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, Hope…

Malawi’s new Country Programme (2024-2028) includes three components: (1) child survival and development; (2) learning, skills development and protection; and (3) social policy. All components are supported by the programme and operational effectiveness and efficiency imperatives. All UNICEF programmes focus on risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all the above three outcome areas.  Risk-informed programming across the humanitarian and development nexus in all three outcome areas will contribute to strengthened disaster preparedness, enhanced climate adaptation/mitigation and response, and increased resilience capacity of institutions, communities, and young people. Programming aligns with UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s Transformative Agenda.

Malawi is ranked fifth in the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index. According to the Children’s Climate Risk Index (UNICEF, 2021), Malawi is among the top forty countries with high climate risk for children and the most vulnerable communities.  Malawi is highly susceptible to climate and environmental shocks, including flooding, drought, cyclones, and extreme heat. Such shocks have recently increased in frequency and magnitude and are among Malawi’s children’s greatest threats. As per UNICEF, ‘Climate Landscape Analysis for Children in Malawi’ report (CLAP) 2022 that climate-related hazards have resulted in the loss of life, displaced thousands of people, and damaged or disrupted roads, health facilities, schools, and power supplies across the country. Malawi also faces frequent outbreaks of cholera, endemic malaria, and the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, contributing to a need for a programme response fully responsive to an increased poly-crisis environment.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is one of the key pillars of UNICEF’s outbreak response after the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. The social and Behaviour change section in UNICEF has been co-leading the RCCE for emergency response at the interagency level (jointly with WHO and IFRC) and leading RCCE work (together with key sectors, divisions, and programs). UNICEF RCCE principles comprised of reaching communities, families, and individuals with socially- culturally, contextual, and evidence-based messaging, combating misinformation and rumours, community participation and ownership of preventive and response measures, monitoring community satisfaction, feedback, and complaints, and addressing them timely.

How can you make a difference?

Towards enhancing emergency response such as cholera, flood, polio, food insecurity and COVID-19 the RCCE specialist will be responsible for coordinating and strengthening the RCCE efforts implemented across the country, harmonizing the key messages and communication assets, sharing the data, strengthening the community feedback, and closing the feedback loop.

The RCCE Specialist will be responsible for the planning and coordination of RCCE actions on outbreak response, strengthening the RCCE coordination mechanism at the national and sub-national level, generation and utilization of the social and behavioural data, strengthening the community feedback mechanism through the use of one tools and dashboard and documentation and sharing of the knowledge products.

RCCE specialist will enhance strategic communication and community engagement targeted to vulnerable at-risk populations in collaboration with national and sub national level authorities for emergency response. This will include development and adaptation of messages and materials for local context to address communication barriers to improve key family practices based on rapid assessment and engagement with the affected populations.

The consultant is expected to improve RCCE interventions through developing or strengthening functional tracking system to collect community feedback, monitoring of rumours, misinformation, grievances and developing capacity building plan to address the real time feedback from the communities and closing the feedback loop.

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

Academic qualification:

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

Work experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas is required: social development programme planning, coordination, S&BC, social marketing, public advocacy, or another related area.
• Experience in developing S&BC communication and monitoring tools and materials is essential.
• Experience managing analysis, synthesis, documentation and dissemination of lessons for a range of stakeholders is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience working with Ministry of Health, UN system agency or organization is considered an asset.
• Background and/or familiarity with emergency context is considered an asset.

Technical skills, knowledge and strength areas:

• Strong organizational and coordination skills, analytical capabilities, ability to work in a fast-paced emergency environment, and ability to handle multiple tasks are preferred.

Languages: 

• Fluency in written and verbal English is required, familiarity with Chichewa will be asset.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference_Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Specialist.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

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.

HOW TO APPLY…

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Cover letter:

• Describing the candidate’s relevant experience with similar type of assignments (max 300 words)

2. Updated Curriculum Vitae (not more than 4 pages)
3. Two latest performance appraisals and/or recommendations letters from recent assignments including reference contact details (phone numbers and email addresses)
4. When a need arises, the office will invite pre-selected roster candidates to provide their financial proposal (all-inclusive fee) for the specific assignment as well as to confirm their availability and interest at the time of the deployment need.

5. Include with your application relevant samples from similar work (web links also can be provided).

Remarks: 

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.