UNICEF Kenya is recruiting a Demand Generation and Social Marketing Specialist under the UN Volunteer (UNV) programme to support the First Foods Africa initiative in Nairobi. This is a full-time, onsite, 24-month national UNV assignment starting 15 May 2026, with a possibility of extension. If you have a background in social and behaviour change, nutrition communication, or social marketing, the application deadline is 5 May 2026.
About This Role
The Demand Generation Social Marketing Specialist UNICEF Kenya 2026 role sits within the Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Unit and feeds directly into UNICEF Kenya’s First Foods Africa (FFA) initiative — a programme tackling child food poverty, which currently affects over 60% of children in Kenya. You will report to the SBC Specialist, with a dotted line to the FFA Manager.
Your focus is Pillar 3 of FFA: stimulating demand for nutritious, locally produced foods among caregivers and youth. This means translating behavioural science, consumer research, and market insights into practical campaigns that shift what Kenyan families choose to feed their young children. You will work across government, civil society, and private sector partners to design, launch, and monitor SBC interventions at scale.
This is a meaningful, technically demanding assignment for a professional who combines the rigour of public health communication with the creativity of consumer marketing.
Key Responsibilities
- Support design and implementation of Pillar 3 (demand generation) of the First Foods Africa initiative, aligned to national nutrition priorities and UNICEF Food Systems for Children programming
- Conduct behavioural and consumer analysis to identify barriers and drivers influencing caregiver and youth food choices, using behavioural science frameworks
- Translate consumer and market insights into audience-segmented demand generation strategies using evidence-based SBC and social marketing approaches
- Develop innovative campaigns and activation approaches to increase demand for nutritious first foods and shift social norms around children’s diets
- Contribute to messaging frameworks, value propositions, creative briefs, and content guidance for implementing partners and agencies
- Lead and document co-creation processes with youth, caregivers, and communities to inform campaign design and positioning
- Provide technical inputs to partner coordination platforms, technical working groups, and government stakeholder consultations
- Track behavioural and campaign performance indicators, document lessons learned, and recommend course corrections
- Produce knowledge products, briefs, presentations, and donor updates related to SBC and demand generation results
- Integrate demand-side strategies with FFA Pillars 1 and 2 to ensure supply-environment-demand alignment
Required Qualifications and Experience
Essential:
- Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, Behavioural Science, Nutrition, Public Health, Food Systems, Sociology, or a related social science field
- Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), demand generation, behavioural insights, or strategic communications
- Demonstrated experience designing and implementing behaviour change strategies at scale, preferably in nutrition, food systems, or consumer-facing sectors
- Proven ability to translate research and insights into actionable campaign strategies and measurable behaviour outcomes
- Must be a Kenyan national, legal resident, or hold refugee status in Kenya
- Fluent English (written and spoken)
Desirable:
- Master’s degree in a relevant field
- Experience applying private-sector marketing approaches: audience segmentation, behavioural nudges, brand positioning, message testing, and digital engagement
- Experience working with governments, youth networks, private sector actors, or multilateral agencies
- Demonstrated experience supporting product launch or demand scale-up in consumer-facing markets (food, nutrition, health, or related sectors)
- Working knowledge of Kiswahili
Skills and Competencies
- Strong analytical thinking — ability to convert raw behavioural and market data into campaign strategy
- Creative campaign development grounded in evidence, not guesswork
- Excellent written communication for producing briefs, messaging frameworks, and donor-facing documents
- Collaborative working style across multi-sector partnerships (government, NGO, private sector)
- Adaptability in a complex UN programming environment with multiple reporting lines
- Commitment to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming across all programme activities
What UNICEF Kenya Offers
This is a UN Volunteer (UNV) assignment — not a salaried post. You will receive a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) paid monthly, calculated by applying the country-specific Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the global VLA base rate of USD 1,602/month. The final monthly figure adjusts with Nairobi’s cost of living index.
Additional UNV benefits include:
- Life, health, and permanent disability insurance
- Settling-in grant (if not already resident in Nairobi for 6+ months)
- Annual leave entitlement
- Full integration into the UN security framework, including residential security reimbursements
- Daily Subsistence Allowance for official travel
- Resettlement allowance on satisfactory completion of the assignment
- 24-month contract with possibility of extension subject to funding and performance
About UNICEF Kenya
UNICEF — the United Nations Children’s Fund — is present in 192 countries and territories, making it one of the most far-reaching humanitarian and development organisations in the world. Its work spans immunisation, maternal and child nutrition, education, water and sanitation, child protection, and emergency response.
UNICEF Kenya’s Nairobi office drives programmes across all 47 counties, with a strong focus on nutrition, health systems strengthening, and social and behaviour change communication. The First Foods Africa initiative reflects UNICEF’s commitment to tackling child food poverty through a market-linked, behaviour-centred approach — working with the Kenyan government, private sector, and communities to shift what children eat in the critical 6–59 month window.
How to Apply
Apply through the UNV Global Talent Pool platform. Visit the official UNICEF Kenya UNV listing and submit your application online before the deadline. Prepare the following:
- Updated CV or UN Personal History Form (P11) highlighting SBC, social marketing, and nutrition communication experience
- Cover letter or motivation statement addressing your behavioural science and campaign design experience
- Evidence of nationality or legal residency in Kenya
Application Deadline
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Documents Required
- Updated CV / UN P11 form
- Cover letter / motivation statement
- Copies of academic certificates (Bachelor’s minimum; Master’s if applicable)
- National ID or proof of legal residency in Kenya
