UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a voice.

How can you make a difference?

As the Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, you will support planning, implementation, monitoring, quality improvement and coordination of SBC/ACSM interventions, with a focus on increasing caregiver acceptance of polio vaccination, reducing missed children, addressing refusals and hesitancy, countering misinformation, strengthening community engagement, and improving the performance of community-based mobilization structures.

Under the overall guidance of the UNICEF Polio Team Lead, you will work closely with key partners, including the NPHCDA, WHO, AFENET, Solina, Rotary and the Gates Foundation, to support polio eradication efforts at the national, state, and local levels.

As the SBC Specialist, you will provide national-level technical and operational support to the Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Emergency Operations Centre, and work closely with State Emergency Operations Centres and partners to improve the quality of polio eradication activities and their linkages with routine immunization and primary health care.

Major responsibilities:

Strategic planning, programme development and outbreak response
Microplanning, operational readiness and campaign preparedness
Campaign implementation, field supervision and quality improvement
Community engagement, social mobilization and trust building
Refusal conversion, misinformation management and missed-children reduction
Data use, monitoring, reporting and knowledge management
Coordination, partnership building and advocacy
Capacity building, innovation and continuous improvement
Accountability and additional duties

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Download File Social & Behavior Change Specialist, Polio Outbreak Response (NO-3).pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in social and behavioural science, communication for development, public health, health promotion, sociology, anthropology, psychology, development studies or another relevant field is required.
Work Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in social and behaviour change, health communication, community engagement, immunization, public health, emergency response or related areas is required. Relevant experience should include:
- Experience in SBC/ACSM planning, implementation, monitoring and coordination is required.
- Experience supporting immunization, polio eradication, outbreak response or other public health campaigns is required.
- Experience working with community mobilizers, civil society organizations, religious and traditional leaders, and local influencers is required.
- Experience addressing vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, refusals, missed children or low service uptake is required.
Skills: Advocacy, interpersonal communication, campaign preparedness, monitoring, reporting and problem solving skills are required.
Language Requirements: Proficient/Fluent level of English is required.

Desirables:

Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish), or a local language (Hausa or another language spoken in polio priority states in Nigeria) is an asset.
Experience in social data, community feedback and monitoring findings for programme improvement, experience working with government counterparts, UN agencies, NGOs and development partners, experience in routine immunization, zero dose programming or integrated PHC services is an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, Northern Nigeria, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

UNICEF staff members holding fixed-term, continuing, or permanent appointments who are considered to be on abolished post status may apply for this temporary position and, if selected with a start date before 31 December 2025, may take it up as a temporary assignment, in line with UNICEF guidance on separation due to the abolition of posts or staff reduction. They will retain their fixed-term entitlements but will not hold a lien to their abolished post. For other scenarios where a Temporary Assignment may be possible, please refer to Additional guidance on IP to IP temporary assignments after completion of the full TOD.pdf (accessible to UNICEF personnel only).

The conditions of a temporary assignment, including relocation entitlements, will depend on the status of the staff member's original appointment and may be limited in accordance with applicable UNICEF policies, procedures, and practices in force.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Social & Behavior Change Specialist, Polio Outbreak Response (NO-3), TA (364 days), #137832, Abuja - Nigeria, WCAR