Social Behaviour Change and Community Engagement Specialist

TITLE: Social and Behaviour Change and Community Engagement Specialist

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Program Quality and Development

LOCATION: Mongu

GRADE: 3

CONTRACT LENGTH: 1 year renewable

Safeguarding :

Save the Children does not tolerate any form of exploitation, abuse, or harassment against any person. It is the responsibility of all employees and representatives to protect all people who come in contact with our organization. Save the Children commits to applying the same standards to all its employees and subject them to the same processes regardless of their position, influence, or reputation within or outside of the organization.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Save the Children International’s Diversity Policy, aims to promote equal opportunity in employment and to ban any kind of discrimination based on sex, age, social class, disability, HIV status, religion, race and ethnicity

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Save the Children (SCI) is the world’s leading independent non-profit organization for children. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. SCI’s Mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting changes in their lives. In Zambia, SCI has been implementing programs across Child Rights Governance, Health and Nutrition, Child Protection, Education, Child Poverty and Humanitarian thematic areas since 1983.

SCI, in partnership with MAP International and the Zambian Ministry of Health (MOH) with funding from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Charity (LDSC) is implementing the Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Nutrition (IMNCHN) Project. The goal of the project is to contribute to the reduction in maternal, newborn, and child mortality, stillbirths, and morbidity in Mongu district of the Western province. The project is currently supporting twelve health facilities in Mongu district, including two hospitals and 10 health centers to ensure:

I. Sustained improvements in equitable access to and quality of maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition services (including people with disabilities)

II. Increased demand and enhanced social norms for preventative health behaviors and use of health services

III.  Increased capacity of local institutions and organizations to sustainably deliver evidence-based, quality health and nutrition services.

ROLE PURPOSE

The Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) / Community Engagement (CE) Specialist provides technical support to the project team and partners to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Charity (LDSC)’s Integrated Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Nutrition Project.

He/she will provide technical leadership for the project’s SBC and CE efforts and coordinate the organisational capacity development for the local community partner to implement evidence-based SBC and CE programmes to improve uptake and utilisation of MNCAHN services. He/she will provide leadership for the design and implementation of SBC and CE activities; collect and document relevant case studies; and prepare briefs to disseminate the project’s results and successes. S/he is expected to work in close coordination with the MOH, NGO partners, government line agencies, and community stakeholders for the smooth operation of project activities. He/she will be the primary responsible person for organizing and mobilizing partners, stakeholders, and institutions

SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to: Project Manager with dotted lines to Technical Specialist Health 

Staff directly reporting to this post: None

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY: 

Technical Leadership and Innovation 

• Provide leadership and innovation for SBC and CE approaches
• Oversee the integration and use of non-communication SBC/ CE approaches such as human centred design and behavioural science, digital strategies, and gender, adolescents and youth focused strategies to support attainment of the project’s objectives
• Ensure communication channels and systems are in place to understand the needs and feedback from other implementing partners and stakeholders in the project areas
• Recommend processes and mechanisms to improve efficiency and impact
• In collaboration with IMNCHN Project Manager, lead, and support shifts in approach as needed based on the reports and data
• Ensure that gender and social inclusion is at the forefront of all SBC activities, including design, planning, implementation, and monitoring
• Work with local stakeholders and communities to identify and prioritise key behaviours to address to improve access to and utilisation of MNCAHN services to achieve high impact for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition services.
• Coordinate project SBC activities with the Provincial and District Health Promotion Officers to ensure the sustainability of the SBC efforts beyond the project.
• Lead and coordinate the monitoring of the project SBC activities to identify lessons learned and best practices that can be shared within and beyond the project.
• Participate in the development, review, and roll out of programme-specific communication packages/curricula to raise awareness and create demand for MNCAHN services.
• Ensure that project SBC activities are implemented according to the work plan and with high quality
• Liaise with the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Adolescent Coordinators and local partners in planning and implementing MNCAH and nutrition SBC and CE interventions for coordinated support in improving uptake and utilization of key MNCAH and nutrition services

Planning, Reporting and Dissemination

• Respond to donor requests related to progress against targets and provide other programmatically relevant information in a timely fashion
• Lead SBC and CE technical contributions for the development of the project’s strategic documents including annual proposals, work plans and quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports
• Prepare narrative reports for the donor and Save the Children as required, ensuring these are of a high quality and submitted for review in a timely manner
• Facilitate appropriate dissemination of project results and documentation products, internally and externally to donors, governments, consortium partners and other key actors
• Regular communication with SCUS to share strategic updates and progress
• Identify and support development of case studies to highlight program results and impact of the project’s SBC and CE approaches

Representation and advocacy

• Attend meetings and represent the SBC and CE initiatives of the project in all relevant levels of government officials, partners, donor, NGO and private sector representative
• Represent the project at relevant forums at regional and national level including relevant sector conferences (as appropriate)
• Represent the IMNCHN project in relevant internal and external fora including donor meetings (as appropriate).

People management, mentoring and development

• The role will reinforce the capacity of a local partner in planning and implementing SBC/CE approaches. working with the partners to identify Capacity building needs and implementing activities to reinforce their capacity.
• Planning together, monitoring implementation together, ensuring quality reporting of activities/results of partner activities/interventions. 
• Ensure that local partner staff have the technical knowledge to complete their job duties
• Lead and motivate the local community partner team to ensure effective project implementation

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

•   holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values

•    holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

•   sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same

• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others

•  future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale

Collaboration:

•  builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

•  values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions

•  willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A master’s degree in social sciences, Public Health, Sociology, Psychology with at least 5-years’ experience or other relevant degree or a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in designing and delivering evidence-based SBC with an emphasis on CE in mid to senior management positions
• Extensive experience implementing SBC, health promotion or similar programs in
  (country or region)
• Good understanding of the health system and policy processes; health sector programs and significant players in the community health, SBC and SRH/FP programming in Zambia
• Proven experience in training staff and community members and strong knowledge of community capacity building for team members, government and community counterparts
• Experience of working with local/national governments and capacity strengthening of systems, partners and staff
• Understanding of [donor] policies and procedures (highly preferred)
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international and matrix management environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
• Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate
• Willingness to travel within the country as needed
• Fluent oral and strong analytical, written English communication skills are required
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with others in a remote work environment
• Good computer skills (particularly Word, Excel, Power Point)
• Demonstrates Save the Children’s core values of accountability, collaboration, integrity, ambition, and creativity.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD ONLY ATTACH A COVER LETTER AND AN UPDATED CV.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Wednesday 28^th May 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Save the Children reserves the right to re advertise if suitable applicants are not found.

Save the Children is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer that does not engage in any practices which discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, colour, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status and we will never ask that you pay for anything as part of the selection process or thereafter.