Technical Advisor - Social Behavior Change Communications (SBCC)

Technical Advisor - Social Behavior Change Communications (SBCC)Arlington, VA

Established in 1915 with Helen Keller as a founding trustee, Helen Keller International (HKI) works to save the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.  Headquartered in New York City, HKI offers programs in 21 countries in Africa and Asia as well as in the United States.  The organization combats the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research.  Each year, our programs directly benefit millions of people, and children are a primary concern.  HKI programs address malnutrition, cataract, trachoma, onchocerciasis, refractive error and diabetic retinopathy.  HKI has over 600 staff and an annual budget of over $57 million. 

Strengthening Partnerships, Results and Innovations in Nutrition (SPRING) is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide state-of-the-art technical support and facilitate country-led, regional, and global programs to improve the nutritional status of women and children. The SPRING implementation team consists of JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (the Prime), Helen Keller International (HKI), The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Save the Children (SC), and The Manoff Group (TMG). SPRING builds on past USAID investments and its partner expertize to deliver high impact nutrition interventions, such as infant and young child feeding, control of micronutrient deficiencies, and maternal nutrition practices focusing on the first 1,000 days of life. SPRING is also leading efforts to strengthen the evidence base and to build on, clarify and strengthen understanding, application and use of the most promising nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions. In support of this, SPRING builds capacity and creates dialogue and evidence through exchange of ideas across stakeholders through a platform for Knowledge Management to share Agriculture/Nutrition related learning. SPRING, as designed, provides an opportunity for USAID bureaus and missions worldwide to invest and access its technical services and resources.

HKI is seeking a Technical Advisor - Social Behavior Change Communications (SBCC) to join the SPRING project team.  S/he will report to the SBCC Team Leader. 

Primary Responsibilities

Strategic Direction

• Support the SBCC Team Leader in development of overall SPRING SBCC strategic direction, with particular emphasis on SBCC related to the nexus between nutrition, agriculture, and resilience.

Management

• Contribute to the development of the SBCC team work plans and budgets, ensuring consistency with the project’s strategic direction and priorities; and,
• Ensure timely, quality delivery on assigned activities, including management of budgets related to those activities.

Technical Leadership

In collaboration with other key stakeholders, support development and implementation of a global SBCC learning agenda, with particular emphasis on establishing global leadership around SBCC as it relates to the nexus between nutrition, agriculture, and resiliency. This work will include, but not limited to, the following activities:

• In collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, identify key gaps in global knowledge and understanding, identify promising and innovative SBCC related approaches, and contribute to the design and oversight of research or studies to test and document their effectiveness;
• Provide technical support to the projects evolving collaboration with Digital Green (DG), and identify and support work on other innovative delivery strategies as delegated; and,
• Support the SBCC team with respect to the broader learning agenda.

Operational/Country Support:

Provide state of the art technical assistance to SPRING country offices and USAID Missions in the development and roll out of SBCC related work, including but not limited to the following activities:

• Facilitate development of SBCC related strategies consistent with basic SBCC principles, and incorporating innovative, multi-faceted delivery channels;
• Support the design and implementation of formative research;
• Support the development and/or adaptation of context specific SBCC related messaging and materials; and,
• Support the development and/or adaptation of context specific SBCC related training materials.

Representation and Capacity Building:

• Serve as the SBCC team’s primary point of contact on matters related to the nexus between nutrition, agriculture, and resiliency, and with the SPRING Agriculture/Nutrition team;

• Stay apprised of the latest developments around SBCC as it relates to the nexus between nutrition, agriculture, and resiliency, and ensure an active SPRING presence in related global networks and learning platforms;
• Maintain close working relationships with relevant UN agencies, USAID projects, and other key stakeholders on matters pertaining to SBCC for Agriculture/Nutrition and resiliency; and,
• Where necessary, provide training in SBCC approaches and tools.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in one of the following or related fields: health education and/or communication; international public health, nutrition, anthropology or other social sciences;
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience working internationally with government entities, UN agencies, PVOs and NGOs, including at least two years at the field level;
• History of engagement with USAID-funded initiatives is highly desirable;
• Demonstrated success in applying behavior change theory and approaches in applied field settings;
• Knowledge and experience in design and implementation of evidence-based behavior change approaches;
• Experience in the design and implementation of behavior change programming in the context of multi-sectoral approaches;
• Solid understanding of key nutrition and food security concepts;
• Strategic thinker, strong team player, able to deliver results without close supervision;
• Demonstrated success in managing the development of graphic and other communication materials to support behavior change;
• Excellent written and verbal English language skills. Proficiency in at least one other language desirable;
• Proficiency in MS Office and internet applications, and,
• Demonstrated success in working with local government and NGO stakeholders, and experience in capacity building.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume tohkihr@hki.org noting the position title in the subject line.

All external applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S.  Only qualified candidates meeting our requirements will be contacted.

(SPRING uses multiple partners to find candidates for a job.  Therefore, candidates may see several advertisements from different partners for the same position.  Applications submitted to any partner organization will be considered for the position.  Applicants should only apply to one partner organization.)