SENIOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE ADVISOR

Opportunity in Washington, DC

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted through CAMRIS International partnered with IAP World Services Inc, (IAPWS), to recruit and hire qualified individuals for the following position:

SENIOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE ADVISOR Office of HIV/AIDS

Application Deadline: December 23, 2011

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Programmatic guidance for this position will be provided by the Division Chief and Field Services Team Leader in the Implementation Support Division (ISD) within OHA. The Behavior Change Advisor will also work closely with the OHA prevention team, other OHA staff, and PEPFAR interagency Technical Working Groups (TWGs), and liaise with other behavior change specialists within the Global Health Bureau and Agency.

The Behavior Change Advisor will: • Serve as subject matter specialist with respect to the behavioral, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects of HIV. Maintain knowledge of the current literature in all areas of AIDS behavioral research, both domestically and internationally, with particular attention to: determinants of risk behaviors; theoretical frameworks for individual behavior change and broader transformation of social norms; effectiveness of diverse behavioral approaches, including individual, small group, community and mass media interventions; and the state-of-the-art in design and evaluation of social and behavior change communications (SBCC) activities.
• Maintain a network of scientific and professional contacts including leading researchers, scholars and practitioners in the field of AIDS and human behavior, and share new research findings in these areas with OHA, field staff and relevant partners. Plan, participate, facilitate, and present at international and domestic meetings, workshops and conferences dealing with behavioral aspects of HIV, and publish in peer-reviewed journals. • Contribute to OHA and the Global Health Bureau’s strategic approach to HIV/AIDs, working collaboratively with other staff as appropriate to provide technical and programmatic advice on appropriate strategies for social and behavioral change. Advise other OHA subject matter experts on strategies for strengthening behavioral aspects within other technical areas, for example, recruitment, retention and adherence relating to HIV treatment.
• Participate in and contribute to USG headquarters TWGs and committees working on issues related to behavioral prevention and demand generation for health services, including crosscutting issues involving gender and stigma and discrimination. Contribute to development of global technical guidance for the design, implementation and evaluation of PEPFAR-supported behavioral interventions.
• Serve as technical advisor for social and behavior change communications and other behavioral programs implemented by USAID centrally-funded partners, to ensure that these programs reflect state-of-the-art. Provide technical leadership in the overall design, implementation and evaluation of such programs. Participate on design teams for new projects; oversee development and review of partner work plans, and products.
• Provide USAID and PEPFAR country teams, host country governments and implementing partners with expert input and ongoing technical support to ensure best practice in behavioral interventions and communication campaigns. Conduct site visits to review technical quality of behavioral interventions and communications materials, recommending changes as needed, and support partners to improve SBCC practices. Facilitate sharing of materials and best practices across USG programs in different countries. • Develop initiatives to build in-country capacity to address behavioral aspects of HIV, including support to governments and NGOs to improve ownership and management of SBCC programs at all levels, and to universities and other training institutions to build the human resource base needed to sustain high quality, future SBCC programming. • Provide recommendations for new areas of research and programming, and promote innovation in behavioral interventions and communications, e.g. new ways of engaging the private sector and media and use of information and communication technology.
• Collaborate with other international donors such as UNAIDS, Global Fund and the World Bank to ensure coordination of HIV-related behavioral and communications efforts.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSE, PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OR OTHER EXPERTISE REQUIRED. The contractor must have:

• Masters’ degree or higher in public health, social psychology, health communications or other relevant behavioral/social science field. PhD is preferred. • Minimum 10 years professional experience working in areas of behavioral change, communications or outreach work, particularly in terms of international health, including at least five years working on HIV programs within a developing country context. • Demonstrated understanding of theories and frameworks relating to individual behavior change and broader social responses, and the evidence base for behavioral/ communications interventions and best practices. • Hands-on experience designing, planning, implementing and evaluating behavioral interventions/communication campaigns is highly desirable. • Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills. • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work across USG agencies and cross-culturally with diverse teams. • Ability to work independently with minimal supervision. • Willingness to travel several times each year to developing countries, including Africa • Fluency in a relevant foreign language preferred. • US Citizenship required with ability to obtain a Secret Security Clearance.

This is an opportunity for employment or a contract, but we reserve the right to make no selection or award.

CAMRIS International and IAP World Services Inc. offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits.

How to apply:

Please submit your resume online at www.iapws.com. Candidates meeting the requirements for the position will be required to provide a USAID 1420-17 Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet to document employment and salary history.

CAMRIS and IAP are Equal Opportunity Employers EOE M/F/D/V