Gender & Social Behavior Change (SBC) Advisor at Jhpiego - John Hopkins University

Overview

• Gender & SBC Advisor is needed to provide technical leadership and project oversight in the areas of gender and social behavior change to an upcoming MOMENTUM field support - MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership (MCGL) to help address the following major contributors to maternal mortality and morbidity in Nigeria namely: violence against women and girls (VAW/G) with a particular focus on intimate partner violence and sexual violence, reduction in child early and forced marriage (CEF/M), delayed acceptance of family planning (FP) and access to antenatal services. It is anticipated that MCGL will support the operationalization of existing policies, guidelines, and strategies that aim to mitigate VAW/G and develop new ones where applicable to improve MNCH/FP/RH outcomes. USAID Nigeria is also very interested in building and enhancing the local capacity of new and underutilized partners to stimulate and sustain gender transformative social and behavior change that prevent VAW/G, CEF/M and early pregnancy.
• Thus, the Gender and SBC Advisor will therefore contribute to the Agency’s New Partnership Initiative (NPI) by providing targeted technical and capacity development assistance to federal, state and local government entities and local organizations in-country (to be determined by the initial assessment) for sustained improvements in MNCH/FP/RH outcomes, thus advancing Nigeria’s country progress along the journey to self-reliance.
• The Gender & SBC Advisor will provide technical assistance at the state and community levels, under the leadership of the project and technical director, and will oversee and ensure the technical and methodological soundness and coherence of all project activities. In collaboration with project team and partners, s/he will support the design, implementation and adaptation of project interventions based on data-driven approaches.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and expertise for the formulation and/or adaptation of innovative and evidenced-based approaches to address gender and social issues that drive (VAW/G), CEFM and teenage pregnancy.
• Design SBC interventions that address social and gender norms to prevent intimate partner violence, and reduce CEFM
• Conduct trainings and workshops for government and civil society partners to build capacity on addressing social and gender barriers to services
• Design SBC communication materials that address VAW/G, CEFM and teenage pregnancy
• Co-facilitate, in coordination with local partners, the formative assessment to identify barriers and constraints related to VAW/G, CEFM, and FP interventions as well as opportunities that can drive effective interventions.
• Coordinate and monitor SBC communication, advocacy, and policy support, and influence institutional partnerships across project sites as required.
• Work with MCGL global and MERL staff to design and implement a plan to track data/results related to gender and social behavior change activities to inform adjustments in project implementation
• Present and share lessons, best practices and successes related to addressing gender and social behavior change in health services with local partners and state governments in order to institutionalize practices for scale-up

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Development and Gender Studies, Communication, Public Health, International Health or a related field
• Strong understanding of SBC, empowerment and gender-based violence prevention frameworks
• At least 7 years of experience implementing gender and SBC interventions for health in Nigeria
• Understanding of the Nigerian (or similar) social and political contexts and developments in the health sector
• Strong analytical skills, technical capacity and practical experience in designing and implementing gender sensitive development programs
• Proven ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with state level counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, the private sector and other donors
• Proven experience in implementing, monitoring and evaluating social norms projects
• Strong implementation knowledge of behavior change communication approaches
• Excellent group facilitation and communication skills; experience in multi-stakeholder consultation, and strategic planning

Required Abilities/Skills:

• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically up to 40% time
• Ability to collaborate, learn and adapt program interventions in varied contexts
• Ability and willingness to inspire and empower others
• Excellent social and emotional intelligence skills
• Strong persuasive skills capable of driving sustained demand generation across services
• Excellent communication, public speaking, presentation skills in English and Hausa
• Result-oriented and comfortable with a team approach to programming
• References will be required