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Background

Natural hazards, conflicts, disease outbreaks, epidemics and complex emergencies require quality Risk Communication Community Engagement (RCCE) and evidence-informed Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) programming to achieve sectoral results. UNICEF aims to put affected families, children and adolescents at the centre of its work, as reflected in the Core Commitments for Children and various global reforms. This requires all UNICEF programmes, systems and procedures to systematically include participation of and accountability to affected people (AAP) across all elements of the response, including through a common feedback mechanism ensuring that feedback from affected boys, girls, men and women informs decision-making and that UNICEF staff and partners understand, respect and systematically take the view of community to account. On 27 September the Rwanda Ministry of Health declared the country’s first-ever outbreak of Marburg  virus Disease (MVD).

Due to the protracted public health emergencies in Rwanda, the Country Office team is looking for RCCE Specialist (NO-C) to be based in Kigali.

RCCE is a central pillar of public health and humanitarian responses, essential to the successful delivery of both medical and non-medical interventions. It encompasses everything from promoting behaviour change to countering misinformation and supporting community leadership. RCCE is a cross cutting priority that requires a broad range of humanitarian and public health partners to work together with governments and affected communities. This means facilitating access to life-saving information and essential services; proactively enabling the participation of affected communities in response and relief efforts; ensuring decisions at all levels within the humanitarian and public health architecture are taken and adapted according to community feedback, concerns and priorities, as well as social insights; and supporting local responders to lead responses whenever possible. Such approaches help build trust with communities and local gatekeepers, increase the uptake of protective and health seeking behaviours, and ultimately ensure sustainability of humanitarian work.

Purpose

The RCCE officer will support advancing a measurable people-centred agenda across Rwanda Country Office to provide guidance in designing and implementing preparedness and response plans so that they can engage and empower communities as well as influence behaviours and collective actions adapted to specific humanitarian context in the CO.

Under the supervision of the SBC Specialist , Rwanda and in close collaboration with the relevant sections and core partners the officer will provide coordination and technical assistance to CO in RCCE/AAP emergencies to enhance preparedness, response and recovery; build capacity of UNICEF staff and partners with a focus on community engagement and resilience; and monitor the implementation and results of RCCE interventions related to emergencies.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Generate & Use Evidence: Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of RCCE and AAP programs and outcomes in emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for RCCE.
• Design, plan and implement RCCE and AAP activities: Design, plan and implement RCCE and AAP activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in both development and humanitarian contexts.
• Build Capacities in RCCE and AAP: Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC for both development and humanitarian contexts through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.
• Advocate & Build Partnerships: Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.
• Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of RCCE and AAP response and preparedness in emergency contexts and to build the evidence base for SBC.
• In collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists and relevant partners at RO and COs levels, design and conduct RCCE situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioral drivers; initiate, commission, manage and/or utilize qualitative and quantitative research on social and behavioral drivers that include behavioral analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and/or RCT.
• Facilitate establishment of community feedback mechanisms and use feedback to inform community engagement and RCCE actions for disaster/PHE preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. Generate and use SBC evidence, data, and assessments for disaster and PHE preparedness, response, recovery and resilience.
• Develop terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives and apply tools, methodologies and frameworks for data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting and disseminating SBC results.
• Monitor and manage relationships with external partners, vendors and consultants for research and evidence generation and support of SBC.
• Design, plan and implement RCCE and AAP activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in humanitarian contexts.
• Identify, propose and implement evidence-based programme/strategy recommendations from current data, evidence and trends for priority social and behavioral issues and ensure the integration of latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in programme approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders.
• Apply the above skills of designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions in the context of humanitarian emergencies.
• Support the development of Country Office strategies and plans of action for scaling up AAP that has clear deliverables, indicators and timeframes to enable timely marked improvement in AAP/CE performance, with a focus on closing the loop (by providing feedback to the community about how their views and inputs were addressed), based on operational modalities, community preferences and global best practice
• Support the integration of AAP in annual work plan and processes ensuring each programme (and operation) section have specific AAP outputs, activity and budgets for effective implementation.
• Make viable recommendations on inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioural approaches in sectoral work plans and strategies. Advocate for the inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral workplans based on active participation in sectoral programme planning and reviews and viable recommendations for the integration of SBC and AAP.
• Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in RCCE and AAP for humanitarian context through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners.
• Identify, design, and organize RCCE and AAP training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human-centred design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Develop and/or use and adapt existing UNICEF learning resources, guidelines and training materials to build SBC capacity among staff, implementing partners and relevant government and non-government counterparts.
• Develop and institutionalize best practices, facilitate the exchange of experiences and provide technical assistance for the uptake of new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally.
• Plan and implement SBC capacity assessments within the CO.
• Support the Initiation and management of partnerships with academia and learning institutions for the delivery of SBC capacity development activities.
• Identify and develop mechanisms to strengthen systems for community engagement in humanitarian contexts.
• Develop and/or adapt capacity development tools and activities for humanitarian programming with a focus on preparedness, response and recovery.
• Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for RCCE and AAP, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.
• Collaborate with national, regional and/or global partners to link and coordinate RCCE and AAP approaches.
• Cultivate resource mobilization opportunities and produce proposals, reports and other materials to support resources mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for RCCE and AAP, including staff, consultants and external vendors.
• Identify, recruit and supervise consultants, vendors and other technical expertise to support delivery of RCCE and AAP activities. Plan, use and track the use of resources and verify compliance with organizational guidelines and standards.
• Contribute to financial planning, budget planning and tracking and financial management for SBC.
• Identify, disseminate, and adopt best practices and innovative approaches and technology in RCCE and AAP, integrate them in programme approaches and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement and AAP in humanitarian actions.

Key Expected Results

Efficient and effective technical, operational and managerial support strengthens quality of evidence and science-based RCCE and AAP strategies, products and activities. This impacts the ability of UNICEF to promote changes in behaviors, social attitudes, beliefs, norms, policies and practices of individuals, communities, institutions and society as a whole. This in turn contributes to UNICEF’s ability to fulfill its mission to improve child rights related to survival, development, protection and participation in the country.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Education:

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.

Experience:

A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, social and behaviour change, AAP, social science, developing Communication materials, strategies and plans for RCCE, PHE or another related area.

Expertise/Skills:

• Knowledge and skills in risk communication and community engagement.
• Excellent facilitation skills, negotiation skills and oral and written communication skills
• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.
• Experience working in emergency context especially in RCCE is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is an asset.

Competencies of successful candidate:

Core Values:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core Competencies

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 include 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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. 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.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

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.

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.