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Provide support in the development of research tools, data collection and analysis about the factors influencing breastfeeding and vaccine promotion behaviours among health workers in maternity wards and breastfeeding counsellors.
For every child, results.
Childhood vaccination remains a challenge across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), with Montenegro being at the bottom of ECA countries when it gets to the timely coverage with the first dose of MMR vaccine.
At the same time, breastfeeding rates in the region are the lowest globally while national rates, according to the MICS 2018 and various national surveys, remain slightly above regional average with ample room for improvement as 86,1% of children were ever breastfed, 24,1% children being breastfed within the first hour of birth and only 19.5% being breastfed exclusively in the first six months of life.
Health workers (e.g., nurses, gynaecologists) at maternity wards and breastfeeding counsellors play a critical role in supporting new mothers to breastfeed. They discuss, among other issues, the importance of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months of age, techniques for attachment and positioning for breastfeeding, and play an important role in supporting mothers and the family to manage challenges and breastfeeding problems. However, there is limited understanding of their systematic engagement in breastfeeding promotion and the barriers associated to it.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that health workers at maternity wards and breastfeeding counsellors may be hesitant or lack confidence to discuss about vaccination and, most often, are not involved in vaccine promotion at all. At the same time feedback from women who had recent labor, contribute to the anecdotes indicating that NGOs providing pre-labor theoretical support, promoting breastfeeding and their breastfeeding counsellors can have negative attitudes towards immunization. There is also anecdotal data that infant formula companies and their representatives influence health providers in maternity wards to promote commercial formula feeding over breastfeeding although the new Health Law adopted on July 31, 2025 explicitly prohibits this practice.
To better understand the drivers of breastfeeding and vaccine promotion behaviours among key health providers in maternity wards, home visiting services and breastfeeding counsellors in Montenegro, UNICEF seeks the services of a consultant to carry out data collection and analysis to identify psychological, social, and environmental factors influencing breastfeeding and vaccine promotion behaviours among health workers in maternity wards and breastfeeding counsellors in the country.
The consultant will work in close collaboration with the regional consultant and UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia who will provide overarching and remote guidance to the field work. The consultant will be supervised by the SBC and ECD officers at UNICEF Montenegro.
- Revise the project’s inception report and data collection methodology and tools. Based on the consultant’s experience working with communities in Montenegro, provide inputs into the data collection tools.
- Engage in capacity-building sessions and regular check-ins with the regional consultant to strengthen understanding of the research objectives, tools, and ethical procedures. Communication with regional consultant should be regular and timely, including sharing emerging insights, challenges, and suggested adaptations to ensure the research remains grounded, relevant, and high quality.
- Support the development of research protocols and obtainment of ethical clearance for data collection activities.
- Support piloting of the research tools (research protocol, questionnaires, interview/FGD guides) that have been developed by RO and its consultant, providing practical feedback to the regional consultant on their clarity, cultural appropriateness, and usability in the local context to inform any final refinements.
- Coordinate and carry out data collection, coding and analysis activities. Data collection (e.g. interviews, focus group discussions, stakeholder mapping, diary studies, surveys etc.) should be performed using research tools and protocols developed in collaboration with the regional consultant. With the support of the CO teams, consultant will lead on participant recruitment and field logistics, including scheduling, liaising with local stakeholders, and arranging suitable channels for data collection. All data collection should be performed in ethical, safe, and respectful engagement with participants, including informed consent, confidentiality, and adherence to safeguarding principles. All data should be collected accurately, including notetaking, transcription of interviews or FGDs (where relevant), contextual photographs (where appropriate and with consent) and timely data entry or submission. Regional consultant will provide guidance to the coding strategy for qualitative research and statistical guidance for quantitative analysis as well as guidance for data analysis and interpretation.
- Develop a final report with a summary of the identified barriers and enablers encountered and together with regional consultant provide recommendations for increasing breastfeeding and vaccine promotion. Final report should be accompanied by a power point presentation with the findings (and recommendations) that will be used to debrief UNICEF country and regional team, as well as selected key national stakeholders (together with regional consultant).
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- At least a master’s degree in social and behavioural science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public health or another relevant technical field.
- At least 5 years in designing and implementing a variety data collection tools for mixed-methods data collection, preferably for identifying barriers to desirable health related behaviours such as vaccine uptake and/or breastfeeding.
- Proven experience in writing reports with research findings and actionable recommendations.
- Proven experience in carrying out desk reviews and excellent analytical skills.
- Proven experience in carrying out key informant interviews.
- Previous work with UN/UNICEF or other international organizations is preferred.
Payment schedule
The payments will be made upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of invoices.
Please indicate payment schedule in instalments (separately for travels, professional fee, etc.)
- 1st tranche:70% Upon receiving Inception report with final research tools as well as draft report on data collection with qualitative assessment of data collection activities.
- 2nd tranche:30% Upon receiving final deliverables: Final report and country presentation.
UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines
Mandatory E-learning
Upon conducting the recruitment process and prior to the signing of the contract, the consultant will be required to complete the following online courses. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract.
- Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF
- Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (PSEAA)
- Prevention of Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)
Before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF, the Consultants must complete course on General Information Security Awareness Course.
In addition to above, any consultant who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract
- Fraud Awareness
- General Information Security Awareness Course (only for consultants with a UNICEF email address). The above courses can be found on Agora through the following link: AGORA: Log in to the site (unicef.org).
Course completion certificates should be shared and retained with the human resources unit of the hiring office.
Selection methodology
All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below. The proposal will be evaluated against the following criteria:
A) Technical criteria – Technical evaluation process / Maximum points:70
Desk review of CVs - 70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points.
• Technical questions at interview:15
Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation.
B) Financial criteria – evaluation of financial proposal - Maximum points:30
The applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal as a separate document, consisting of all-inclusive professional fee for the services and travel to be provided. Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30].
Remarks
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 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.
Job applicants can disclose their disability and accommodation needs in the application form, which will be seen by the recruiter. If you are a candidate that has been shortlisted for a position at UNICEF and you need accommodation during the hiring process (namely, for a written test or a job interview) and you have not disclosed it in the applicant form, make sure you raise it with the recruiter once you are invited to an assessment.
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.
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. Consultants 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.