SBC Polio Emergency Consultant, NO-C, (For Liberian Nationals Only), Field-Based in Liberia

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, immunization is a must!!

How can you make a difference? 

I. Background:

Liberia has recorded two positive environmental samples of polio (CVDPV2) as at March 1, 2024 indicating the risk of further positives (either environmental or human). The current attached slides are to be updated with the second confirmed case and shared with partners. There are ongoing polio transmissions in Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea which are all bordering Liberia.

These bordering countries had earlier planned Sub-national Immunization Days (SNIDs) and National Immunization Days (NIDs) respectively which have been postponed on several occasions with the latest dates being May 10 – 14, 2024. This situation coupled with the sub-optimal routine immunization data places Liberia as a high-risk country and an outbreak response including a nationwide immunization campaign needs to be conducted as soon as possible.  The immunization campaigns need to be synchronized across the three countries in order to achieve maximum impact and thus the propose dates is also May 10 – 14, 2024to allow for logistics, vaccines, surge etc to be in place.

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is a key component of UNICEF’s work, as it is essential for long term and sustainable behavior and social changes that impacts on the lives of children and adolescents, their families and communities.  

Liberia is expected to conduct  2 rounds of National Polio Outbreak Mitigation and response activities . UNICEF is the pillar lead for SBC, vaccine management and cold chain; as such, there’s a need to recruit qualified SBC consultants in each of the 15 counties who will support the county health teams to plan, implement and evaluation the polio campaign SBC activities in those counties.

The nOPV2 campaign will require huge logistical and human resource needs  . The need to have adequate staffs at the county-level to coordinate, support the County Health Teams and provide supportive supervision for the successful implementation of the campaign cannot be overemphasized.    there is a need for coordination among GPEI, development partners and government agencies to ensure that there are  strategies to address special populations and hard to reach population groups across national, regional, district and sub-district levels to adhere to the preventive protocols that will curb the spread of the pandemic in Liberia while safe guarding the essential needs of children and caregivers.

1. To support the SBC Specialist and the National teams develop strategies and detailed plans on social mobilization for Polio Out Break Response and ensure that all additional risk communication and community engagements content activities meet expected quality standards and are effectively planned, implemented and monitored.
2. To support the National team to monitor the SBC component of the campaign, manage rumors, hesitancy, and refusal, and promote cross-border surveillance and response activities and provide support to the county SBC Consultants on raising awareness amongst communities to increase demand for polio vaccine. 

IV. Work Assignment Overview:

The consultant will be supervised by the Social and Behavior Change Specialist.

VIII. Technical and Financial Proposals:

Applicants are invited to submit with their online application:

• A cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment
• A recently updated CV
• Selection criteria will be based on qualifications, skills, expertise and experience in the required field
• Evaluation Criteria (This will be used for the Selection Report) – Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 100 Points)   

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.