National Consultant: Social and Behavior Change (SBC+) Consultant - 4 Consultants based in Surkhet, Bhairahawa, Janakpur, Dhangadhi, Nepal (Only for Nepalese Nationals)

Surkhet | Janakpur | Dhangarhi

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Surkhet | Janakpur | Dhangarhi
Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Education, Learning and Training
- Sexual and reproductive health
Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF Nepal Country Office is looking for committed professionals and experts to build the foundational basis of SBC+ sectoral provincial systems and interventions by rolling out SBC+ system strengthening community engagement interventions and approaches. The consultants will be engaged for 12 months and will be based in Dhangadhi, Surkhet, Janakpur and Bhairahawa field office locations.

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, result

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) stands out in the Nepal Country Programme Action Plan 2023-27 with a critical role as a Change Strategy to catalyze the Cross-Sectorial integration to contribute to a Structural and integrated Social Change by supporting the Nepal Country Program (CPD/CPAP 2023-2027) goals on Nutrition, Health, Education, Child Protection, WASH and Social Protection and SDGs 2,3,4,5,6,10,11 & 16.
The vision of UNICEF Nepal Country Office is to build SBC+ Sectoral systems to accelerating Social Change. As a cross sectoral area, SBC+ comprises Social and Behaviour Change, Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP). The overarching direction for SBC+ in the current Country Program points to:

Support SBC in all provinces with cost-effective solutions.
Focus on demonstration on a small scale and on the most underserved populations.
Engagement of children and adolescents as agents of social change.
Internal and external co-creation and partnership for cost and resource efficiency.
Internal and external capacity development reaching sub-national level.

SBC+ aims as facilitate the programme integration, building the effective bridge between knowledge, behaviours, and
impacts (including cost of inaction) to effectively contribute to the structural and social transformation agenda in Nepal,
impacting public policies and institutional services, community-led structures, and individual behaviours. Thus, a sectoral
SBC+ systematic multi-stakeholder collaboration, at the provincial and local levels, will become the big changer for
children’s and communities’ lives.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancies is to build the foundational basis of SBC+ sectoral provincial systems and interventions by rolling out SBC+ system strengthening community engagement interventions and approaches and leading the SBC oriented sectoral and cross-sectoral ongoing activities in Karnali, Lumbini, Madhesh and Sudurpashchim Provinces, aimed to accelerate the children wellbeing.

It’s expected that the SBC+ consultants for respective provinces will provide and promote sectoral and cross-sectoral technical advice, multi-stakeholders engagement, capacity development and coordination to facilitate social innovation and behavioural science for community systems and resilience strengthening, translated in more disaggregated Social and Behaviour Change-related planning, strengthening of local self-government, intensive community engagement, use of localized research and evidence to build the effective bridge between knowledge, behaviours, and impacts (including the cost of inaction) to better drive the evolution of policies, structures and behaviours and effectively contribute to the social transformation agenda in favor of children right and wellbeing in the selected provinces.

The consultants will ensure an SBC+ participatory approach of sectors and partners to facilitate the engagement and

participation of parents, caregivers, local organizations, and a range of local influencers in support of positive social change

in favor of children.

Moreover, the consultants will facilitate technical assistance and capacity building to partners, aimed at building a common

understanding and application of SBC+, shifting from a message-oriented to an evidence-based people-centered

interventions, and strengthening the use of social data for quality behavioral science, community engagement,

interpersonal communication, including information sharing and feedback mechanisms, and other SBC+ components to

prompt positive social change in the targeted provinces.

The SBC+ Consultants will function under the operational guidance and oversight from the respective Chief Field Offices

with Technical guidance, supervision, and reporting to the Chief SBC in Nepal Country Office or the delegated capacity,

in close collaboration with the sectoral and operational areas at the Field Office and the provincial level and the national

level when required, in line with the strategic sectoral priorities of the corresponding Field Office, the sectoral plans and the

SBC+ Vision for UNICEF Nepal 2024-2025.

