Social Behavior Change Consultancy, Monrovia, Liberia (for Liberian Nationals Only), 8 months onsite
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Job no: 580727
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Monrovia
Location: Liberia
Categories: Social and Behavior Change
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, social behavior change is a must!!
How can you make a difference?
I. Background:
Immunization is a proven and effective tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases, preventing an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths annually (WHO, 2019). As one of the most cost-effective health interventions, immunization employs strategies that ensure accessibility even to the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. It targets specific groups, can be efficiently delivered through outreach activities, and does not require significant lifestyle changes. To support this global strategy, the World Health Organization (WHO) advocates for countries to achieve high routine immunization coverage (95%), which is critical for maintaining population herd immunity.
Despite progress in immunization coverage for most antigens in Liberia over time, national administrative coverage remained suboptimal as of March 2014, prior to the Ebola outbreak. The 2013 Demographic and Health Survey revealed that adult immunization coverage was only 55%, and inadequate coverage has been linked to recurrent measles outbreaks in recent years. The situation worsened during the 2014 Ebola outbreak due to the implementation of the “no-touch” policy and restrictions on invasive procedures. Additionally, the introduction of the Ebola vaccine in some facilities in early 2015, during the later stages of the outbreak, led to community perceptions of increased risks of contracting Ebola in health facilities. This perception likely deterred caregivers and individuals of childbearing age from seeking immunization services for children.
A 2017 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey highlighted that knowledge about vaccination among women and men was notably low, with educational status significantly influencing the vaccination status of their children. Negative attitudes, such as fear of vaccination among childbearing-age individuals, were also strongly associated with lower immunization rates among children. Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is a critical component of UNICEF’s work, as it drives long-term, sustainable behavioral and social changes that positively impact the lives of children, adolescents, their families, and communities.
In this context, UNICEF Liberia is seeking to hire one (1) SBC Consultant to support the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). The consultant will enhance the design, implementation, and monitoring of evidence-based strategies to increase immunization awareness, demand, and uptake. The role will also focus on addressing vaccine hesitancy, promoting positive health behaviors, and ultimately improving immunization coverage and disease prevention outcomes.
II. Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
This assignment aims to improve immunization rates in Liberia by:
- Boosting vaccine confidence: Addressing vaccine hesitancy through targeted campaigns and information dissemination.
- Creating a supportive environment: Engaging stakeholders to prioritize immunization services.
- Increasing access: Developing and distributing culturally appropriate communication materials to promote immunization.
- Strengthening community involvement: Empowering communities to participate in immunization programs and make informed decisions.
- Monitoring and evaluating: Tracking the effectiveness of SBC strategies to ensure continuous improvement.
- Building capacity: Training local health workers and volunteers to effectively deliver SBC interventions.
- Promoting broader health behaviors: Encouraging healthy practices like routine check-ups and disease prevention.
- Write human interest stories featuring real-life testimonials from vaccinated individuals or families and service providers.
In essence, the consultant will work to improve immunization coverage in Liberia by implementing evidence-based Social and Behavior Change (SBC) strategies that address vaccine hesitancy, increase demand for immunization services, and strengthen community engagement.
III. Scope of Work:
- Improve immunization coverage: Increase the uptake of routine immunization services for all children, with a specific focus on reaching the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations.
- Reduce vaccine-preventable diseases: Contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases in Liberia.
- Enhance vaccine confidence and acceptance: Address vaccine hesitancy by building trust in immunization services and dispelling myths and misinformation.
- Create an enabling environment: Foster a supportive environment in which parents and caregivers have trust in the immunization system and are not hesitant to access vaccine uptake.
- Strengthen community engagement: Mobilize communities to actively participate in immunization programs and make informed decisions about vaccination.
- Build capacity: Enhance the capacity of local health workers, community volunteers, and civil society organizations (CSOs) to effectively deliver SBC interventions and sustain behavior change efforts over the long term.
- Contribute to building the capacity of CSOs to focus on zero-dose and adolescent girls: Lay the foundation for CSOs to partner with other donors working on adolescent and child health and promote sustainability of the gains made through immunization.
- Improve the capacity of Government and CSOs through skills transfer: Ensure sustainability of the gains made through the Technical Assistance.
The detailed ToR can be accessed: 
Full TOR SBC Consultant Immunization.pdf
IV. Qualification/Experience/Competencies/Skills Required:
Education:
- Qualifications – A Master’s degree in Social and Behavioural Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, Public health, Development Communication, Public Relations or other related social science field is required.
Work Experience:
- Professional/Technical experience – At least five years relevant Social Behavior Change experience in the health sector.
- Relevant work experience in emergency response especially epidemics; Experience with public health communication and social mobilization issues.
Other skills and competencies required:
- Other attributes essential for the assignment: Results-driven and good writing skills
- Knowledge of ODK or other digital data platform for analysis is a plus; ability to work in a fast-changing emergency setting, ability to use own initiative
Language Proficiency:
- Language skills required: Fluency in English and a local dialect is essential.
V. Technical and Financial Proposals:
Applicants are invited to submit with their online application:
- A cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment
- A recently updated CV
- A financial proposal which must be an all-inclusive cost (consultancy fees, mission expenses, travels, etc.). Applicants are invited to submit their financial proposals in USD using the template below:
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Description |
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Quantity |
Unit cost |
Total (USD) |
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Consultancy fees (21 days/month) |
Months |
8 |
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Other (to be specified) |
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Total |
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- Selection criteria will be based on qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the required field
- Evaluation Criteria (This will be used for the Selection Report)
- A) Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 100 Points)
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
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.
Advertised: Greenwich Standard Time
Deadline: Greenwich Standard Time