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Duties

The Established Opinion Leaders (EOL) Specialist works under the direct supervision of the Public Diplomacy Officer (EOF) or Public Affairs Officer (PAO) designee and has no supervisory responsibility.  Is the leading Locally Employed (LE) Staff strategist/advisor responsible for Mission’s Public Diplomacy (PD) engagement with Established Opinion Leaders, including influential individuals and institutions such as think tanks, syndicates, labor unions, professional associations, civil society organizations, prominent academics, and professional training institutions, Designs and recommends Public Diplomacy strategies to connect with Established Opinion Leaders audiences to build and sustain productive dialogue, and promote understanding of and support for U.S. policy.  Plans develop, coordinates, oversees, and evaluates projects and initiatives to engage Established Opinion Leaders subject matter experts, and the audiences they reach.

Administers key exchange programs and is responsible for overseeing grants and complex projects approved and/or funded by the Department of State.

Qualifications and Evaluations

EXPERIENCE:

• This position requires at least four years of progressively responsible experience in a multilingual, multicultural, multinational, academic, or governmental work environment, with communications, project management, or education duties as a significant part of the job. 
• Experience with an audience or market analysis, marketing, and managing social media content is required.

JOB KNOWLEDGE:  

• Detailed knowledge of U.S. foreign policy objectives and American interests in Kenya as they relate to the influence of Established Opinion Leaders institutions and experts; understanding of U.S. history, political, economic, social, and cultural forces that shape U.S. foreign policy; comprehensive knowledge of the policy focus and positions of Established Opinion Leaders institutions and experts; understanding of regional, ethnic, socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic factors and the influence of religious, cultural, and educational institutions in shaping Kenyan perceptions of the U.S. are all required.  Knowledge of Department of State (DOS) professional exchanges, including the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), Fulbright and other academic programs, citizen exchanges, journalism tours, speaker programs, and others are required.  Must have general knowledge of project management, including defining project objectives, outcomes, and assessment methods.
• Knowledge of marketing techniques, market analysis and analytics, and customer service standards in the U.S. and Kenyan; knowledge of trends in audience engagement; understanding of communications in the region and the international information environment as it affects Kenya; detailed knowledge of Public Diplomacy (PD) engagement tools, related policies and procedures for each; and knowledge of multiple Public Diplomacy resource streams and regulations are all required.

Education Requirements:

• A University degree in political science, economics, international relations, communications, American Studies or local equivalent is required.

Evaluations:

LANGUAGE:

• Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing English is required.
• Level 4 (Fluent) Speaking/Reading/Writing Swahili is required.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Analytic skills:  Must have strong analytic skills and the ability to conceptualize how best to use Public Diplomacy tools to move Kenyan attitudes in positive ways.  Must be able to advise senior Mission leaders of opportunities to promote Mission objectives; identify, analyze, predict, and assess Established Opinion Leader's audience attitudes; evaluate the impact of projects and modify approaches for greatest outcomes.  Must be able to perceive the emergence of new influencers and adjust operations and programming accordingly.   
• Communication Interpersonal skills:  Must have excellent customer relations, interpersonal cross-cultural communication skills, and be able to identify and engage key figures critical to shaping local public opinion.  Must have excellent written and oral communication skills, including public speaking, interviewing for evaluation purposes, writing reports, and contributing materials for publication.  Must be able to tailor communications to fit formal and informal situations and different ethnic, religious, and linguistic cultures.  Must be able to brief on a variety of issues.
• Management Skills:  Strong project management skills are required, including the ability to develop and oversee project budgets and to organize, run, and present projects such as seminars, digital video conferences, panel discussions, lectures, and professional and academic programs.  Must be able to negotiate agreements with partner institutions and manage their fulfillment.
• Technical Skills:  Good keyboarding and data entry skills and excellent familiarity with electronic discovery tools, in particular the Internet, and standard information retrieval practices and procedures are required.  Thorough, detailed knowledge of various computer software programs, specifically Microsoft Word, Excel, graphic design and photo editing software, and PD-specific software, databases, and reporting tools is required.  Detailed knowledge of and ability to use social media and mobile platforms, photo and video sharing sites, podcast creation, and basic photo and video skills are all required.  Must have good numerical skills to be able to develop and manage project and grant budgets; must be able to develop descriptive statistical analysis of target audience segments and to describe the outcomes of EOL activities and initiatives.

Activities and tasks

The purpose of this assignment is to identify evidence of the key obstacles to COVID-19 immunization coverage and equity relating to gender. The consultancy will follow the five-point gender analysis framework put forth in the practical guide mentioned above (see the figure below). The information gained from this work will be reviewed and endorsed by key partners to create a set of practical recommendations to improve gender equality in the relevant counties.

Expected Results: (Measurable Results)

The Consultant will perform the following tasks:

• Refine the gender framework for key drivers of obstacles to COVID-19 immunization coverage and equity relating to gender in the two counties. This will involve briefing with MOH (Division of Health Promotion), UNICEF C4D, and health professionals. The consultant will present an inception report shoring the study methodology and dated work plan.
• Conduct a scoping review of the evidence on key interventions and policies designed to close disparities in immunization coverage and equity including removing barriers/ promoting equity of access and utilization of immunization services. This will involve desk review, Focus Group Discussion, and key informant interviews with community opinion leaders and/or women’s groups facilitated by the UNICEF Lodwar Zone Office and the Ministry of Health.
• Identify key evidence gaps in obstacles to immunization coverage and equity relating to gender, including measurement of gender equity, and propose a prioritized implementation research agenda in response to these gaps. Document and quantify available evidence/ obstacles to immunization equity to highlight the gaps. This is in addition to the policies and interventions outlined in bullet 2 above.
• Conduct a field visit to the two counties to collect the missing evidence to enable a programmatic assessment, as well as to shape practical recommendations for the two counties and MOH.
• Convene a workshop with key partners to review and endorse the products above.

Minimum Qualifications and Competencies

• Advanced university degree in Public Health, Behaviour Science, Social Science, Epidemiology and other relevant areas. Preferably a higher degree encompassing knowledge of epidemiology, and statistics.
• Able to promote collaboration among key stakeholders in the face of pressures and tensions among stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills to understand data, anticipate changing priorities, and identify solutions, openly sharing knowledge, insights, and effective practices.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Swahili; fluency in the local language of Turkana and assessment of evidence and/or data and research methods.

 Work experiences:

• Experience conducting gender analysis or similar social and behavioral analysis with the capacity to identify key barriers and bottlenecks (ex: systemic, cultural and social norms, supply, demand)
• 8 years of relevant professional work experience with clear responsibilities; experience conducting reviews of the literature; documented knowledge of research relating to gender, implementation research, and maternal, newborn, child, and/or adolescent health programming.
• Solid knowledge of immunology, vaccine delivery, and key characteristics of COVID-19
• Prior experience in working with the government is an asset