Child Protection on Communication for Development (C4D) Specialist: (P3/NOC Rapid Response Rosters, Eastern and Southern Africa Region)

Unicef

Mar. 14, 2023

Job Description

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.

Since two years, countries in the ESA region have experienced an alarming increase in the number of new, or re-emerging humanitarian emergencies, including public health (including Ebola, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, wild poliovirus, and Cholera), armed conflicts and natural disasters emergencies. UNICEF ESAR has prioritized the critical need to support countries to rapidly scale up capacity to prevent, mitigate, and manage ongoing and anticipated emergencies as well as to enhance capacity for preparedness and response to these emergencies.

The Communication for Development Specialist will work closely with the Child Protection sector, Advocacy and Communication staff and other sectors working on Child Protection-related issues to design, test and implement strategic behavior-change communication, social mobilization and advocacy activities that aim to:

Prevent Child Protection-related risks;
Analyze and equitably address the trends and dynamics of the issues/problems related to protection of children from abuse, exploitation, separation, abandonment, discrimination and trafficking including sexual exploitation;
Facilitate the social mobilization interventions of UNICEF and its partners;
Facilitate increased community participation in Child Protection programs
Advocate for children’s rights at national and provincial levels
Engage the media and other key stakeholders as advocates for children’s rights and
facilitate increased community participation in recovery programs
Identify and contribute to the mobilization of resources to support the implementation of work.

Location: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Seychelles

Contract Type: Temporary Appointment (TA) or Consultancy.
Duration: 3 months to 364 days.

Duties and Responsibilities

In collaboration with partners and relevant decision makers, organise and manage the formative research, development, pre-testing and production of culturally-relevant Child Protection messages, activities and communication materials to facilitate effective and efficient program delivery and sustainable shifts in the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of specific stakeholder groups;
Ensure UNICEF program staff are fully oriented to the role and function of Communications for Development (C4D) as an integrated component of convergent program planning and delivery
Develop and maintain partnerships with national, provincial and local media, government departments/sectors, formal and informal community leaders and other civil society organisations, to orient and coordinate their involvement in child protection-focused C4D activities;
Provide technical support and capacity development to government and humanitarian counterparts in the development and appropriate use of communication for social change, aimed at both individual behaviour change and collective actions, with a view to eventual sustainable handover;
Manage orientation of selected media at national and provincial level to facilitate a sustainable and positive shift in public discourse about children’s rights and protection of children from violence.
Monitor and evaluate activities via applied communication research and frequent visits to project sites. Disseminate communication research findings and ensure exchanges of experience and new methods to government officials, program staff and other UNICEF partners and humanitarian community.

Qualifications and Experience

Advanced university degree in communications, social sciences or other relevant field.
A minimum of 5 years relevant experience with either the UN and/or NGO.
Excellent commination and interpersonal skills, and proven success in facilitating interagency processes to achieve a common goal.
Proven professional experience in planning, designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating C4D and social change communication programs on specific issues, preferably related to children.
Fluency in verbal and written English and/or French (depending on the country office's official language).
Exceptional written and spoken skills in the language of the humanitarian operation in country of assignment and knowledge of another UN language or a local language is an asset.