation in support of programmes/projects. Develop training materials for training activities, and revise and update them as necessary.

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

• A university degree 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 minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, communication for development, public advocacy, or another related area.

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

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergencies is considered an asset.

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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

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)

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 including 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 promoting 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

How to apply:

Register using the following link CLICK HERE

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). 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.