Social & Behavior Change Officer (NO-2) — UNICEF (Nampula)

The essentials: Social & Behavior Change Officer (NO-2) at UNICEF's Zone Office in Nampula, Mozambique — 6-month temporary appointment; applications open until 21 October 2026 on UNICEF's official recruitment portal (jobs.unicef.org, job no. 596126).

About UNICEF in Mozambique

UNICEF is the United Nations agency for childhood: it works in more than 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights and help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

In Mozambique, the work centres on survival, development, protection and education, with particular focus on the most disadvantaged children and families — UNICEF's equity strategy puts those families at the centre.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone with a critical reading of society and practical experience in social programmes: the ability to translate evidence into concrete actions for behaviour change, in coordination with technical teams, partners and public services. The work demands rigour, collaboration and openness to development and emergency contexts: humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority of UNICEF's strategic plan and its staff can be deployed to support humanitarian responses.

The role of Social and Behaviour Change

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is a cross-cutting programme strategy of UNICEF: it analyses and addresses the cognitive, social and structural determinants of individual practices and societal change, in development and humanitarian contexts.

UNICEF uses social and behavioural science to understand people, their beliefs, their values, the sociocultural norms and the economic and institutional contexts that shape their lives, with the aim of engaging them and increasing their influence in the design of solutions for change.

SBC joins the generation of social and behavioural evidence with participation in community-led and human-centred processes.

In the field, it combines approaches such as community engagement, strategic communication, applied behavioural science, service delivery improvement, systems strengthening, social mobilisation and policy advocacy to advance children's rights on vaccination, feeding practices, learning, hygiene and positive discipline.

What you will do

The position contributes, for 6 months, to the design, management, monitoring and evaluation of evidence-based and inclusive SBC strategies, in support of the country programme. You will work under the general guidance of the Chief of the Nampula Zone Office and the technical guidance of the SBC Specialist (P-3) in Maputo, in close coordination with the SBC team in Maputo. The central responsibilities:

• Generate and use research, data and evidence to inform the design, measurement and monitoring of SBC programmes and outcomes, in development and emergency contexts. With sectoral and multi-sectoral specialists, relevant government officers and UN/NGO partners, design, implement or take part in situation analyses and formative research that identify social and behavioural drivers.
• Initiate, commission and manage qualitative and quantitative research on behavioural drivers — behavioural analysis, human-centred design, social listening, behavioural insights, participatory research and randomised controlled trials (RCT). Support data collection, tracking, monitoring and reporting of SBC results, and prepare syntheses that inform evidence-based SBC strategies, plans and activities.
• Design, plan and implement SBC activities grounded in evidence and in strong engagement and participation mechanisms, including in humanitarian emergency contexts. Support the establishment of community feedback mechanisms and use that feedback for SBC actions on disaster preparedness, response, recovery and resilience.
• Support the operationalisation of SBC: represent UNICEF in partnerships and manage the progress of joint project agreements with partners; mobilise resources; coordinate stakeholders, sectors and teams; contribute to the mobilisation of human and financial resources and to budget planning; advocate for the integration of SBC in national systems, in the country programme and in sectoral plans.
• Promote continuous learning and scale-up of SBC through the capacity building of UNICEF staff, partners and government counterparts: identify, design and organise training materials and opportunities in behavioural analysis, insights, human-centred design, social listening and social accountability mechanisms; contribute to the institutionalisation of best practices and to mechanisms that strengthen community engagement in humanitarian contexts.

What UNICEF offers

• Temporary 6-month appointment, National Officer level 2 (NO-2) category, based at the Zone Office in Nampula.
• Benefits of the UN system: UNICEF offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. The specific remuneration has not been disclosed: UNICEF does not publish figures for this position.
• Professional and personal development opportunities: UNICEF is a place where careers are built, with diverse opportunities to grow in service of children and communities, across the region.
• A mission with impact: contribute to sustainable, locally owned and concrete results in improving the survival, development, protection and wellbeing of children in the country.

Conditions to note: National Officer and General Service positions do not include visa or work authorisation facilitation by UNICEF. Appointment is conditional on medical clearance and background checks — references, academic credentials, employment history and UN misconduct databases.

Government employees who are selected are normally required to resign from their public positions before taking up the post.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy towards conduct incompatible with its mandates, including sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, fraud and corruption.

How to apply

Applications are made exclusively through UNICEF's official recruitment portal: jobs.unicef.org — job no. 596126 («Apply now» button, application in English). The deadline is 21 October 2026 (South Africa Standard Time, SST = UTC+2, the same clock as Maputo).

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, including persons with disabilities — and provides reasonable accommodation in all stages of the recruitment process.

Selection is made by UNICEF: the position is publicly advertised and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted to advance to the next stage of the process. UNICEF does not charge processing fees at any stage of the recruitment, selection or appointment, and does not ask candidates for bank account information.

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