SBC Program Officer (MNCH) At Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Breakthrough ACTION Liberia

SBC Program Officer (MNCH)

Job Title: SBC Program Officer (MNCH)

Location: To Apply: Interested applicants should send their CV, cover letter and three references (including current supervisor) to HR@ba-liberia.org with “Field Manager – preferred location” stated in the email subject line. Emails received that are missing any of these components will not be considered. All applications must be received no later than August 25, 2020 for consideration. Women are encouraged to apply.**

Reports to: SBC Health Services Specialist (RMNCH+N)

Background: Breakthrough ACTION is a cooperative agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lead its social and behavior change programming. The vision of the project is to deliver effective quality social and behavior change (SBC) activities in Liberia that will result in improved demand and use of health services for malaria; maternal, neonatal, and child health (MNCH); family planning/ reproductive health (FP/RH); adolescent health; and water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and engage communities in behaviors to prevent zoonotic and non-zoonotic infections in line with the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).

Summary: The SBC Program Officer (MNCH) will be responsible for day-to-day implementation and oversight of Breakthrough ACTION-Liberia’s Social Behavior Change MNCH interventions at the national and sub-national levels in close collaboration with Breakthrough ACTION-Liberia Field Managers. S/he will also be responsible for strengthening collaboration with and building capacity of the project’s government partners at all levels, and through advocacy and networking, strengthen relationships with other non-governmental stakeholders in the counties. She/he will report to the SBC Health Services Specialist (RMNCH+N) and work in consultation with the broader Breakthrough ACTION-Liberia Monrovia Team as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

· Support the design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of social and behavior change and risk communication programming

· Assist with development, review, pretesting, refinement, and finalization of SBC materials and tools

· Support review and dissemination of research findings

· Establish and maintain effective working relationships with government and partners at national, county and district levels

· Ensure social and behavior change and/or risk communication activities are implemented in coordination and harmonization with government, partners, and other relevant platforms at all levels

· Conduct constant follow up of SBC MNCH activities in collaboration with field managers, county and district health teams to ensure quality implementation of project activities

· In collaboration with youth mentors, field managers, county and district health teams, plan and conduct community awareness activities on a monthly basis

· Regularly monitor and ensure adolescent health club’s meetings are being held, adolescents are attending meetings and participants are knowledgeable of the various topics discussed.

· Attend radio presentation at national and county levels

· Support and build the capacity of partners and existing structures to design and implement social and behavior change and/or risk communication activities

· Ensure timeliness and high integrity of activity implementation in accordance with the work plan

· Monitor and ensure all MNCH related SBC and/or risk communication activities and any challenges are documented and reported on a regular basis

· Generate media briefs, reports, success stories, and other program documentation as requested

· Communicate regularly and coordinate with Breakthrough ACTION headquarters

· Represent Breakthrough ACTION at meetings as directed by the Chief of Party

· Comply with USAID, Johns Hopkins University (JHU), and Breakthrough ACTION processes and regulations.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities at this time.

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Sciences or a related field

· Minimum of five years of experience in international programming; experience working with US Government-funded projects preferred

· Experience with programs in social and behavior change, risk communication, material and message design, and/or capacity strengthening

· Experience planning and facilitating workshops and meetings

· Strong written communication skills including writing reports, newsletter blurbs, and program success stories

· Strong knowledge of MOH structures at national, district, and community level

· Ability to work effectively in a rapidly changing, fluid environment; including possessing skills in proactive and strategic thinking, problem solving, demand prioritization, and flexibility

· Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills

· Computer literate especially in Microsoft applications – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

· Technical ability to set up web-based video calls using applications like Skype and Zoom

· Able and willing to travel within Liberia, as needed

Language Skills: Must be fluent in English and Liberian local dialects.