Program Officer – Social and Behavior Change At Breakthrough ACTION

Job Description

Job Title: Program Officer – Social and Behavior Change

Location: Monrovia

Reports to: SBC Advisor

Breakthrough ACTION Liberia is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lead social and behavior change (SBC) programming in 12 counties. Led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP), Breakthrough ACTION partners include Save the Children, ideas42, and Think Place. The vision of the Breakthrough ACTION Liberia project is to deliver effective, high 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); nutrition; 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 Program Officer – Social and Behavior Change will work closely with the SBC Advisor to implement the Breakthrough ACTION Liberia Social Behavior Change Advocacy interventions and activities at national and sub-national levels in close collaboration with Breakthrough ACTION-Liberia Field Managers. This will also entail working to strengthen collaboration with and building capacity of the project’s government partners at all levels, and through capacity building and networking, strengthen relationships with other non-governmental stakeholders in the counties. She/he will also work in consultation with the SBC Program Officers and the broader Breakthrough ACTION-Liberia Monrovia team as appropriate.

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

Education and/or Experience: Minimum of a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field (public health, social science, humanities, other). Advanced university degree in the social and behavioral sciences (Communication, Public Health, Health Education) or related fields is an added advantage.

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 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

· 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 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

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

Required Qualifications

· 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

· Fluency in English (verbal and written)

· Able and willing to travel within Liberia, as needed

Language Skills: Must be fluent in English (verbal and written communication); Fluency in Liberian local dialects is a plus