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TERMS OF REFERENCE
Pakistan, with a population exceeding 240 million, faces persistent challenges in poverty, social exclusion, gender inequality, and vulnerability to disasters and emergencies. Over 38% of Pakistanis live in multidimensional poverty, with deep disparities at provincial and district levels, exacerbated by social exclusion, discrimination, and violence against marginalized groups, especially women, children, and minorities. The COVID-19 pandemic, recurring natural disasters, and ongoing humanitarian crises have further exposed the fragility of community systems and the urgent need for robust, inclusive, and resilient community engagement mechanisms
Social norms, information gaps, and low trust in public services further hinder service uptake. Technical solutions alone are insufficient; robust community engagement (CE) is essential to expand service reach, strengthen frontline systems, and address behavioral, social, and structural barriers. However, current CE efforts are fragmented and inconsistently linked with service delivery.
Community engagement emerged as one of the most effective components across the SBC portfolio [1] It relies on trusted local actors, culturally grounded approaches, participatory delivery, and regular interpersonal contact. These strategies helped shift knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours across sectors including health, WASH, education, nutrition, child protection, and polio.
The SBC formative evaluation highlights that interpersonal, community‑embedded delivery was the central driver of behaviour change. By leveraging community trust, local insights, and repeated face‑to‑face engagement, programmes were able to overcome social barriers, build ownership, and make desired behaviours more practical and acceptable for households.
In recent assessments, UNICEF has also identified the following institutional and sectoral gaps:
UNICEF’s Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) and Community Engagement (CE) framework highlight that sustainable development and humanitarian outcomes require institutionalized, participatory, and inclusive CE platforms. These systems must be strengthened both horizontally (across community networks) and vertically (with local governance institutions) and must be guided by the Minimum Quality Standards and Indicators for Community Engagement. Pakistan’s programmatic context includes sectoral priorities in Health, Nutrition, Education, WASH, and Child Protection, with cross-sectoral initiatives in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Social Protection, and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP).
Why Community Engagement Matters
UNICEF remains the lead agency providing continuous and dedicated investments on understanding people, their beliefs, values, and the social norms that shape their lives by partnering with national governments, civil society organizations, faith engagement networks and development agencies.
Community Engagement and its Conceptual and Operational Approaches in Pakistan
In the Pakistan context, community engagement expands the influence and agency of local actors such as religious leaders, traditional authorities, community‑based organizations, women’s groups, youth networks, and informal governance structures, all of whom are critical in shaping norms and facilitating the behavioural processes leading to acceptance, recognition, and sustained adoption of positive practices. Through deliberate engagement, these actors become integral partners in strengthening local systems, improving programme relevance, and ensuring that interventions are culturally appropriate, socially acceptable, and operationally effective.
UNICEF’s role is to advocate for, institutionalize, and support the mainstreaming of CE across national systems and sectoral policies, ensuring long‑term sustainability and scalability. By strengthening national capacities and embedding CE within government structures, UNICEF contributes to improved accountability, enhanced system performance, and increased local ownership of development and humanitarian outcomes.
If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: TMC0002130 TOR.pdf
Minimum requirements
Knowledge of community engagement platforms including digital platforms, social online and offline listening.
Excellent public speaking, writing, communication, and facilitation, conflict resolution and de-escalation
Familiarity with UNICEF’s mandate and Global SBC Framework;
Prior experience working with Government and UN agencies in Pakistan or similar contexts is an asset
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
[Remove the following paragraph if not a child safeguarding elevated risk role] 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.
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, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):
Remarks:
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here
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.
