Recruitment notice: Social & Behavior Change Officer

UNICEF operates in more than 190 countries and territories, striving to safeguard the lives of children, advocate for their rights, and enable them to realize their full potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is recruiting a Social & Behavior Change Officer

At UNICEF, we are dedicated, enthusiastic, and take great pride in our work. Promoting the rights of each and every child is not merely a profession—it is a vocation.

Moreover, UNICEF provides an environment where careers are nurtured, offering our employees a wide range of opportunities for personal and professional growth, all while contributing to a meaningful mission. We place value on fostering a culture that empowers our staff to flourish, complemented by an appealing compensation and benefits package.

For the well-being of each child, we are unwavering in our commitment.

Cameroon currently shelters more than 353,000 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR), with 94 percent residing in the eastern regions of East and Adamawa. Additionally, there are internally displaced persons (IDPs) from other crisis-stricken areas like Far-North, SouthWest, and NorthM/est.

In this scenario, the access to means of subsistence, nourishment, WASH services, and education is limited for both the refugees and the local communities. Moreover, both groups are facing varying degrees of increased food insecurity, malnutrition, loss of livelihoods, exposure to human rights violations, separation from their families, protection risks, and overall strain on resources and infrastructure. As the number of refugees continues to put significant pressure on natural resources and essential social services in the host areas, it often leads to conflicts between the refugees and the local populations regarding the utilization of scarce resources, including land. Consequently, there is a growing humanitarian need for both the host communities and the refugee populations, particularly considering that the host communities are already grappling with high rates of food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty.

The Social and Behavior Change Officer will be stationed in Bertoua and will cover the East and Adamawa regions. They will directly report to the Chief of the Field Office Bertoua for close supervision and receive technical guidance from the SBC Specialist. The SBC Officer will be responsible for designing, managing, monitoring, and evaluating evidence-based, inclusive, and innovative strategies for social and behavior change in support of the country program.

How can you make a positive impact?

To effectively contribute, the Social and Behavior Change Officer will be accountable to the Chief of Field Office Bertoua for close supervision, and the SBC Specialist for technical guidance. They will assume several key strategic functions, responsibilities, and associated duties/tasks.

Firstly, they will provide support in generating and utilizing research, data, and evidence to inform the design, measurement, and monitoring of SBC programs and outcomes in both developmental and emergency contexts. This includes building an evidence base for SBC by employing social and behavioral evidence and implementing robust engagement and participation mechanisms in both developmental and humanitarian settings.

If you are interested in learning more about this position, please refer to the complete Job Description here: TA Social & Behavior Change Officer NOA.pdf

To be qualified as an advocate for every child, you should possess the following attributes…

the Following Minimum Requirements

Education:

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in a social and behavioral science, such as sociology, anthropology, communication studies/communication for development, psychology, or a related field, is mandatory.
• Having relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered advantageous.

The Following Desirables

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS) form the foundation of everything we do and how we do it. Familiarize yourself with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values.

The UNICEF Competencies Required For This Post Are…

• Establishes and maintains partnerships.
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness.
• Driven to achieve results for impact.
• Innovates and embraces change.
• Manages ambiguity and complexity.
• Thinks and acts strategically.

UNICEF is dedicated to serving the world’s most disadvantaged children, and our global workforce should reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to including everyone, regardless of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We provide a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. UNICEF strongly promotes the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF’s hiring policies and standards prioritize the well-being and protection of children. Candidates who are married to children (persons under 18) are not eligible for employment at UNICEF. We strictly enforce a zero-tolerance policy towards any conduct that is inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF. This includes sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. Our commitment is to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

To ensure the highest standards of integrity, all selected candidates must undergo thorough reference and background checks. These checks will verify academic credentials and employment history. Additional information may be required to complete the background check process.

Medical clearance is a prerequisite for UNICEF appointments. For international professional positions, a visa from the host country is required and will be facilitated by UNICEF. There may also be vaccination requirements, including protection against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). If selected for a position with UNICEF, you must either fulfill the vaccination requirements or obtain a medical exemption from the relevant UN department. Failure to meet these requirements will result in the cancellation of the selection.

According to Article 101, paragraph 3, of the United Nations Charter, the primary consideration in staff employment is to secure the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF actively embraces diversity and inclusion as crucial elements for achieving the best outcomes for children. For this particular position, eligible and qualified female candidates and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

When considering employment with UNICEF, government employees are typically required to resign from their government positions before commencing work at UNICEF. It is important to note that UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if the necessary visa or medical clearance is not obtained within a reasonable timeframe, or if the required inoculation requirements are not met.

Please be aware that UNICEF does not charge any processing fees throughout its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes. This applies to all stages, including the application stage, interview stage, validation stage, appointment, and training. UNICEF will not request applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted to proceed to the next stage of the selection process. In certain cases, an internal candidate who meets the qualifications for the post in the relevant functional area or an internal/external candidate from the corresponding Talent Group may be selected without the need for an assessment of other candidates.

For more detailed information about working for UNICEF, please refer to the provided link.

Location: Bertoua – Cameroon

To apply, please follow the link provided.