Social Behavioral Change Advisor

TITLE: Social and Behavioral Change Advisor
PROGRAM: REACH Project
REPORTS TO: Project Director
DUTY STATION: Addis Ababa

COMPANY SUMMARY
EngenderHealth envisions a gender-equal world where all people achieve their sexual and reproductive health and rights. We believe this is essential for ensuring all people can achieve their potential. To achieve this vision, we implement high-quality, gender-equitable programs that advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.

BACKGROUND
EngenderHealth-Ethiopia is currently implementing the REACH (Reach, Expand, and Access Community Health) project, an integrated SRHR/MHM, and WaSH intervention in the Jimma and Borena zones of the Oromia Region. The REACH project will be implemented by a consortium of EngenderHealth, Amref Health Africa, and DKT. EngenderHealth would like to employ well-qualified and dedicated candidates as SBC advisors for EngenderHealth, focusing on the REACH project at the duty station of Addis Ababa. This will be a local hire position with an anticipated start date of August 2024; qualified women applicants are highly encouraged to apply.

JOB SUMMARY
The SBC Advisor under the supervision of the project director will be responsible for providing technical assistance on the design and implementation of REACH project social and behavioral change interventions. The Advisor will be supporting the project lead, consortium partners, and field offices in strengthening community-level awareness creation interventions, strengthening the community-to-health facilities linkage on SRHR, MHM, and WaSH interventions, focusing on Comprehensive Contraception (CC), Antenatal care (ANC), Institutional delivery, Comprehensive Abortion care (CAC), sanitation marketing, menstrual hygiene management, and WaSH demand creation. The SBC advisor will be primarily responsible for ensuring the achievement of specific project deliverables; and confirmed referral services for SRHR/MHM and WaSH services through strengthening the Health Extension Program, school health interventions, of school life skill education. Supporting entrepreneurship, and linkage with microfinance for adolescents, youth, and women of reproductive age. The SBC Advisor is also expected to collaborate with the regional bureau (regional health bureau, regional education bureau, and regional women and social affairs bureau), and local implementing partners and work closely with local media on demand generation intervention and monitoring the media intervention to the target community.

The SBC Advisor is a full-time staff of EngenderHealth under the REACH, integrated MHM, SRHR, and WaSH project. The Advisor will be in charge of leading the development, planning, and implementation of health SBC and demand creation, development of message guides, and tools for MHM, WaSH, and SRHR. She/he is also expected to engage and contribute to SBC coordination platforms and provide technical assistance in relation to SBC interventions representing EngenderHealth.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Lead the development, planning, and implementation of the REACH project social and behavioral change strategy, community engagement guide, and school-level life skill education guide.
• Support and provide community engagement and counseling training on SRH, MHM, and WaSH for the project team, follow up on SBC interventions in the field and provide guidance on ensuring confirmed referral after demand creation interventions.
• Collaborate with project lead, regional bureax (regional health bureau, regional education bureau, and regional women and social affairs bureau), local media, local implementing partners, and collaborating with colleagues, and consultants to support the SBC activities.
• Working closely with local media on demand generation intervention and monitoring the media intervention to the target community
• Adapt contextualize and strengthen the implementation of the project SBC intervention strategy and SBC materials, messages, and tools.
• Support the health system (health extension program) and schools in the implementation sites to institution-based health promotion for health, mainly on SRHR.
• Ensure the use of an effective mix and contextualized communication channels to increase the reach of SRHR, MHM, and WaSH messages and interventions to the wider community.
• Integrate the project SBC interventions into the existing community structures and platforms, community dialogue, discussion, and social mobilization activities.
• Build on the project school-based Life Skill Education (LSE) initiative to reach school communities with SBC messages and improve their health and health system literacy.
• Provide technical oversight in the development and implementation of the project (MHM, SRHR, and WaSH) implementation guides, manuals, tools, and training materials in collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Enhance the capacity of consortium partners and field office staff on MHM, WASH, and SRHR SBC interventions and activities through training, support systems, and performance reviews.
• Ensure the project SBC interventions and activities are gender-transformative and inclusive of diverse community groups including people with disabilities.
• Support the design, pilot, and implementation of local innovative solutions to address implementation challenges about demand creation, confirmed referral, and social media use for SRHR, MHM, and WaSH.
• Prepare and submit quarterly progressive updates, and participate and contribute to the annual budget work plan for SBC activities.
• Support the field team in addressing sociocultural barriers by way of engaging religious and traditional leaders and other strategies to ensure FP, ANC, Institutional delivery, and CAC uptake including engagement of pastoralist communities.
• Collaborate with the field project office (project consortium team) and country office technical and program team to initiate and ensure successful implementation of new initiatives.
• Assist the field team in ensuring community-level demand creation agents meet quality standards in addressing school and out-of-school Adolescents and youth by identifying gaps.
• Support the field office team in organizing the demand generation intervention through the HEP, school health system, and out-of-school youth structures.
• Ensure the proper implementation of project activities and monitor progress regularly with periodic supervision and review meetings in coordination with project implementing partners.
• Conduct period community-level site visits, liaison with other partners, and monitor the quality of Community dialogue sessions and house-to-house visits to ensure high standards of counseling to link clients with service-providing HFs on the provision of SRHR, MHM, and WaSH services focusing on comprehensive contraception, comprehensive abortion care, antenatal care services, skilled delivery, and other SRHR services.
• Keep abreast of best practices in relevant technical areas and disseminate knowledge to project staff.
• Work closely with the Learning, Monitoring, and Evaluation team to generate evidence on the determinants of sexual reproductive health, and socio-cultural, and behavioral factors to inform the design of behaviorally informed SBC interventions and activities.
• Participate in the overall implementation of the project's consolidated annual work plan and assist in coordinating and conducting baseline assessments, zonal-specific project planning, reviews, monitoring, and evaluations.
• Provide overall assistance in the development of detailed field project office annual and periodic (weekly, monthly, quarterly, and Semiannual) activities and budget plans.
• Carry out other EngenderHealth assignments as may be required and as directed by the REACH project director.

