Contract Duration       2.9 months

Working arrangement:  Office-based

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.

                                                         TERMS OF REFERENCE

The assessment will generate actionable evidence to inform the development of a national Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Strategy and implementation framework aimed at increasing demand for Early Childhood Education (ECE), strengthening caregiver engagement, promoting positive gender norms, and improving equitable participation in early learning opportunities.

Objective: Assess the behavioral determinants, decision-making processes, social norms, perceptions of value, aspirations, self-efficacy, and service-related factors influencing caregiver decisions regarding enrolment and retention of children in ECE.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here:  External ToR TMC0003666.pdf

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Education, Social Sciences, behavioral Sciences, Communication for Development, Social Sciences, Education, Public Health or related disciplines. A PhD in a relevant field constitutes an added advantage.
• Work Experience:
• A minimum of five (05) years of progressively responsible professional experience in designing and leading Social and Behavior Change (SBC) programs, behavioral research, or education programming, for UN agencies, bilateral donors, or reputable international NGOs, preferably in low-resource and fragile contexts.
• A proven track record of developing national-level strategies or frameworks that have been adopted and operationalized by government counterparts.
• Skills:
• Substantive experience in early childhood education, play-based learning, school readiness, and/or foundational learning programming.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, including working effectively with government counterparts at national and sub-national level
• Proven ability to develop strategic documents and to design communication and advocacy materials, training packages, and dialogue guides suitable for low-literacy and multilingual environments.
• Language Requirements:
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; working knowledge of Juba Arabic or other South Sudanese languages is an added advantage.
• Desirables: Demonstrated integrity, cultural sensitivity, and ability to operate effectively in insecure and logistically challenging environments, in full compliance with UN security protocols.

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

 This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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 reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. 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.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

• An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
• Cover letter
• A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template)  Financial proposal templateTMC0003666.docx

Remarks:  

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.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.