The consultancy is planned to run from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, meeting a series of deliveries that will

contribute to achieving the CPD/CPAP goals by addressing potential critical gaps in implementing and integrating the

SBC+ sec toral systems.

Scope of Work:

1. Design and Implement SBC+ sectoral strategies to accelerate programme outcomes.

The consultants will collaborate with, advise, facilitate and consult with UNICEF’s programme and operational areas, local

governments, implementing partners and relevant stakeholders at the provincial level to design, implement, monitor and

improve SBC+ sectoral initiatives, mechanisms, platforms in emergency and development contexts, including to identify

barriers and enablers, to budget, formulate, produce, test and assess localized SBC+ oriented activities and resources

(guidelines, training, materials), and boost the engagement and participation of targeted groups and service receivers

such as youth networks and child clubs to contribute effectively on child friendly local governance, against social norms ,

climate action and advocacy as well as with the most marginalized groups to ensure maximum outreach, mainstream

SBC+ activities within the sectors and effectively contribute to sectoral outcomes and priorities (Nutrition, Health, Education,

Child Protection, WASH and Social Protection and SDGs 2,3,4,5,6,10,11 & 16).

2. Provide technical assistance for building on SBC+ sectoral systems and interventions.

In collaboration with the sectoral and cross-sectoral areas of the corresponding field office, the consultants will provide

sectoral and cross-sectoral technical advice and facilitation to the government, partners, and stakeholders at the subnational

(provincial/local) level on building SBC+ sectoral systems to contribute to sectoral outcomes and priorities

(Nutrition, Health, Education, Child Protection, WASH and Social Protection and SDGs 2,3,4,5,6,10,11 & 16) by leading

the roll-out of the integrated SBC+ Sectoral Vision and applying innovative solutions on Social Research for Social

Sciences, Social Community Listening, Digital community engagement, local groups and influencers engagement, Cocreation

of service experience and Human Centered Design, Social mobilization and Community Feedback mechanisms

within other relevant approaches and tools.

3. Coordinate SBC+ oriented capacity development and external relations initiatives.

The consultants will lead the rollout of training and capacity development activities on SBC+ (SBC, RCCE, AAP) aimed at

Field Office staff and partners for enhancing common knowledge and capacity on SBC+ sectoral interventions at the

provincial, district and community levels, leveraging UNICEFs’ SBC+ Capacity Development Programme for South Asia,

in collaboration with SBC Nepal Country Office and SBC Regional Office – South Asia. The consultant will participate and

contribute to monitoring visits, review meetings, and high-level missions including donors’ visit, supporting the preparation,

documentation of human-interest stories, development of SBC related communication packages and facilitation on the

ground.

4. Monitoring, knowledge Management and storytelling

The consultants will collaborate with sectors and facilitate the establishment of a clear SBC+ results framework and oversee

data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting, contributing to relevant UNICEF monitoring systems such as CSI and

RAM; explore, analyze and report on behavioural and community-related interventions in emergency and development

contexts leveraging UNICEFs Digital Community Engagement Ecosystem (I-Hear-U Social listening, U-Report, IoGT), enduse

monitoring and Child and Family Tracker; and lead the documentation and support the dissemination of impactful

community-oriented stories and case studies from the field focused on behavioral science-supported interventions and

practices impacting sectoral results in the corresponding provinces.

5. Advocate for SBC+ mainstreaming.

The consultants will lobby and advocate for mainstreaming of SBC+ related interventions and issues in sub-national

annuals (provincial – municipal) plans and in sectors within UNICEF, encouraging/promoting engagement and dialogue,

inclusion, self-determination, and participation in mobilizing social, political, behavioral and cultural change to achieve

sustainable programme results on children and communities’ rights, equity and wellbeing.

Duration of Contract: The total duration of the contract is for 12 months.

Duty Station: The four consultants will be based in Bhairahawa for Lumbini Province, Janakpur for Madhesh Province, Surkhet for Karnali Province and Dhangadhi for Sudurpaschim Province.

