Social and Behavior Change Officer (NO-A) - Bulgaria CO Emergency Response (Temporary Appointment (364 days) open to Bulgarian nationals only)

The Officer provides technical and operational support to the supervisor, internal colleagues and partners by administering, executing and implementing a variety of tasks to promote and support community engagement and participation, and measureable behavioral and social change/mobilization, requiring the application of technical and theoretical skills and the study of organizational goals, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

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, safety.

The armed conflict in Ukraine has led to an outflux of population from Ukraine into other countries of the region, including the Republic of Bulgaria. Women and children make up to 90% of the refugee population and they are extremely vulnerable to significant risks, including human trafficking and exploitation, as evidenced in a recent Europol warning. The Republic of Bulgaria has received over 100 000 refugees, out of them around 40 000 are children. This is placing significant strain on the systems.

How can you make a difference?

The Officer will provide technical and operational support to the supervisor, internal colleagues and partners by administering, executing and implementing a variety of tasks to promote and support community engagement and participation, and measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization, requiring the application of technical and theoretical skills and the study of organizational goals, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.

Support to social and behavioral evidence generation and use for SBC strategies/activities development in various programmatic areas (child protection, education, health, youth, etc.)

- Support conceptualization and implementation of SBC research, situation analyses, needs assessment, social listening etc. to identify social and behavioral determinants influencing key practices among target audiences, including among service providers, to support development of evidence-informed SBC interventions, messages and materials.

- Support/collect and synthesize qualitative and quantitative information and data.

- Support in developing terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives.

- Support development of evidence-informed SBC strategies, interventions and activities. Support sectoral authorities in (re)designing services to increase their relevance, inclusiveness and accessibility.

- Support development of SBC campaigns to support uptake of key practices in CP, education, health, etc.

Support to the implementation, monitoring and assessment/evaluation of SBC activities

- Collaborate with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical support to implement programme-related SBC strategies.

- Support/ensure quality assurance of UNICEF supported SBC projects and activities.

- Support operational decisions on appropriate materials, tools and media to reach target audiences, technical resources required, allocation of financial resources, as well as time frame for various activities in support of the achievement of SBC results.

- Lead/support development and pre-testing of appropriate SBC messages and materials. Verify and ensure technical accuracy, quality, consistency and relevancy of communications materials that are developed, produced and disseminated to target audience (e.g. individuals, communities, government officials, partners, media etc.).

- Facilitate and support participation of relevant audiences in co-designing activities, campaigns, materials and messages.

- Provide technical support in establishing monitoring mechanisms to collect, analyze and report on SBC indicators/results.

Advocacy, networking and partnership building

- Propose and support partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with UN agencies, research and implementing organizations, academia, media, NGOs, international and local civil society organizations, community groups, leaders and other critical partners in the community and civil society to promote and support SBC programming.

- Collaborate with internal global/regional communication partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging and SBC activities to enhance outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes.

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

- 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.

- A minimum of 3 year of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required:  social development programme planning, communication for development, public advocacy, sociology, psychology, anthropology or another related area related to behavioral science.

- Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

- Proficiency in Bulgarian and English is required.

- Knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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 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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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.