Ethiopia: Advisor, Social Behavior Change Communications - Ethiopia

Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.

Save the Children (SC) will lead the implementation of ENGINE follow on, USAID’s multi-million dollar, flagship multi-sector nutrition project in many Agricultural Growth Program (AGP) woredas and non-AGP woredas covering many regions of Ethiopia. The overall goal of the project is to prevent stunting during the first 1,000 days, from the start of pregnancy through the first two years of a child’s life, through an integrated package of evidence-based interventions including direct nutrition and nutrition-sensitive approaches, pre-service education, livelihood and economic strengthening, social and behavior change communication (SBCC), and gender mainstreaming.

The Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Advisor will spearhead the overall process to ensure SBCC contributes to the project’s intermediate results in alignment with the project’s approved work plan and in collaboration with the project team. He/she is primarily responsible for strengthening regional and district health, nutrition, and WASH teams in SBCC, building teams’ technical capacity to implement, manage and evaluate the effectiveness of SBCC activities and institutionalize SBCC approaches for health and nutrition. The Advisor is accountable for designing SBCC approaches, identifying best practices, and documenting lessons learned and overall impact. S/he is also responsible for developing health and nutrition advocacy plans and tools to strengthen the policy environment for nutrition, health and WASH. S/he will provide guidance and technical inputs to the development of an integrated strategy that promotes priority behaviors and social norms identified under the National Program and through the program interventions. The Advisor will coordinate with the project’s government partners, national advisors, sub-primes, SBCC teams, and regional coordinators to facilitate ownership, coordination, and smooth implementation of SBCC. This position is based in Addis Ababa with occasional travel to regions for technical support and coordination.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or PhD in Public Health, Health communication, Communications, Behavioral Sciences, Health Promotion, or Social Sciences.
• Strong, demonstrated understanding of Social Behavioural Change Communication as a form of strategic communication, with at least 8 years of relevant experience in SBCC work.
• At least four years of experience demonstrating state-of-the-art expertise in the following areas: the design of social and behavior change communications messages and interventions; the application of the behavioral sciences in program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; SBCC programs targeting the general population; SBCC programs targeting key or vulnerable populations; community-based SBCC program development and implementation; work on gender issues, e.g., gender equity, gender-based violence and other health-related data in SBCC program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; and SBCC-related qualitative research.

• Demonstrated ability to address behaviour change issues in improving household nutrition status.

• Previous experience working in the development of government SBCC and advocacy policy at national levels in the areas of nutrition, health, or agriculture.

• Proven expertise introducing behaviour change methods related to nutrition services at the facility or health levels.

• An understanding and commitment to Save the Children values.

• Excellent spoken and written Amharic and English.

• Excellent computer skills (particularly Microsoft Office) and internet skills.

• Willingness to occasionally travel and work with rural communities.

• Prior experience working in Ethiopia a plus.

To apply, please submit your CV directly through our website at: www.savethechildren.org under the Careers page. Please select “Search US Jobs” and then choose location as Ethiopia. EOE

Save the Children provides an attractive benefits package including competitive salaries, a matching retirement plan, health and welfare benefits, life insurance, an employee assistance program, generous time off and much more. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.