Deliverables:

Tasks	Deliverables	Timeline	Proposed Fee
1. Design and Implement SBC+ sectoral strategies to accelerate programme outcomes.	1.1. Submission of inception report of the scope of the work to carry out during the consultancy including main needs, opportunities, and challenges and a measurable work plan, with costed activities and visits to the field, to address them. 1.2. Design SBC+ cross-sectoral contextual strategic plan, in consultation with stakeholders Field Office sectoral Team including outputs, supporting mechanisms and platforms, and budgeted activities. 1.3. Provide technical support on the implementation and monitoring of new SBC related initiatives ensuring its mainstreaming within at least four sectors resulting from the deliverable 1.2.	30 October 2024 30 December 2024
2. Provide technical assistance for building on SBC+ sectoral systems and interventions.	2.1. Provide sectoral and cross-sectoral technical support and facilitation for the implementation, monitoring and improvement of ongoing SBC related initiatives for at least four sectors. 2.2. Roll-out of the integrated SBC+ Sectoral Vision applying Behavioural 28/02/2025 25% Science and Community Engagement approaches tailored to at least four sectors’ priorities.	28 February 2025
3. Coordinate SBC+ oriented capacity development and external relations initiatives.	3.1. Submission of an internal and external capacity development cost-ofcosted plan to support the implementation of 1.3, 2.1. and 2.2, leveraging the UNICEFs’ SBC+ regional Capacity Development Programme (by SBC ROSA). 3.2. Coordinate at least two provincial-level and six local level training on SBC+ (SBC, RCCE, AAP) applied to sectors targeting staff and stakeholders in the corresponding province in coordination with relevant academic partners. 3.3. Organize two SBC sectoral high-level missions in coordination with FO and NCO management.	30 April 2025
Monitoring, knowledge Management & storytelling.	4.1. Establish a clear SBC+ results framework including systematic data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting cycle. 4.2. Contribute to CSI, RAM, SitReps, SBC sectoral and cross-sectoral reports and other digital engagement, data collection or monitoring platform in regular and ad hock basis. 4.3. Provide technical support in the documentation and dissemination of at least four community-oriented stories or case studies (ideally one per sector).	30 June 2025
Advocate for SBC+ mainstreaming.	5.1. Incorporate SBC+ costed components at the activity and output level in FO workplans of at least four sectors. 5.2. Incorporate SBC Change Strategy with clear SBC solutions and approaches in at least one public policy, sectoral annual plan or key intervention at the subnational level. 5.3. Submit a final illustrated report (document) and a summary (PPT) of the consultancy results with clear linkage to the main needs, opportunities, and challenges identified during the inception phase, quantitative and qualitative impact of the activities implemented and recommendations for the continuity and sustainability of a sectoral SBC+ systematic multi-stakeholder collaboration, at the provincial and local levels.	30 August 2025 15 September 2025

To qualify as an advocate for every child the consultant will have…

Academic Qualification:

An advanced university (master’s) degree in one of the following fields is required: Communication Studies, Economics, Public

Policy, Public Health, Social Sciences, Social Work, Psychology, International Relations, Political Science, or another relevant technical field.

OR

Bachelor’s degree in any of the above discipline with at least additional two years of professional experience in SBC programme planning and implementation on the ground and SBC specialized training in lieu of master’s degree.

Work Experience:

A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development program planning, social and behavior change, communication for development, public advocacy, or another related area with relevant fieldwork experience.
Technical knowledge in planning, advocacy, Social Behaviour and Change and emergency response.
Experience in coordination planning, data analytics, facilitation, and budgeting.
Excellent Nepali and English writing and verbal communication skills.
Relevant experience with UN agencies will be an added advantage.

Other skills

Capacity to work independently and take initiative.
Demonstrated commitment to delivering timely and high-quality results.
Computer skills (including advanced Spreadsheet/Microsoft Excel).

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.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors 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.

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.

Remarks:

Request to submit financial proposal (Nepalese currency) based on the deliverables for this assignment.

Female candidates and candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.

This vacancy is now closed.