Social & Behavior Change Officer, NOB, Gaziantep, TA, #124125 (Turkish Nationals Only) (6 months)

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.

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For every child, Future.

On 6 February 2023, two devastating earthquakes, measuring 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale, struck Pazarcık and Elbistan in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. The initial earthquake was followed by over 9,136 aftershocks, have been reported by Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). The earthquake heavily affected the neighboring provinces of Adıyaman, Kilis, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Malatya, Elazığ as well as Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır and Hatay, where around 13.5 million people reside including around 2 million Syrian refugees. Impacts have been felt across the 10 provinces in which a state of emergency has been declared (Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Hatay, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa) and Elazığ. These earthquakes are the largest to hit Türkiye in the last century, and the most significant to strike the country’s south-east region in hundreds of years. The earthquakes and aftershocks have caused catastrophic devastation, with at least 9.1 million people in the 11 hardest-hit provinces likely to have been directly impacted. On the evening of 20 February, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Hatay, with epicenter in Defne district. Several damaged buildings in the province collapsed, adding to the death toll. According to the latest statement, 44,375 people lost their lives, and 108,368 people were injured. In total, 2.2 million people have left the disaster zone. It is estimated that 528,146 of them were evacuated by official institutions. 

How can you make a difference?

The Social and Behaviour Change Officer reports to the Chief Field Office. The SB&C Officer provides technical and operational support to the supervisor, programmes, and partners by administering, executing and implementing a variety of tasks to promote and support community engagement and behaviour and social change interventions, requiring the application of technical skills in alignment with UNICEF organizational goals, rules, regulations, policies and procedures. The incumbent's work will be reflected in strengthened rights and evidence-based SBC and Community Engagement (CE) interventions to address knowledge, attitudes, norms and practices of individuals and social groups that contribute to enhancing social cohesion, community resilience and empowerment during the humanitarian response to Turkey earthquake.

Key functions/accountabilities:

Support to strategy design and development of S&BC activities

• Conceptualize, lead and implement SBC research, situation analyses, needs assessment, social listening etc. to identify social and behavioural determinants influencing key practices (immunization; nutrition; parenting; school enrolment; uptake of services etc.) among affected population, including among service providers, to support development of evidence-informed SBC interventions, messages and materials.
• Oversight the collection and synthesis reports of qualitative and quantitative information and data.
• Develop terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives.
• Lead development of evidence-informed SBC strategies, interventions and activities. Support authorities and stakeholders at national and local levels in (re)designing services to increase their relevance, inclusiveness and accessibility.
• Conceptualize/develop SBC interventions to support adoption of positive and protective practices and use of services.
• Bring insights from latest developments and best practices in the social and behavioural sciences and participatory approaches to community engagement to improve SBC outcomes in both humanitarian and development contexts.
• Provide support and technical guidance to programmes and partners in generating evidence on behavioural determinants and develop SBC interventions and materials. Support integration of SBC evidence generation and relevant indicators into sectoral projects/programmes.
• Propose, support and facilitate participatory approaches to evidence generation and SBC strategies development.
• Participate in country programme planning and reviews to contribute to discussions on the underlying and contextual issues to be addressed (e.g. policies, gender/children inequality, cultural/social behaviour etc) to ensure the successful and sustainable delivery of programme results and provide technical recommendations on approaches, strategies and plans of action for SBC to promote behavioural and social change.
• Collaborate/consult with relevant partners and stakeholders to ensure synergy, integration, coherence, and harmonization of SBC activities at country level. 

Implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SBC activities

• Collaborate with internal and external partners to provide operational and technical guidance and support to implement SBC strategies. Provide technical guidance and advise to programmes on implementation of SBC strategies and activities.
• Initiate/develop partnerships with government authorities, academia, civil society organizations, private sector etc. at national and local levels to implementation of SBC strategies and interventions. Identify opportunities to achieve SBC results at scale and in a sustainable manner.
• Support/ensure quality assurance of UNICEF supported SBC projects and activities. Conduct field visits to monitor quality of SBC activities and advise and support course corrections.
• Make operational decisions on and propose 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 and 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.
• Conceptualize/design, propose and support in establishing monitoring mechanisms to collect, analyse data, track, measure and report on SBC indicators/results. Ensure quality assurance of SBC data/insights and support generation of relevant reports, with adequate integration of SBC data/insights.
• Oversee the production and implementation of SBC initiatives and materials for compliance with targets and plans that integrate the latest evidence.
• Recommend timely action to ensure the achievement of results as planned and allocated.  Integrate/disseminate lessons learned in development planning and improvements.
• Support conceptualization and implementation of assessments/evaluations.
• Develop reports presenting SBC interventions and achieved social and behavioral results.
• Participate in workplans development and budget planning and management of programme funds.
• Provide technical, administrative and logistical support and background materials to carry out SBC activities and recommend operational strategies, approaches, plans, methods and procedures.

Technical and operational support  

• Collaborate with internal CO, Field Office and/or RO colleagues to contribute to the development of strategies, approaches and the planning of SBC interventions and resource mobilization initiatives in support of programmes/projects implementation and delivery of results in the humanitarian response.
• Participate in CO and Field Office strategic discussions to programmatic decision making and agenda setting for SBC advocacy and investments and related external relations and resource mobilization initiatives.
• Participate in budget planning and management of programme funds and prepare financial plan for SBC initiatives. Monitor/track the use of resources as planned and verify compliance with organizational guidelines, rules and regulations and standards of ethics and transparency.

Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Identify, build, and maintain partnerships through networking and proactive collaboration with strategic partners, e.g., UN agencies; academia; civil society organization; social networks; community leaders; influencers; media, all sectors/levels of (socially aware) society and critical stakeholders to reinforce cooperation and/or pursue opportunities for SBC advocacy to promote UNICEF mission and goals for child rights, social equity and inclusiveness.
• Collaborate with internal regional communication partners to harmonize, link and/or coordinate messaging and SBC activities to enhance outreach and contribution to programmatic outcomes.
• Participate in strategic conversations and support in discussions on programming approaches and agenda setting for SBC.

• Participate in/lead relevant inter-agency groups and/or civil society networks to position, promote and scale-up SBC in programmes and humanitarian response.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Explore, support testing and document innovative approaches and tools to engage with people affected by the earthquake, excluded groups, host communities to advance social and behaviour change.
• Facilitate the deployment and documentation of innovative off-line and digital platforms and networks that are appropriate for the humanitarian context and population groups.
• Document SBC results, lessons learned (what worked and what did not work).
• Disseminate SBC research findings and best practice and support exchange of experiences, evidence-informed programming and uptake of new/tested methods among government officials, programme staff, UNICEF partners, donors and/or the wider SBC field.
• Institutionalize / help scale successful approaches. Engage with national stakeholders, provincial administrations, including governmental partners, to integrate effective SBC approaches and tools into provincial mechanisms and systems, training curricula of service providers.
• In collaboration with relevant sections and partners develop tools, guidelines and training materials and facilitate capacity building on SBC in programmes, risk communication, community engagement and other related topics.
• Provide on-site and remote support and technical assistance to government and other stakeholders on development, implementation, and assessment of SBC activities.
• Support the organization, administration, and implementation of capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of clients/stakeholders/partners in SBC planning, implementation and evaluation. Support development of training materials for training activities and revise them periodically for improvements and updates.
• Conduct capacity building activities in the field office, to increase understanding and integration on SBC into programmes. Lead, support, train, and coach national and local partners.

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

• An university degree in one of the following fields is required: social and behavioural science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, education, communication, public health, social work, public relations, or another relevant technical field.

• A minimum of two years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required:  social development programme planning, Social & Behaviour Change, public advocacy or another related area.

•  

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

• Fluency in English and Turkish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language and Arabic is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

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.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework 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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 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.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert diversity profile] are encouraged to apply. 

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 are also 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.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Eligible UNICEF International Professional (IP) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to a Temporary Appointment, which is dedicated to L3 (or L2) Response, may be able to retain a lien and their fixed-term entitlements. The conditions of the temporary assignment will vary depending on the status of their post and their current tour of duty, and relocation entitlements may be limited as per the relevant policies.