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International Consultant to support the development of SBC strategy for inclusive education with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

Apply now Job no: 584673
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Tashkent
Level: Consultancy
Location: Uzbekistan
Categories: Education, Communication, Social and Behavior Change

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 education!

Background
UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Preschool and School Education (MoPSE) of Uzbekistan, National Agency for Social Protection (NASP), GPE and IsDB team is implementing a Joint ISDB/ISFD/GPE SmartED Project for Improving the Quality and Efficiency of the Education Services in the Republic of Uzbekistan. Among its priorities is ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all, particularly for the most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, girls, and those living in rural areas.
 
This is expected to be operationalized through (i) development of Inclusive Education Conceptual and Programmatic Frameworks (IECPF) which will establish a shared vision for inclusive education as well as strategies, guidelines, processes and tools to plan, implement and review inclusive policies and practices at the system level and in schools; (ii) establishing model inclusive schools to pilot IECPF and serve as resource centers to support national implementation of IECPF and scale-up of good practices; and, (iii) conducting awareness raising and behavior-change communication activities, including parenting education initiatives, to engage with communities, and society, with a particular view to ensuring buy-in to reforms, and, most significantly, to change social norms, gender-based biases and attitudes towards children with disabilities, ethnic and language minorities, and other marginalized groups,empowering key agents for inclusive education.
 
It is on the premise of this third strand that behavioral change interventions within the project will be conceptualised focused on increasing an uptake of inclusive pre-schools and schools both by parents of children with disabilities and without disabilities. While an uptake of inclusive pre-schools and schools is an ultimate goal to be reached and will require continued efforts beyond the current project period, the SBC component of the project will be focusing on achieving an intermittent goal that are eventually to contribute to the primary behavioral goal on the uptake.
 
The interventions are built on the following key programmatic approaches of SBC, namely:
  • Applied behavioural science – it will be used to identify behavioural barriers for parents of children with and without disabilities in the uptake of inclusive pre-schools and schools. Through application of a COM-B model an evidence base on behavioural perspective will be created for Social and Behaviour Change Communication interventions, service improvements, and community engagement.
  • Social and behaviour change communication – based on the evidence generated through Applied behavioural science approach, social and behaviour change communication campaign will be designed to address behavioural barriers for an inclusive pre-schools and schools uptake of parents of children with and without disabilities.
To this end, UNICEF is planning to engage an international expert in Behavioral Science to support the evidence generation on inclusive education uptake related behaviours and development of Social and Behaviour Change strategy on inclusive education.
 
Scope of Work:
Under the overall guidance of the Communication Chief, daily collaboration with Social and Behavior Change officer, and expert guidance of Sr Social & Behavior Change Specialist (UNICEF HQ) an international consultant will:
  • Conduct desk review of relevant national and international evidence on inclusive education
  • Conduct secondary data analysis of national evidence with support of Social Policy Lab specialists of NASP, including MICS2022, Situation analysis on people and children with disabilities in Uzbekistan, and other relevant studies to understand the behavioural barriers that should be addressed to increase an uptake of inclusive pre-schools and schools by parents of children with and without disabilities. The secondary data analysis should rely on the global evidence focusing on behavioural aspects of inclusive education uptake by parents of children with and without disabilities.
  • Develop structured interview guides for field data collection among key stakeholders such as parents of children with and without disabilities, pre-school and school teachers and assist in the analysis of qualitative data by providing analytical frameworks and checking the results for consistency
  • Conduct contextual and comprehensive behavioural analysis of barriers and enablers to IE with behavioural mapping covering key stakeholders such as parents of children with and without disabilities, pre-school and school teachers.
  • Draft strategy with actionable and comprehensive behaviour change recommendations that were developed by applying structured discussions with stakeholders to inform the strategy development and implementation.
  • Support implementation quality checks to inform the refinement of the final intervention concept during Social and Behaviour Change Communication campaign creatives production to meet the strategy concepts.

Total: 55 working days

Final rate shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Please submit a professional fee (in USD) based on 55 working days to undertake this assignment, without travel fees as this will be reimbursed as and when they take place.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Travel is required.

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

Minimum requirements:

  • Education: Advanced university degree (post-graduation, Masters or PhD) in social studies, health communication, or another relevant field.
  • Work Experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in application of behavioural science in social sectors like health, education, etc.
  • Skills: Work experience with UN agencies/UNICEF is an asset. Work experience in the Central Asia or in Uzbekistan is an asset.
  • Language Requirements: English is fluent. 

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.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. 

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.

Advertised: West Asia Standard Time
Deadline: West Asia Standard Time

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