• Master’s degree in health fields, health education and communication, Social Science, or related fields with training and/or experience related to Social and Behavior Change
• At least 9 years of demonstrated technical and programmatic experience in Social and Behavior Change
• Familiarity and demonstrated experience with the Ethiopian Primary Health Care system including the Community Health Program, community engagement, and community structures.
• Robust experience in SBC materials, strategy, protocols, tools, manuals, and training materials development and implementation
• Experience in evidence synthesis, knowledge management, and analysis for program and intervention design.
• Excellent track record of successful teamwork, good presentation/facilitation skills interpersonal and communication skills, including oral and written fluency in local language and English.
• Excellence in planning, organization, and supervision skills and ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Experience in practical fieldwork and supervision skills and ability to travel to project operation sites nearly half (50%) of the time.

ESSENTIAL SOFT SKILLS

• Committed to EngenderHealth's core organizational values of reflection, inclusion, integrity, respect, and transformation. 
• Demonstrated knowledge and skill in social and behavioral change and community engagement approaches, including the design and contextualization of different SBC strategies, and SBC tools.
• Knowledge and skill in relevant community-level quality improvement /quality assurance approach/tools in FP, ANC, Institutional Delivery, CAC, and other SRH are recommended, and the link with a confirmed referral.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and demands, establish priorities, and work effectively in a deadline-driven environment.
• Outstanding ability to interact with multidisciplinary teams, health sector, education sector, Water, sanitation, and hygiene areas.
• Fluency in written and oral English with the ability to articulate and present ideas, opinions, and information in a clear, concise, structured, and convincing manner for the intended audience, and knowledge of the local language is an added value.
• Exceptional interpersonal communication, teamwork, partnering, and consensus-building skills.
• Computer literate, with knowledge of Windows applications, including Excel spreadsheets.

PREFERRED SKILLS, ABILITIES AND FUNCTIONS

• Good accountancy and report-writing skills.
• Good knowledge and skill in community engagement approaches, Catchment-based clinical mentorship, and SS.
• Good interpersonal communication and teamwork

How To Apply

If you are interested and well qualified you can send your application letter with your updated CV through the following link.

https://www.engenderhealth.org/about/work-with-us/careers

Please note that there is no need to attach your credentials at this stage.

Well qualified females are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

DISCLAIMER
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the person(s) assigned to this job. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities as needed and assigned.

EngenderHealth provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, creed, ancestry, citizenship, religion, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, political belief, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a victim of domestic violence, marital status, disability or any other protected characteristic or status under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

EngenderHealth complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in the United States in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

EngenderHealth is committed to safeguarding all people, particularly children, vulnerable adults, and beneficiaries of assistance from any harm that may be caused due to contact with EngenderHealth. This includes harm arising from the conduct of staff, associates, and partners, and the design and implementation of programs and activities.