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, Health

The global campaign to eradicate polio stands at a critical juncture. Despite remarkable progress, the final push requires reaching the most marginalized communities, dispelling misinformation, and fostering trust in immunization efforts. Simultaneously, a seismic shift in the global communication landscape presents both challenges and extraordinary opportunities.

The number of people accessing the internet, particularly through mobile devices, continues to surge globally. Social media platforms now wield unprecedented influence over the flow of information and formation of public opinion. Even in communities with limited or intermittent internet access, information and narratives spread rapidly through digital channels, shaping perceptions about health, vaccines, and community well-being. Young people, a crucial demographic in polio eradication efforts, increasingly rely on online mediums for news, information, and social connection.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the complex ways in which online narratives impact public health. Misinformation and disinformation have eroded trust in institutions, hampered vaccination campaigns, and exacerbated health disparities. These challenges demand a sophisticated and adaptive digital response to ensure the polio eradication messaging reaches target audiences and cuts through the noise.

As a founding member of Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), UNICEF leads the global SBC efforts on polio eradication. Learnings from Digital Community Engagement (DCE) efforts for polio since 2020, have highlighted that DCE capabilities currently vary across polio programmes. As part of Polio SBC Team’s DCE decentralization strategy, the DCE Consultant will assess the digital landscape, pinpoint strengths, and areas for improvement, and help develop customized strategies to enhance DCE practices across priority countries.

The consultant’s work will center on key components: empowering teams with access to social listening platforms to gain insights into online narratives, conducting in-depth analyses to inform decision-making, building capacity through targeted training, organizing knowledge-sharing webinars to foster collaboration, and meticulously tracking DCE performance metrics to continuously refine strategies.

Through a meticulous approach to data analysis and community engagement, the DCE Consultant will generate actionable insights that inform the continuous refinement of digital strategies, ensuring that digital efforts are impactful, inclusive, and aligned with the overarching goal of polio eradication. This assignment represents a critical intersection of technology, public health, and social impact, requiring a candidate who is not only adept in digital technologies but also deeply committed to leveraging these tools for global health advancement.

How can you make a difference?

The Digital Community Engagement (DCE) Consultant will support the development and implementation of a comprehensive digital engagement strategy aimed at supporting the UNICEF Polio Team’s global efforts to eradicate polio. This involves a multifaceted approach, leveraging digital technologies, analytics, and platforms to enhance outreach, engage communities, and drive participation in polio eradication initiatives.

The consultant’s scope of work, detailed by key deliverables, includes:

1. Monthly Talkwalker Reports:
   • Manage UNICEF polio team’s global Talkwalker account to enable online social and community listening platform access.
   • Support polio outbreak and endemic country teams to implement and use Talkwalker in their own programmes using global polio account.
   • Offer strategic recommendations to adjust digital communication tactics based on data-driven insights.
2. DCE Capabilities and Gaps Reviews
   • Work with the Digital Communication Manager and CO Team to conduct field-level assessments of current digital community engagement capabilities for polio eradication in 4 priority countries.
   • Identify existing actions, gaps, and resources, including personnel, technology, and partnerships, at the programme level encompassing UNICEF, countries, and partners.
   • Develop a Country Overview for Digital Community Engagement, including internet penetration, social media use, relevant digital influencers, and influential digital websites or organizations.
3. DCE Systems Strengthening Recommendation Reports
   • Present a detailed analysis of the DCE Capabilities and Gaps Reviews findings, with specific, actionable recommendations.
   • Provide strategic guidance on enhancing team structures and processes to support more efficient and impactful digital community engagement.
   • Outline technological improvements or new systems to support goals, including content management, social media listening tools, and analytics platforms.
4. DCE Strategy Workshops:
   • Facilitate collaborative workshops with support from polio SBC teams in Country and Regional Offices to develop a tailored Digital Community Engagement Strategy for polio eradication in 4 priority countries.
   • Guide teams through the process of defining clear DCE objectives, target audiences, key messaging, resource requirements, timelines, and actionable outcomes.
   • Explore best practices, emerging trends, and platform optimization techniques to inform strategic decision-making.
5. DCE Trainings:
   • Develop and deliver four comprehensive training sessions focused on enhancing the digital engagement capabilities of polio SBC teams.
   • Cover topics such as digital strategy development, content creation, analytics and measurement, and platform-specific engagement techniques.
   • Tailor training materials to address the specific needs and skill levels of the team members, ensuring applicability across diverse global contexts.
6. Quarterly DCE Metrics Reports:
   • Compile and analyze performance data across all digital platforms used in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
   • Generate quarterly reports detailing key metrics, including reach, engagement rates, conversion metrics, and the effectiveness of different content types and channels.
   • Provide actionable insights and recommendations for strategy optimization based on the analysis of these metrics.
7. Annual DCE Report:
   • Produce a comprehensive annual report summarizing the year’s digital engagement activities, achievements, and learnings.
   • Include a detailed analysis of the overall impact of digital strategies on polio eradication efforts, highlighting successes and areas for improvement.
   • Offer forward-looking strategies and innovative approaches to enhance future digital engagement efforts.

Deliverables encompass the following. Please submit your fee proposal linked to below deliverables:

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Marketing, Advertising, Digital Marketing, Communication, Digital Communication
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in digital community engagement, social media management, social and community listening, and content creation.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in sentiment analysis and metrics reporting.
• Excellent communication and training skills, with the ability to engage a diverse global team.
• Familiarity with global health issues, specifically polio eradication efforts, is desirable.
• Proficiency in digital engagement tools and platforms, including Talkwalker.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Fluency in English is required. 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 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.

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.