National Social Listening Consultant, Suva, Fiji

The UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country Office is seeking to engage a National Social Listening Consultant to be based in Suva, Fiji for a duration of 350 days. Should you be interested in the consultancy, please click on the link to apply

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, a safe environment

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work to translate that commitment into practical action, especially for the most disadvantaged children

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. UNICEF field offices are established in FSM, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands to support the multi-country programme in the Pacific region

The coronavirus pandemic has affected millions of people across the world, including many lives lost due to COVID-19. To protect people from the disease, vaccines against COVID-19 are being developed. Vaccines will be the most effective means to protect populations from COVID-19, together with key behavioral actions by families, communities, and individuals

With the current status of COVID-19 vaccine development, there is a significant global public expectation on vaccines providing the safe and effective means to end the current pandemic. However, there will be many challenges to overcome when vaccine/s are introduced, especially from a communications and community engagement perspective in managing expectations and uncertainty, communicating complexity about the vaccines, including differing types, dosages, safety profiles, as well as managing scenarios of demand and supply capacity. Furthermore, with a staged rollout of vaccines, it will be critical that communities and individuals continue to maintain compliance with protective behaviors and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), which will be critical in preventing infection and breaking chains of transmission

This will necessitate that Pacific Governments, Ministries of Health, and partners build strong relationships and two-way communications and engagement with the public to create an environment of trust and belief

In preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine introduction, Pacific countries will need to be prepared to manage an extremely challenging communications landscape of supply and demand for vaccines. As proportions of the population will be prioritized for the first tranche of vaccines, including frontline workers, health workers, the elderly population, and individuals in high-risk categories, it will be important to manage public expectations for access, explaining the rationale for prioritization

UNICEF as the co-lead of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) for COVID-19 response is expected to continue providing technical support and coordinate with country teams as the COVID-19 vaccine will be introduced.  The proposed consultancy will:

Establish a coordinated regional and country-level real-time social listening and understanding of online and offline COVID-19 conversations as they relate to immunization, to inform the development and implementation of Risk Communication Community Engagement strategies (RCCE) strategies from regional to sub-national levels

How can you make a difference?

The C4D consultant will be deployed as part of a UNICEF Pacific Multi-Country C4D Team.  In close collaboration with various sections, especially Health and Communications, in Suva and field offices the consultant will track and consolidate, above all, misinformation and rumors regarding COVID-19 vaccines using online and offline mechanism to identify trends and real-time insights into the concerns to develop a response at national level across PICTs. This is critical in ensuring a continuous, coordinated, cohesive, and strategic response to outbreak and vaccine introduction preparedness and response

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

-  Establish a regional and country-specific social listening and engagement system with a focus on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on immunization

-  Map country communications ecosystems to inform the development of social listening and engagement activities. This may include UNICEF and partners tools and channels (e.g., U-Report chatbots, polls and counseling hubs, Internet of Good Things) and offline sources (e.g. community feedback)

-  Leverage an online monitoring tool to track misinformation and rumors. Develop a rumor log and rumor management algorithm. Track online narratives and conversations that may impact immunization programs

-  Undertake a daily review of the regional COVID-19 online tracking dashboard to identify trends and liaise with respective country offices to address them

-  Produce regular briefs and dashboard for regional and country C4D colleagues that synthesize multiple online and offline sources of data, identify signals and trends, describe current narratives, and provide recommendations and guidance

-  Provide technical assistance to develop and implement social listening and engagement strategies and action plans

-  Support to establish appropriate strategies and mechanisms to manage rumors and effectively respond to misinformation and disinformation

-  Support in capacity building sessions to provide skills for social listening and support for digital engagement activities through strategic advice and high quality digital-based C4D content

-  Keep an updated mapping of digital-based platforms available for in country-based COVIS-19 rumors tracking mechanism

-  Document the lessons learnt and best practices in social media monitoring and rumor

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

• Advanced university degree or equivalent experience in Statistics, Data Science and/or Knowledge management, Communications, Digital Marketing. Training in one of these several Social Media and/or Data Science technical competencies: Social media management, Digital monitoring, Business Analytics
• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree
• At least 5 years of proven experience in social media monitoring and analysis and/or digital listening
• Previous experience with social media management, trend monitoring, and influencing
• Excellent writing skills planning and coordination skills, with proven ability to work independently

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) 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 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.