Social Behavioral Change Coordinator (Preparedness for Vaccine Preventable Disease) (AfCDC) at the African Union (AU)

Job Title: Social Behavioral Change Coordinator (Preparedness for Vaccine Preventable Disease) (AfCDC)

Purpose of Job

• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have a shared vision to strengthen public health institutions and systems in Africa.

This vision is formalized in a Joint Action Plan (JAP) that focuses on six key priorities:

• Support Africa’s Future Through Sustainable Immunization Systems
• Information Sharing, Coordination and Aligned Communication
• Facilitate Efficient Regulatory Pathways
• Strengthen Diagnostic and Disease Surveillance Capacity
• Engagement on the Continental Vision to Expand Vaccine Manufacturing in Africa
• Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR)

Main Functions

• The SBC Coordinator will lead the GAVI project ,  providing the  technical and operational  guidance for SBC strategy.
• S/he will coordinate the JAP leads to ensure program objectives are met. Through communication and engagement, as well as the empowerment and participation of stakeholders, communities, children, civil society partners, and government counterparts, s/he promotes measurable behavioral and social change/ mobilization.
• S/he will be in charge of providing oversight to all SBC project teams to design and implement relevant SBC strategies specific for each thematic area and project.
• They will be responsible for providing technical expertise for the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SBC strategies, and coordinating with and building the internal capacity of RCCE members as well as immunization officers in the Member States.
• In addition, the SBC Specialist will lead the development of research, monitoring and evaluation of behavior change outcomes, designing research protocols, conducting literature reviews providing continental and regional best practices for implementation.
• The SBC Specialist will guide the design and development of professional communications documents and training materials. 

Specific Responsibilities
Project management:

• Development of a Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) strategy for immunization for VPDs
• Technical support and oversight on designing planning and implementing SBC activities backed by social and behavioral evidence and strong engagement participation mechanisms.
• Working with the Alliance Partners provide advice to senior management, government counterparts and partners on SBC, risk communication, social mobilization and community engagement interventions in line with global standards, priorities and approaches.
• Provide technical support to program staff in formulating, implementing and evaluating quality and appropriate SBC initiatives by facilitating efficient programme delivery, guiding on quality of materials/ activities and supporting appropriate research and implementation.
• Bring insights from the latest developments including and best practices in the social and behavioral sciences and participatory approaches to community engagement to improve SBC program outcomes.
• Develop /adapt Minimum Quality Standards and Indicators for Community Engagement to increase demand for vaccines

Research:

• Working with the head of Social Behavioral Research in the Science Directorate, design studies that generate evidence base and an understanding of the barriers and enablers towards achieving complete immunization coverage.
• Use evidence generated through research to ensure messages have been developed for each of the major community groups 
• Strengthen technical teams’ capacity to research, analyze and equitably address trends that drive social and individual behaviors and norms, using a wide range of approaches including, behavioral analysis, human centred design, social listening, behavioral insights, participatory research, and other quantitative and qualitative approaches.
• Provide technical support to secretariat and partners in establishing monitoring mechanisms to collect, analyze and report on SBC indicators.
• Work with the M&E to adapt existing social behavioral tools (quantitative and qualitative) for the monitoring, evaluation and documentation of SBC activities.
• Disseminate SBC research findings and best practice and support exchange of experiences and uptake of new methods among partners, technical staff, and/ or the wider SBC field.
• Support the secretariat in organizing and managing formative research, development, pretesting and production of culturally relevant materials and activities to support SBC.

Coordination:

• Ensure smooth SBC programme delivery by providing technical and operational support
• Establish SBC work plans including allocation of resources, monitoring of progress.
• Take lead/support in budget planning and management of funds and budget planning.
• Oversee the development of operational decisions on appropriate materials and media to reach target audiences, technical resources required, allocation of financial resources, as well as the time frame for various activities in support of the achievement of project goals and deliverables.
• Promote continuous learning, strengthening, and scaling up of SBC through capacity building
• Lead and facilitate capacity building on SBC, risk communication, community engagement for SBC and gender team members and partners who are involved in planning, implementation and evaluation of SBC interventions.
• Identify and plan training and learning opportunities for technical staff and partners on new approaches.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master’s Degree in Social and Behavioral Science, including Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Studies / Communication for Development, Psychology and/or related field is required with a minimum of twelve (12) years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience at the low and middle income /developing countries at national and international levels developing, implementing, evaluating, and managing social and behavioral change strategies.
• Demonstrated expertise in the application of social and behavior change science, theories, research, and analysis, in emergency preparedness 
• Proven ability to manage social research, including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods for formative assessments, identifying behavioral drivers and tracking, measurement and evaluation of social change is desirable.
• Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders at multiple levels, including providing technical support and capacity building 
• Experience supporting donor funded project activities with an understanding of policies and procedures (highly preferred), 
• Demonstrated experience working with a multicultural team and creating a collaborative, empowering environment as well ability to set tasks and work independently to achieve goals and targets.
• Experience with a continental /global public health agency is a plus
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills in English and in any other AU language
• Experience supporting programs in Africa and other developing contexts preferred 
• Established relationships with behaviour change thought leaders to facilitate community of practice and access to emerging approaches and to leverage appropriate opportunities. 
• Previous experience with African Union/Africa CDC is desirable

Required Skills:

• Computer skills: Excellent command of Microsoft suites/office as well as  
• Knowledge of a data management software
• Teamwork: Ability to create, lead and grow teams
• Language: Fluency in one of the AU working languages (English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Kiswahili) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Perspective
• Change Management
• Managing Risk
• Developing Others

Core Competencies:

• Learning Orientation:
• Building Relationship
• Communicating with impact
• Foster Accountability Culture

Functional Competencies:

• Fosters Innovation
• Drive for Results
• .Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge and information sharing

Tenure of Appointment:

• The appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of eighteen (18) months, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables. 

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Remuneration

• The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$   126,440.93  (P5 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$ 108,357.41 inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is on 9th December, 2024; 11h59 p.m. EAT. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Official Job Website: https://au.int/