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For every child, the right to immunization!!

How can you make a difference? 

I. Background:

Liberia is currently responding to an outbreak of Mpox, with Montserrado County being the epicenter due to its high population density and urban characteristics. The effectiveness of the public health response—including surveillance, contact tracing, vaccination, and case management—is heavily dependent on community understanding, acceptance, and participation.

Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is a critical pillar in this response, aimed at building trust, dispelling myths and misinformation, promoting protective behaviors, and ensuring that outbreak control measures are culturally appropriate and community owned. The Montserrado County Health Team (MCHT) requires dedicated technical RCCE expertise to strengthen and coordinate these efforts for a more effective and sustainable response.

In this light, four (4) posts for the position Consultant to support RCCE Consultant Strengthening the Mpox Outbreak Response in Montserrado County is needed.

II. Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Objective:

To provide high-quality, technical RCCE guidance and support to the MCHT to design, implement, and monitor an effective, evidence-based, and community-centered RCCE strategy for the Mpox outbreak response in Montserrado County.

III. Scope of Work:

Thematic Scope:

The SBC Strategy will focus on:

The consultant will be responsible for the following:

Rapid RCCE Assessment and Situation Analysis:

• Conduct a rapid assessment of the existing RCCE activities, structures, and partners in Montserrado County.
• Identify key knowledge gaps, perceptions, beliefs, rumors, and barriers to preventive behaviors related to Mpox within different community segments (e.g., high-risk groups, youth, market vendors, religious leaders).
• Map existing community structures, influencers, and communication channels (formal and informal) that can be leveraged for the response.

Strategy Development and Refinement:

• Support the MCHT and national RCCE pillar, refine/develop a robust, evidence-based RCCE strategy and implementation plan for Montserrado County, aligned with the national Mpox response plan.
• Support the updating of key messages and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials (e.g., flyers, posters, radio scripts) that are context-specific, culturally appropriate, and in local languages.
• Ensure all RCCE interventions are inclusive and accessible, considering vulnerable and marginalized groups.

 Capacity Building and Coordination:

• Build the capacity of MCHT staff, community health workers (CHWs), and partner staff on core RCCE principles, community engagement techniques, rumor management, and interpersonal communication for Mpox.
• Facilitate and actively participate in regular county-level RCCE coordination meetings, ensuring synergy among all partners and avoiding duplication of efforts.
• Establish and maintain a robust rumor tracking and feedback mechanism to monitor community concerns and adapt strategies accordingly.

Implementation Support and Community Mobilization:

• Provide direct technical support to the MCHT in rolling out RCCE activities, including community dialogues, engagement with religious and traditional leaders, and school-based sensitization.
• Support the design and implementation of social mobilization activities for key outbreak control measures, such as vaccination campaigns and early case reporting.
• Work with local media (radio, community journalists) to ensure accurate and timely dissemination of Mpox information.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting:

• Develop and implement a simple M&E framework to track the reach, effectiveness, and impact of RCCE interventions (e.g., pre/post KAP surveys, community feedback reports, activity monitoring sheets).
• Prepare and submit regular (weekly/bi-weekly) progress reports to the MCHO and the national RCCE pillar, highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations.
• Document lessons learned and best practices for future public health emergencies.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Full TOR - RCCE Consultancy to Strengthen Mpox Outbreak Response in Montserrado County (4 positions).pdf

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

V. Qualification/Experience/Competencies/Skills Required:

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master's level) in Public Health, Communication, Social Sciences, Anthropology, or a related field. A first university degree with additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in designing and implementing RCCE strategies for public health programs, preferably in outbreak response (e.g., Ebola, COVID-19, Measles).
• Proven experience working in Liberia, with a strong understanding of the socio-cultural and political context of Montserrado County.
• Demonstrated experience in community mobilization, participatory approaches, and working with local authorities and community leaders.
• Experience in capacity building and facilitating training workshops.
• Previous experience with the Liberian health system, MOH/NPHIL, or County Health Teams is a distinct advantage

Other skills and competencies required:

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Computer literacy in standard software applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Language Proficiency:

• Language skills required: Fluency in English (written and spoken).

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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

VI. Working Conditions:

 Home Based     Office Based (XX) Field Based

• The consultancy will be for a period of 4 months.
• The consultant will be based within the MCHT premises in Montserrado County.
• The MCHT will provide necessary working space and facilitate access to relevant stakeholders.
• The consultant is expected to use their own laptop. Transportation for official field duties within the county will be facilitated/covered by the project.

VII. Supervision:

The consultant will be supervised by the Social and Behavior Change Specialist in coordination with the Deputy Representative Programmes.

VIII. Technical and Financial Proposals:

Applicants are invited to submit with their online application:

• A technical proposal that outlines their understanding of the task and proposed methodology or cover letter explaining why they are well placed to undertake this assignment
• A recently updated CV
• A financial proposal which must be an all-inclusive cost (consultancy fees, mission expenses, travels, etc.).

Applicants are invited to submit their financial proposals in USD using the template below:

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)

A) Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 100 Points)                

UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines. The deliverables will remain the copyright of UNICEF.

The consultant must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

This position has been assessed as an elevated risk role for Child Safeguarding purposes as it is either a role with direct contact with children, a role that works directly with identifiable children’s data, a safeguarding response role, or an assessed risk role. Additional vetting and assessment for elevated risk roles in child safeguarding (potentially including additional criminal background checks) apply.

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.