Consultancy to Support the Domestication and Validation of the Nutrition Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy for Borno and Yobe States, Nigeria

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For every child, commitment 

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/ [link removed]

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the adaptation, domestication, and validation of the national Nutrition Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy for effective implementation in Borno and Yobe States. The assignment will ensure the strategy reflects state specific nutrition priorities, socio cultural contexts, and humanitarian realities through inclusive stakeholder consultations. The final output will be a validated, state owned Nutrition SBC Strategy to guide coordinated action and programming.

The main focus will be on the specific nutrition challenges, behaviours, cultural norms, conflict dynamics, and service delivery realities of Borno and Yobe States, where malnutrition remains a severe public health concern. This process ensures that national priorities are translated into practical, context appropriate actions that respond to the realities of communities in Borno and Yobe states.

A core component of the assignment is participatory validation of the adapted strategy through structured technical consultations and stakeholder engagements. These processes will involve state ministries, local government authorities, community representatives, implementing partners, and humanitarian actors to ensure the strategy is realistic, implementable, and genuinely owned at the state level, thereby strengthening accountability and long term sustainability.

The consultancy also aims to improve the quality, coordination, and effectiveness of Nutrition SBC programming by integrating local evidence, community insights, and lessons from existing nutrition interventions, including infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition practices. By aligning government and partner efforts with broader recovery, stabilization, and development frameworks in the BAY region, the validated strategy will provide a clear, harmonized guide for implementation, monitoring, and resource mobilization at state level.

Finalize and submit all approved and validated strategy documents

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Inception Report

Deliverables/Outputs:

Inception Report produced with Clear methodology, workplan, timeline, and stakeholder engagement plan for Borno and Yobe States

Tasks/Milestone:

Desk Review Summary

Deliverables/Outputs:

Desk review of national SBC strategy and relevant nutrition policies contextualized and reviewed for the Adaptation of the National Nutrition SBC Strategy

Tasks/Milestone:

Draft Domesticated Nutrition SBC Strategy – Borno State

Deliverables/Outputs:

Contextualized strategy document. Adaptation (“domestication”) of SBC priorities, behaviours, approaches, and indicators to Borno and Yobe contexts

Tasks/Milestone:

Draft Domesticated Nutrition SBC Strategy – Yobe State

Deliverables/Outputs:

Stakeholder Consultations conducted for technical inputs incorporated into the strategy documents

Tasks/Milestone:

Validation Workshop Reports

Deliverables/Outputs:

Facilitation of state‑level consultations with government ministries (Health, Information, Planning), partners, and community actors and integrate local realities, cultural norms, humanitarian settings, and equity considerations into the SBC strategy

Tasks/Milestone:

Final Validated Strategies

Deliverables/Outputs:

Prepare State‑Specific Nutrition SBC Strategies (tailored draft SBC strategy documents for Borno and Yobe States including priority behaviours, target audiences, SBC approaches, implementation arrangements, and M&E framework and produce final, approved strategy documents for Borno and Yobe states

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Terms of Reference for Individual Consultants (Nutrition SBC Strategy Development).docx [link removed] 

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Advanced university degree in Human Nutrition or Public Health or Food Security, or Development policy or related technical area.

• Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of documented work experience in developing nutrition policies, strategies, programs planning, research, and guidelines

• Knowledge and experience in broader health programming, food security, and multisectoral programs; including MNCHW, IYCF, HIV, and AIDS.
• Excellent analytical thinking and strategic planning skills
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate
• Ability to work under pressure and commitment to work to the tight timeframe
• Exposure to nutrition program implementation and education
• Proficiency in written and oral English language, good communication and networking skills, as well as familiarity with working in a multicultural environment.
• Ability and willingness to undertake frequent travels In-depth understanding of nutrition and household food security from a multi-sectoral point of view.
• Understanding development and humanitarian work is an advantage.
• Experience working in Northeast Nigeria is an advantage.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

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 [link removed]

The 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 

Click here [link removed] to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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 [link removed], irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff [link removed], including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities [link removed]. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 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.

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.