Current vacancies

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.

For every child, the right to thrive

Social and Behaviour Change in UNICEF is a cross-cutting programme strategy that addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of social change in both development and humanitarian contexts. SBC uses the latest in social and behavioral sciences to understand people, their beliefs, values, and the socio-cultural norms that shape their lives, with the aim of engaging them and increasing their influence in the design of solutions for sustainable behavior and social change. SBC is at the core of UNICEF’s mandate, with corporate results across sectors revolving around social and behavioral practices like immunization, breastfeeding, hygiene, and positive discipline.  

UNICEF SBC employs a mix of approaches including community engagement, strategic communication, applied behavioural science, service delivery improvement, systems strengthening and policy advocacy and social mobilization to advance child rights, survival, development, protection and participation. 

How can you make a difference? 

The Social and Behavior Change Specialist (Child Survival and Development) reports to the head of section (Social and Behaviour Change Manager) for general guidance and supervision. The Specialist provides technical and operational support for developing a systematic, planned and evidence-based strategy and process for SBC as an integral part of programme development, planning and implementation. Through communication and engagement, as well as the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/mobilization. This subsequently contributes to the achievement of sustainable and concrete results in improving children’s rights, survival and development in the country. The specific focus of this position is child survival and development. As per the current country context, it is expected that this position will mainly cover Health (Primary Health Care and Immunization), Nutrition and Early Childhood Development, and will work collaboratively with relevant sections.

1. Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes around the Child Survival and Development agenda
2. Design, plan and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in support of the Child Survival and Development agenda
3. Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building.
4. Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners. 

1. Generate and utilize research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes around the Child Survival and Development agenda 

• In collaboration with sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, design and conduct SBC situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioral drivers; initiate, commission, manage and/or utilize qualitative and quantitative research on social and behavioral drivers that include behavioural analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and/or RCT.  
• Establish community feedback mechanisms and use feedback to inform community engagement and SBC actions for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. Generate and use SBC evidence, data, and assessments for disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience.  
• Develop terms of reference, research tools, frameworks and protocols for generating evidence to inform SBC initiatives and apply tools, methodologies and frameworks for data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting and disseminating SBC results. 
• Conduct and/or participate in country programme monitoring and evaluation exercises and make recommendations on workplan revisions based on the results. 
• Develop and manage relationships with external partners, vendors and consultants for research and evidence generation and support of SBC. 

2. Design, plan and implement SBC activities that are backed by social and behavioural evidence and strong engagement and participation mechanisms in support of the Child Survival and Development agenda

• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and other UN/NGO partners, develop, implement and monitor evidence-based SBC strategies and activities, in line with global standards and UNICEF priorities and approaches. 
• In collaboration/consultation with UNICEF sectoral and cross-sectoral colleagues and implementing partners, select appropriate SBC activities and platforms for engagement, ensuring quality and integration of the latest evidence and science-backed approaches. In this process, oversee coordination with SBC stakeholders and partners to align plans and activities. 
• Identify, propose and implement evidence-based programme/strategy recommendations from current data, evidence and trends for priority social and behavioral issues and ensure the integration of latest innovative approaches and technology in SBC in programme approaches and advocate for their adoption among internal and external stakeholders. 
• Apply the above skills of designing, planning, implementing and monitoring of community engagement and SBC interventions.
• Make viable recommendations on inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioural approaches in sectoral work plans and strategies. Advocate for the inclusion of community engagement and social and behavioral approaches in sectoral workplans based on active participation in sectoral programme planning and reviews and viable recommendations for the integration of SBC.  

3. Support operationalization of SBC by advocating for SBC, mobilizing resources, coordinating across stakeholders, sectors and teams, and partnership building. 

• Represent UNICEF’s interests in partnerships and manage development of and progress against joint project agreements with relevant partners; represent the UNICEF CO and SBC Section in national and international level fora and among partners as relevant and necessary. 
• Collaborate with national, regional and/or global partners to link and coordinate SBC approaches. 
• Cultivate resource mobilization opportunities and produce proposals, reports and other materials to support resources mobilization. Contribute to mobilizing human resources for SBC, including staff, consultants and external vendors.  
• Identify, recruit and supervise consultants, vendors and other technical expertise to support delivery of SBC activities. Plan, use and track the use of resources and verify compliance with organizational guidelines and standards. 
• Contribute to financial planning, budget planning and tracking and financial management for SBC.  
• Identify, disseminate, and adopt best practices and innovative approaches and technology in SBC, integrate them in programme approaches and support SBC and sectoral teams in implementing them. 
• Advocate internally and externally for integration of SBC in national systems, in the country programme, and in sectoral plans. 
• Coordinate with stakeholders and partners for the implementation of community engagement. 

4. Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up in SBC through capacity building for UNICEF staff and partners. 

• Identify, design, and organize SBC training materials and opportunities for staff and partners, including on new approaches such as behavioural analysis, behavioural insights, human-centered design, social listening, and social accountability mechanisms. Develop and/or use and adapt existing UNICEF learning resources, guidelines and training materials to build SBC capacity among staff, implementing partners and relevant government and non-government counterparts. 
• Develop and institutionalize best practices, facilitate the exchange of experiences and provide technical assistance for the uptake of new SBC methods and knowledge internally and externally. 
• Plan and implement SBC capacity assessments within the CO.  
• Identify and mobilize resources to support capacity development internally and externally and provide SBC technical support and capacity building to government counterparts.  
• Initiate and manage partnerships with academia and learning institutions for the delivery of SBC capacity development activities.  
• Identify and develop mechanisms to strengthen systems for community engagement.  

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields is required: Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Health, or another relevant technical field. 

*A Bachelors or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area stated above, combined with two (2) additional years of relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree”

• Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, social and behavior change, communication for development, public advocacy or another related area. 
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Swahili is required.

Desirables:

• Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset. 
• Experience working in a developing country is considered as an asset.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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

The 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 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

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.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.]

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.