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, Safety…

• Develop new vaccine advocacy package for stakeholders (faith leaders, health professionals community leaders and media) defining key asks from each stakeholders in English and Chichewa.
• Develop HPV advocacy plan focusing schools and health institutions to improve coverage of HPV among adolescent girls.
• Support EPI and Health Promotion Division to develop communication messages and materials including dissemination plan to address issues from social listening.

• Develop community health structure mapping, stakeholder analysis including understanding gap data collection tools.
• Conduct community mapping, stakeholder analysis and capacity assessment of community health workers.
• Develop various capacity building package (online and offline) for HSAs and community health volunteers to address vaccine hesitancy and identification of zero dose care givers and referrals.
• Prepare the list of communication and skills building plan and content for community health workers.

• Develop tools/materials for community health workers.
• Develop communication materials co-creation guidelines for HPV.
• Conduct co-creation workshop with adolescent boys and girls to understand the barriers of vaccine uptake and draft communication materials together with the adolescent groups.
• Collaborate with Designer and finalize communication materials for adolescent girls, parents and and messages to promote HPV uptake.
• Develop integrated community health programme with strong social accountability mechanism for pilot implementation in two districts.

• Collaborate with district and community-based network to identify the low performing health and nutrition indicators for behaviour tracking.
• Design two-way social accountability mechanism for improving community health system in two districts together with the communities (adapting community behaviour tracking being implemented in 14 districts for nutrition programme).
• Develop capacity building plan for community behaviour tracking for health and nutrition in collaboration University of Malawi and Department of Nutrition.
• Capacity building of community health workers and local leaders, faith leaders on community behaviour tracking, rumors tracking and closing the feedback loop.
• Establish social accountability mechanism in the selected TAs of Chikawawa and Mangochi) under the leadership of District Health Management Team.

• Ensure an effective collaboration by working closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF staff, WHO, and other partners to ensure that all vaccine hesitancy interventions are aligned with national immunization goals and public health strategies.
• Coordinate with implementing partners to ensure the efficient delivery of communication materials and community-level interventions.

How can you make a difference?

The consultant will lead evidence generation on the community health and nutrition landscape through community mapping, stakeholder analysis and capacity assessment, from the two pilot districts Mangochi and Chikwawa.  By leveraging community health systems, the consultant will work closely with health facility staff, community health workers and local leaders, to improve community outreach with preventive, promotive and curative services. The consultant role will also be critical in supporting ministry of health, EPI and HPD in increasing the uptake of underutilized vaccines such as the Human Papillomavirus Virus (HPV) and Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV), mitigating the negative impact of vaccine hesitancy on public health outcome and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) screening program.

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

Academic qualification:

• Advanced university degree in Health Communication, Behavioural Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology or another relevant technical field is required.
• A first level university degree in combination with additional 2 years qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree is required.

Work experience:

• At least 5 years of professional work experience at national and international levels in health communication, community health and other relevant programme is required.
• Work experience related to the demand generation for routine immunization and strengthening community health programme or capacity building of community health workers is required.
• Work experience managing large-scale projects, working with governments, working in resource-limited settings, monitoring and evaluating supply chains, and risk management, mitigation will be an asset.
• Experience in generating social data and evidence will be an asset.

 Technical skills, knowledge, and strength areas:

• Skills for implementation of the Community level Primary Health Care is required.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, oral and written communication skills is required.
• Effective presenter including ability to adapt the message and visual aids for multiple audiences to deliver concise, impactful presentations of primary health care interventions is required.
• Effective facilitator with proven ability to engage and train a group of individuals at national level and for front line health workers as well is required.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment will be an asset.

 Languages:

• Sound written and spoken fluency in English and Chichewa is required.

Please refer to the attached full  TOR for Community Health and New Vaccine Advocacy – Consultant.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 committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

HOW TO APPLY…

Interested Individual Consultant should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Academic certificates
3. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the Individual Consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment
4. Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, stationery, communication, and other miscellaneous costs).  Financial Proposal for Consultancy.xlsx Complete the attached form.
5. References details from three most recent supervisors.

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.

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements