State Communication for Development Consultants at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: State Communication for Development Consultant for 2019 Mass Vaccination Campaigns

Job Number: 521197
Location: Nigeria
Work Type: Consultancy
This consultancy is for 6 months

Background/Purpose of Assignment
Immunization through vaccination is the most effective way of checking vaccine preventable diseases in large populations like Nigeria. The country has made valuable progress in the fight against vaccine preventable diseases, especially in protecting children against child-killer diseases and in preventing huge outbreaks of diseases within the population. Over the years, GAVI has supported the country with the introduction of new vaccines into the country's immunization schedule for children at birth to 9 months and the implementation of campaigns against vaccine preventable diseases like measles, yellow fever and meningitis.

Although Nigeria has made significant progress, routine immunization (RI) has suffered a severe setback with a national low coverage standing at just 33% and high numbers of unimmunized children according to the 2016 Multi Indicator Cluster Survey (MICs) and National Indicator Cluster Survey (NICS). Although lack of awareness of RI (42%) was cited in the survey as one of the main reasons for the low coverage recorded in the country, the setback is also largely due to the high concentration of missed children and limited communication interventions related to key household practices.

The low coverage of RI has also led to several outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases including yellow fever, measles and meningitis in the country that have resulted to high number of deaths. Based on current risk status of a national spread and an urgent need to contain these outbreaks, Nigeria will be implementing three major mass vaccination campaigns across states in the country and the Federal Capital territory (FCT) in the third and fourth quarters of 2019. These are measles vaccination campaign for children ages 9 months to 59 months, a preventive yellow fever mass vaccination campaign for people ages 9 months to under 45 years, and a Meningitis ‘A campaign for children ages 1 to 7 years.

The overall goal of these campaigns is to reduce transmission in the states by achieving desired coverage amongst targeted populations. The specific objective of the campaigns is to implement high-quality vaccination campaigns which takes lessons from previous campaigns into consideration, achieve desired vaccination coverages in implementing states and Local Government Areas (LGAs), use opportunities provided to strengthen the health system and immunization programme and strengthen the pharmaco-vigilance system for monitoring adverse events following immunization.

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Part of the success of the campaign will depend mostly on the extent of social mobilization and demand creation activities conducted to achieve these objectives, hence the special focus on addressing negative behaviours using acceptable strategies familiar/linked to the community through healthy partnership with community-based organizations, community mobilizers, field volunteers, forum for traditional and religious leaders, media engagement, rapid assessments, etc.

UNICEF Nigeria is seeking the services of National Communication for Development (C4D) Consultants to provide technical support to government and partners in the 36 states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the area of evidence-based planning, social mobilization, demand generation, capacity building, tracking of fund utilization, media engagement, monitoring and evaluation and data management to ensure a high quality of all campaigns with the set coverage based on post- campaign coverage survey.

Major Tasks to be Accomplished
The C4D Consultants, working with communication and social mobilization teams will undertake the following tasks:

• Produce and implement evidence-based area/audience specific communication/social mobilization/demand generation/community engagement plans (including micro plans) to ensure good and quality campaigns.
• Using the standard planning templates, develop/implement monthly workplans from the overall communication/social mobilization/demand generation plan.
• Support coordination with state teams on the monitoring and evaluation of the campaign activities, especially the advocacy and social mobilization component including ensuring intensified actions at state, LGA and community levels with a special emphasis on overcoming refusal of vaccination by building public trust in the safety and improving vaccine acceptance.
• Identify constraints, challenges and opportunities for program delivery with State Teams and State Communication and Social Mobilization Working Groups.
• Provide technical guidance in the design, preparation and use of targeted communication materials in appropriate languages for government frontline health workers/media networks, traditional and religious opinion leaders, village development/community groups and households.
• Strengthen mass media campaign and track media mention in the state.
• Support assigned development of community communication packages for the campaign activities.
• Mobilize support for the campaign and strengthen partnerships through advocacy and awareness building targeting a variety of groups to include state governments, media, traditional leaders, religious leaders, and community networks.
• Facilitate capacity building and sensitization of various stakeholders and key partners including communication and social mobilization committees/working groups, health education officers, Ward Development Committees (WDCs), Village Development Committees (VDCs), Volunteer Community Mobilizers (VCMs) network, media, religious leaders/groups, traditional leaders/institutions, community influencers and caregivers, etc. on mobilization activities to improve knowledge and acceptance for positive behaviors for immunization in general.
• Monitor and evaluate campaigns communication/social mobilization/demand generation plans/community engagement implementation activities regularly, undertake field visits and identify problems and propose remedial actions, identifying alternative courses of action to accelerate/improve service delivery.
• Participate in the preparation of all programme reports required by the State and share information regularly with the C4D focal persons at the Country Office and Field Office level.
• Work with the assigned states to produce mitigation plans and strategies in preparedness for 2019 and 2020 outbreaks.
• Undertake other tasks related to communication that might be required by the Chief of C4D Section and Communication for Development Manager.

Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience Required

• Bachelors Degree or HND in Social Sciences or related technical field preferably in Communication, Media and Public Relations.
• At least Three (3) years progressively responsible professional work experience at state or levels in programme planning, management, monitoring and evaluation in Immunization Programmes. Experience in social mobilization and communication for immunization programme, training in IEC materials development, negotiation skills and team building is highly desirable.
• Ability to conceptualise ideas clearly and concisely in written and oral form, innovate, plan and execute ideas.
• Fluency in English is desirable.
• Knowledge of local working language of the duty station an asset.

Application Closing Date
12th April, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online