Mission and objectives

UNICEF was established in 1946 to supply emergency relief to millions of children suffering in the aftermath of World War II. The organization still functions to ease the suffering of millions of children in emergency situations across the world. UNICEF also focuses on the protection and promotion of child rights, working for the survival, protection, education and healthy development of every child.

At the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Morocco is a middle-income country but with a steadily growing economy. As a result, Morocco is seen by many member states as a strategic country given its geographical location, political stability and overall progress in human development resulting in member states main priorities shifting to expanding commercial and economic ties and de-prioritizing human capital investments.

It is in this context that UNICEF Morocco sees an opportunity to diversify sources of income and develop strategic partnerships with the private sector and its different stakeholders to reduce disparities, improve the situation of children and protect their rights. Globally, UNICEF recognizes the private sector as a vital partner in driving sustainable change for children. Through collaboration with multinational corporations and national companies UNICEF builds partnerships that combine financial support, innovation, and responsible business practices.

The interactions will take different forms ranging from mobilizing resources (corporate philanthropy), promoting positive changes in business practices through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), supporting programmes for children and encouraging innovations.

Context

The UNICEF Morocco Country Office is implementing a maternal and child health and nutrition project in the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region with implications for the national level and replication potential in other Moroccan regions. The project aims to improve access to and use of quality health and nutrition services during the critical first 1,000 days of life, with a particular focus on priority practices such as antenatal care, breastfeeding and complementary feeding. As part of this effort, the project includes a behavioural science component to better understand social and behavioural barriers, test hypotheses, design and implement behavioural experiments, generate evidence for scale-up and replication, and strengthen the capacities of national and local partners.

The UNV Specialist in Applied Behavioural Sciences will support this component under the leadership of the SBC Specialist, contributing to the practical application of behavioural science approaches within the maternal, infant and child health and nutrition programme and, more broadly, across UNICEF Morocco’s SBC portfolio.

Task description

Behavioural science and technical support

 Support the SBC Specialist in the coordination and oversight of behavioural research and experimentation activities conducted by implementing partners.

 Contribute to the design, development and implementation of behavioural experiments aimed at addressing priority social and behavioural challenges in health, nutrition and other UNICEF programme areas.

 Support the identification of opportunities for additional behavioural experiments and testing initiatives that can generate practical evidence and strengthen the application of behavioural science approaches within UNICEF programming.

 Review and provide technical inputs on behavioural research protocols, data collection tools, intervention materials, training materials and technical deliverables.

 Contribute to the interpretation of behavioural evidence and findings, and support the translation of insights into programme recommendations.

 Support the documentation of lessons learned, good practices and key findings from behavioural research and experimentation activities.

Capacity strengthening and knowledge management

 Support the preparation and delivery of capacity strengthening activities on applied behavioural sciences, behavioural insights and social and behaviour change approaches.

 Contribute to the development of practical approaches, tools and processes that help streamline and strengthen behavioural experimentation within UNICEF Morocco.

 Support the production of briefs, presentations, reports and learning products on applied behavioural sciences and other SBC approaches.

 Support the sharing of experiences, key findings and lessons learned from behavioural experiments and research activities to inform future behavioural science and SBC programming in Morocco and engage relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Operational support to the SBC section

 Provide operational and programme support to the SBC section for the implementation of behavioural science and SBC activities.

 Contribute to project monitoring, reporting and administrative follow-up as required.

 Support other SBC programme activities and priorities as requested by the supervisor.

Benefits:

1. Pre-Assignment

Entry Lump Sum: USD 350

Relocation Allowance: USD 175 at the beginning and end of the assignment, provided the duty station is outside commuting distance, as determined by UNV.

2. During the Assignment

Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): MAD 13,179.16 per month.

Learning and Training: Access to UNV learning and career development resources.

Annual Leave: 2.5 days per month.

Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life, and malicious acts for the UN Volunteer, as well as health insurance coverage for up to three eligible dependents. Please refer to the Conditions of Service for detailed eligibility criteria.

3. End of Assignment

Exit Lump Sum: USD 120 for each month served, payable upon the successful completion of the assignment and contract.

Application deadline is on 09 July 2026