The Senior Advisor for Behavior Change and Community Health will lead Save the Children’s work in community capacity building and Social Behavior Change. The Sr. Advisor will lead the community systems strengthening and behavior change (CSSBC) team of experts to design and deliver quality programming. The Sr. Advisor is responsible for the strategy development and supports the agency’s efforts to expand and resource CSSBC programming interventions for health. As a Team Leader, the Sr. Advisor builds and manages an effective CSSBC team that collectively drives results through the provision of global technical leadership and generation of evidence and knowledge sharing. This includes adapting evidence based community health and social behavior change (SBC) methodologies to new areas of programming and develops, tests and documents the effectiveness of innovative methodologies. In addition, the Sr. Advisor will lead a cross cutting team to support SC’s maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition work globally and with support to country program. The Sr. Advisor helps deliver and achieve results, build staff and partner capacities, and document and present, both internally and externally, the quality programs that improve children’s lives.
Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Impact
In collaboration with senior management, determines and communicates the Strategy and Operational Plan for their functional area. Accountable for achieving results in strategic and operational plan with management support. Responsible for setting clear objectives and measures for self and others. Exercise independent judgment and discretion on significant matters. After approval by their senior management, objectives are implemented independently, with management support, to determine accomplishment, key milestones and overall success.
Technical Leadership for Global Programming (Essential Duty, 35% of Time)
- Determines, in collaboration with the Community Systems Strengthening and Behavior Change team and management, the strategic and operational plans to expand the vision and application of community systems strengthening and Social Behavior Change across technical teams. Positions the agency to more actively influence the design and implementation of evidence based Community Mobilization and CSS programming across its global health portfolio.
Monitors new developments in community health, community systems strengthening and SBC and seeks to create a positive policy framework for taking best practices to scale.
Applies evidence based community mobilization and community systems strengthening approaches to reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition programs, and integrates across specific sector programs.
- Advances community systems strengthening and mobilization programming through work with technical units and field staff to innovate, develop, document and disseminate new approaches and frameworks.
- Presents on behalf of and represents Save the Children’s activities to the international community through the participation in and/or organization of conferences, workshops, and seminars, and through a range of technical reports, briefs, publications, and presentations.
Lead Program Quality Improvement (Essential Duty, 35% of Time)
Together with other departments/offices, engages in designing, implementing, evaluating and documenting program activities for the integration and strengthening of community capacity/mobilization and SBC programs that incorporate the latest technical approaches and interventions.
Identifies needs and builds capacity at the programmatic, country office and global levels through modeling, training, team-building, technical leadership, and structured skill-building activities using Save the Children’s, and other key community mobilization materials, including How to Mobilize Communities for Health and Social Change and the Partnership Defined Quality Trainers Guides. Builds SCUS staff expertise to lead country offices, global teams, and local partners to advance the field of community capacity strengthening approaches and SBCC at scale.
- Promotes program learning and provides senior level technical expertise and oversight for various country programs and HQ team so that state-of-the-art community systems strengthening approaches for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health are applied consistently across all project interventions. Identifies opportunities as well as develops strategies for capacity building for country programs.
Support the design, planning, roll-out, monitoring and evaluation of community capacity strenthening/mobilization strategies and activities, providing technical guidance through short-term technical assistance to country programs. Actively field-tests frameworks, indicators, and methods for measuring community capacity, community systems, social and behavior change and impact related to improved health outcomes.
Enhance the quality of community health and systems strengthening approaches and strategies by developing/adapting training curricula/facilitation tools
Support Resource Mobilization (Essential Duty, 20% of Time)
- Through proposal development and cultivation of donor relationships, plays leadership role in identifying and securing funding to expand and grow community capacity strengthening efforts both within the department and across sectors
- Provide senior technical support and assistance for designing and implementing evidence based community capacity strengthening for global health and social change programming at scale.
- Work with DGH team members, SCI global movement and country office staff to share learning and represent work with donors and potential partners.
- Support proposal development processes, providing technical inputs, review and guidance, and drafting text as needed for proposals, work plans and reports.
Knowledge Management (Essential Duty, 10% of Time)
- Expand agency’s capacity for documentation and dissemination of program results in close coordination with DGH’s Knowledge Management team;
- Apply, document and advance evidence-based community capacity strengthening at scale.
- Identifies best practices from field programs, ensures documentation and dissemination and provides expertise to global and country level child health and nutrition advocacy and policy strategies and activities.
- Document and disseminate SC’s CSS and SBC experience and program learning to address global health needs; Ensure that all CSS and SBC materials produced in programs have been posted to Save the Children’s intranet sites (Savenet/Onenet) and ensures that portions of SC’s website that contain information on programs for which you are responsible are up to date. Submit materials for inclusion on the SC internal knowledge management system. Identify materials on that system that are out-of-date
Required Background and Experience, Skills and Behaviors
- Strong level of Technical and Managerial knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the CSSBC Team and provide the technical advice, guidance and direction to various size programs and grants.
- Minimum 15-20 years’ experience required in area of expertise.
- Masters degree in Public health , or related fields.
Technical Competencies:
Strong technical knowledge and theoretical background:
- Thorough knowledge of the current literature on health behavioral research globally, with particular attention to: determinants of behaviors, theoretical frameworks for individual behavior change and broader transformations of social norms.
- Strong theoretical background in social and behavior change communication and popular education praxis.
- Understanding of global health and community development theory and practice.
Demonstrated technical skills and experience:
- Experience and background in institutional development and organizational capacity-strengthening approaches useful. Associated skills in (a) leading, supporting, or guiding planning exercises; (b) designing programs and leading proposal development; (c) supporting gap analyses and assessments; (d) providing technical assistance for work planning, evaluation, program reviews; (e) developing and maintaining partnerships and strategic alliances; (f) leading and supporting documentation; (g) providing support and technical leadership for tools development/adaptation;(h) planning or coordinating technical assistance.
- Experience in design and management of public health programs that improve access, demand and quality, with a focus on community-owned and managed interventions
- Skills in participatory facilitation and competency-based training of others at master trainer level, including development of training curriculums, guides, tools and systems to enhance community mobilization praxis.
Behavioral Competencies:
- Demonstrates Save the Children’s core values of accountability, collaboration, integrity, ambition, and creativity.
- Leading: Actively identifies areas for learning to develop self and others; aligns performance to deliver results; leads and inspires others.
- Engaging: Balances focus on tasks with attention to building relationships, identifying, monitoring, and strengthening partnerships, and networking with key stakeholders internally, cross functionally and externally; Proven ability to work effectively independently and in multi-cultural team environments.
- Communicating with Impact: Excellent written and verbal English language skills. Proven ability to give effective, engaging, and motivating presentations to groups and individuals and write compelling proposals to support resource mobilization efforts.
- Ability and willingness to travel approximately 30-35% of time in US and internationally
Employment type: Regular/Full-time
Organization Description
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 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 governing nondiscrimination in employment.
EmoticonEmoticon