Consultancy – Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Knowledge Management, LACRO, Panama City (4 Months)

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

How can you make a difference?

Background

In Latin-American and the Caribbean region (LAC), currently at least 16 countries in are situated above the worldwide vaccination average in coverage of 70%. Yet very little has been documented in terms of successful cases and/or lessons learned from both demand generation and supply viewpoints under Social and Behavior Change (SBC) interventions. In fact, as briefly documented, there are relevant experiences on the ground where countries are strongly working with human centered-design, social listening, system strengthening amongst other SBC approaches. Nevertheless, these cases lack documentation following Knowledge Management techniques in order to be systematized, share best practices and lessons learned and generate visibility in LAC and global online platforms, serve as proof of track records in SitReps and donor reports and finally position LAC globally on the COVID-19 response.

Beyond the thematic area of demand generation, there is a very scarce number of resources portraying the cases of Community Engagement (CE) best practices across the region. Those cases have a strong role of feeding back the loop and supporting Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) in LAC Region, therefore supporting knowledge exchange and contributing to capacity development of SBC teams, partners and counterparts.

Purpose/objectives of the Assignment

Under the overall guidance of the SBC Specialist, the purpose of this consultancy is to support the SBC team to monitor, track and document progress on RCCE and CE initiatives regionally. Also, the consultant will collaborate and coordinate with regional and country offices to synthesize programmatic results into high-quality knowledge products.

Through knowledge management techniques, this consultancy aims to support countries to distill, curate, document and cases including the mix of data-driven, people-centred, context-specific, and multi-component approaches used to promote trust building as well as public health social measures and preventive behaviours including among people who have been vaccinated from country offices from the last two years of work on demand generation. Apart from vaccine, the consultancy will support other programmatic cases in CE, including primary health care, education, nutrition, violence ending against children, amongst others.

The systematization of knowledge products will be key to support the Country Offices in LAC to:

• Enhance their capacity and work collaboratively
• Design behaviorally informed interventions
• Develop promising approaches to improve service experience
• Improve civil society and community engagement

Specific Tasks

• Liaise with Country Offices in preparation to identify at least 15 best practices in RCCE and CE
• Gather and co-construct at least 10 practices in RCCE and 5 in CE
• Generate high quality knowledge products documenting innovations around key themes including social listening, behavioral data, community engagement approaches within the context of Covid-19 vaccines and routine immunization uptake
• Contribute to the socialization on knowledge on vaccine confidence and uptake through different platforms aimed at sharing insights and key lessons from the two outputs above
• Liaise with the coordination of Faith Engagement partnership to gather cases in demand generation.
• Create opportunities for sharing knowledge through webinars (existing ones globally) and new ones (regionally)
• Support COs to build a community of practice around RCCE regionally

Expected Results [measurable]

• Enhance the knowledge and dissemination of good practices and lessons learned from RCCE and CE across LAC and in Global platforms
• Create a momentum for LAC in Knowledge Management supporting dissemination of best practices regionally and globally
• Support to position LAC Region as though leader in RCCE and CE through knowledge generated and shared

Deliverables

Description

Duration [in days]

Expected deadline

Prepare a work plan of the consultancy and a post-consultancy approach on systematic knowledge management for LAC (to support a continuum)

5

22.08.22

Learnings from research and field practice distilled and documented (a minimum of 15 knowledge products developed) of each, 10 about vaccine and 5 about CE with a strong emphasis in vulnerable contexts with marginalized groups, such as elderly people; women, youth where local teams addressed vaccine hesitancy.

40

10.10.22

Resource pack of knowledge products (case studies, technical briefs, human interest and success stories, factsheets, useful links – compiled and updated in existing online platforms

20

5.11.22

Organize and coordinate two Regional webinars with best practices on vaccine uptake at the regional level / the second on CE activities

10

18.11.22

Support regional presence in a global webinar (led by the HQ colleagues RCCE) with best practices on vaccine at the regional level

7

27.11.22

Document inputs provided for global webinars in the LAC-SBC website

5

4.12.22

Systematize recent stories published in the RCCE Newsletter and create a community of practice (CoP) with CO teams in how to generate and disseminate knowledge. (Sustainability of KM) and produce a final report of the consultancy.

5

12.12.22

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

Minimum Requirements And Qualifications

Education

• A Master’s degree in Communication or Social sciences, Psychology, Anthropology, Education.

Work Experience

• At least 5 years of professional experience in knowledge management
• Strong writing skills with track record of published knowledge products
• Demonstrated experience working with multi-cultural environment
• Experience in working with global and regional partnerships will be an added value
• Ability to plan, coordinate and disseminate knowledge products. Ability to plan, coordinate and disseminate knowledge products.

Languages

• Oral and written proficiency in Spanish and English. Knowledge of French and Portuguese languages is considered an asset.

Other Skills And Attributes

• Work experience with UN organizations is an advantage
• Ability to work cross functionally to define problem statements, examine collected data, build analytical models and communicate final recommendations that drive decision making.
• An inquisitive and creative mindset and excellent written and verbal communication skills for coordinating across teams, countries and regions.
• A Team Player mentality and desire to collaborate with multicultural and diverse colleagues
• Excellent project management skills and capacity to work independently.

Administrative details

Supervision: The contractor will work under the direct supervision of the Social Behaviour Change Specialist.

Workplace: This is a home based assignment

Duration: This contract is expected to start on 17 August 2022 and end on 31 December 2022 with the duration of approximately 4 months.

How to Apply: Application should be submitted online and should include: Resume, Cover Letter and Financial proposal. Qualified candidates are requested to submit daily, monthly and total fees in their financial proposal.

Travel: This consultancy does not involve travel.

When Travel Is Involved

• Travel will be covered by UNICEF as per policy
• Travel costs will be estimated and added to the contract once they are determined based on UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations.
• For agreed country visits, the contractor/consultant will be responsible in administering their own travel. UNICEF will reimburse travel related expenses based on actual costs or on the below criteria whichever is lower and upon presentation of receipts.
• Any travel involved should be budgeted according to UN Travel Standards as a ceiling. UN Secretariat Administrative Instruction on Official Travel, ST/AI/2013/3: Sect. 4, para. 4.2, numerals (d) and (e)
• For information on Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), can be found on the International Civil Service Commission website (all countries and destinations can be found by navigating on the map).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA). To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 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.

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. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.