The purpose of this assignment is to provide dedicated Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) technical assistance for Polio outbreak preparedness and response, including campaign planning, community engagement, demand generation, misinformation management, monitoring, documentation and coordination. SBC Officer will support the State Ministries of Health, and implementing partners to ensure effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of Polio SBC interventions in both emergency and routine immunization contexts, with focus on Kassala and Southern States.

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 Health

The purpose of this assignment is to provide dedicated Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) technical assistance for Polio outbreak preparedness and response, including campaign planning, community engagement, demand generation, misinformation management, monitoring, documentation and coordination.
SBC Officer will support the State Ministries of Health, and implementing partners to ensure effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of Polio SBC interventions in both emergency and routine immunization contexts, with focus on Kassala and Southern States.

How can you make a difference? 

Scope of Work:
Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), and in close coordination with the Health Section and Field Offices, the consultant will:
• Support development and adaptation of state-level Polio SBC strategies and ensure integration into preparedness and outbreak response plans.
• Provide technical assistance to develop evidence-based SBC micro-plans informed by IM, LQAS, refusal tracking, social investigations, and KAP/social research findings.
• Support pre-campaign readiness including stakeholder mapping, mobilization planning, and coordination of community engagement activities.
• Provide technical oversight during campaign implementation and support post-campaign follow-up for missed children and zero-dose identification.
• Ensure effective use of communication channels including interpersonal communication, community dialogues, influencers, and local leaders.
• Design and implement targeted SBC interventions to address vaccine hesitancy, refusals, and misinformation.
• Support engagement of influencers, religious leaders, health workers, and community networks to promote polio vaccination.
• Develop/review key messages and IEC materials and strengthen rumor tracking and rapid response mechanisms at state level.
• Provide on-the-job mentoring and support capacity building of state, locality, and administrative health promotion officers on SBC microplanning, IPC, community engagement, and monitoring tools.
• Strengthen coordination between Health, SBC, implementing partners, and line ministries, and actively participate in state-level technical coordination meetings.
• Compile and analyze SBC data from IM, LQAS, and field monitoring; produce monthly technical briefs; document best practices and lessons learned; and submit comprehensive campaign reports with recommendations.

Work Assignments Overview  

Deliverables/Outputs  

Delivery deadline  

1.SBC Strategy Development and  

Microplanning  

  

  

  

  1.1 State-level Polio SBC Strategy document developed/adapted and endorsed by State MoH.  

  1.2 Evidence-based SBC microplans developed for all  priority localities  

  1.3 Integrated SBC component included in State Polio Preparedness and Outbreak Response Plans.  

  1.4 Technical brief summarizing behavioral insights and priority actions for each campaign round.    

First Month  

2. Campaign Preparedness and  Implementation Support  

  

2.1 Pre-campaign readiness report including:  

  • Stakeholder mapping  

(influencers, religious leaders, CBOs, youth networks)  

  • Mobilization and IPC deployment plan  2.2 Campaign implementation monitoring report (per round) documenting:  
  • Community  engagement activities conducted  
  • Functionality of mobilizers and influencers  
  • Gaps and corrective actions taken  

2.3 Post-campaign follow-up plan addressing:  

  • Missed children  
  • Zero-dose  identification and referral  
  • Refusal conversion strategy  2.4 Summary report on communication channel utilization (IPC, community dialogues, media, influencers).  

Second

Month

3. Demand Generation and Misinformation  

Management  

3.1 Targeted SBC intervention plan to address vaccine hesitancy and refusals in highrisk localities.  

3.2 Community influencer engagement report (number engaged, actions taken, outcomes).  

3.3 Key message package and IEC material content developed/reviewed and aligned with national guidance.  

3.4 Rumor tracking and misinformation analysis report including:  

  • Identified rumors  
  • Response actions taken  
  • Impact assessment

Third Month  

4. Capacity Strengthening   

4.1 Capacity-building plan for state, locality, and admin-level health promotion officers.  

4.2 At least two structured training sessions conducted on:  

  • SBC microplanning  
  • Interpersonal communication  
  • Community engagement  
  • Monitoring and reporting tools  

4.3 On-the-job mentoring report documenting:  

    • Skills strengthened  
    • Performance improvements observed 
    • Number of officers mentored

4.4 Training materials, tools, and job aids developed/adapted and shared

Fourth

Month  

5. Coordination with different stakeholder   

5.1 Coordination framework outlining roles and responsibilities between Health, SBC, Implementing Partners (IPs), and line ministries.  

 5.2 Monthly coordination meeting summary reports highlighting:  

  • Key decisions  
  • Action points  
  • Follow-up status  

5.3 Evidence of integrated planning between SBC and Health sections at state level.

Fifth Month  

6. Monitoring, Reporting and Knowledge  

Management  

  

  

6.1 After every campaign - SBC performance brief synthesizing IM, LQAS, refusal, and field monitoring data.  

6.2 Consolidated SBC dashboard or data summary tool for tracking:  

  • Refusals  
  • Zero-dose cases  
  • Community engagement coverage  

 6.3  At least one documented best practice/case study per campaign round.  

 6.4  Comprehensive campaign report including:  

•       Behavioral analysis  

•       Achievements  

•       Challenges  

•       Lessons learned  

•       Actionable recommendations for subsequent rounds.

Sixth Month  

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

Bachelor's degree in Social/behavioral/communication science other fields with relevant certified trainings in behavioral and social communication

Work Experience:

  • Minimum three years of professional experience in Polio SBC or related technical area programme planning and management at the national or international levels, preferably in a developing country.
  • Experience working in emergency settings is required.
  • Relevant experience in SBCC and Community Engagement for immunization and social cohesion in any UN system organization is considered an asset.
  • Ability to work independently and to meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrated ability to effectively work and communicate in a multicultural environment.

Skills: Computer literacy and strong familiarity with MS Office package required. Strong competency for MS Excel is considered an asset.

Language Requirements:  Fluent English and Arabic required. Sudanese Arabic capability is considered an asset.

Desirables: Willingness to work from Kassala and surrounding states.

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 

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 | 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:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

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.

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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