Social behaviors Change Consultant

The consultant will assess behavioral determinants and social norms influencing caregiver decisions on enrolment and retention of children in Early Childhood Education (ECE) to inform the development of a national Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Strategy and implementation framework.

Responsibilities

• Assess the behavioral determinants, decision-making processes, social norms, perceptions of value, aspirations, self-efficacy, and service-related factors influencing caregiver decisions regarding enrolment and retention of children in Early Childhood Education (ECE).
• Generate actionable evidence to inform the development of a national Social and Behavior Change (SBC) Strategy and implementation framework aimed at increasing demand for Early Childhood Education (ECE), strengthening caregiver engagement, promoting positive gender norms, and improving equitable participation in early learning opportunities.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Education, Social Sciences, behavioral Sciences, Communication for Development, Social Sciences, Education, Public Health or related disciplines.
• A PhD in a relevant field constitutes an added advantage.
• A minimum of five (05) years of progressively responsible professional experience in designing and leading Social and Behavior Change (SBC) programs, behavioral research, or education programming, for UN agencies, bilateral donors, or reputable international NGOs, preferably in low-resource and fragile contexts.
• A proven track record of developing national-level strategies or frameworks that have been adopted and operationalized by government counterparts.
• Substantive experience in early childhood education, play-based learning, school readiness, and/or foundational learning programming.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, including working effectively with government counterparts at national and sub-national level.
• Proven ability to develop strategic documents and to design communication and advocacy materials, training packages, and dialogue guides suitable for low-literacy and multilingual environments.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; working knowledge of Juba Arabic or other South Sudanese languages is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated integrity, cultural sensitivity, and ability to operate effectively in insecure and logistically challenging environments, in full compliance with UN security protocols.

Skills

• Social and Behavior Change
• Behavioural Science Research
• Education Programming
• National Strategy Design
• Early Childhood Education
• Play-based Learning
• School Readiness
• Foundational Learning Programming
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Facilitation Skills
• Communication Materials Development
• Advocacy Material Development
• Training Package Design
• Dialogue Guide Development
• Low-literacy Communication
• Bilingual Communication
• Written Communication
• Oral Communication
• Cultural Sensitivity
• UN Security Protocols

Languages

English