Consultant – Social and Behavioral Change Communication

Requisition ID: req49401

Job Title: Consultant – Social and Behavioral Change Communication

Sector: Health

Employment Category: Consultant

Employment Type: Part-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Work Arrangement: In-person

Job Description

Introduction and Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC has been present in Nigeria since 2012 when the organization responded to flooding in Kogi state. In response to humanitarian needs resulting from the ongoing conflict in the country’s northeastern states, the IRC currently operates in eight sectors (health, nutrition, WASH, protection/rule of law, child protection, women’s protection and empowerment, education, governance, economic recovery, and development) based out of six field offices in Northeast Nigeria.

HeRON Program Overview:

The HeRON project is a Health Systems Strengthening consortium partnership of three organizations led by the IRC, with Action Against Hunger (AAH), and Society for Family Health (SFH) The consortium aims to ensure that crisis-affected communities in Borno and Yobe states have meaningful access to quality primary healthcare and nutrition services in the immediate term, while also contributing to the sustained capacity of health systems strengthening at the LGA level.

The overall outcome of the HeRON project is that people, with a particular focus on women, girls, and other marginalized groups are protected from and treated for the main causes of morbidity and mortality. To achieve the project outcome, the project theory of change will address three main areas: access and quality, demand and behavior change, and health systems strengthening.

Scope

The SBCC consultant will contribute to the Demand and Behavior Change activities under the Result 2 of the HeRON outcomes which is ensuring people seek timely services and take informed actions to prevent new diseases and the spread of existing diseases, including malnutrition.

SBCC strategic framework for Borno and Yobe state has been developed jointly with the SPHCDA and other relevant government and community stakeholders in FY23. The SBCC consultant will support the development of key messages and materials that will be utilized by the CHIPS and other community structures to promote demand creation for health services.

The developed SBC Strategic framework contained not just the regular demand generation/mobilization activities for a singular health area but an integrated framework, that focused on Nutrition, Routine Immunization, Family Planning, Antenatal, Home/facility delivery, Malaria, Hygiene and sanitation, Covid-19, Gender Based Violence and Health seeking behavior as a cross-cutting area. The SBC strategies embedded in the document as a road map for promoting positive behaviors and generating demand was extended beyond the conventional communication approaches of airing routine media jingles and conducting house to house campaigns which has yielded less impact within the health promotional unit. Within the SBC document is a mixture of approaches such as System strengthening, service improvement using Human Centered Design, Applied Behavioral science, community engagement and Advocacy were identified to reinforce the required changes.

Objectives

• Conduct a message and material development workshop with Religious/Traditional Leaders and LGHA DPHC/HEO/HPO in Borno and Yobe States.
• Supervise stepdown training to Religious/Traditional Leaders and LGHA DPHC/HEO/HPO on the developed SBCC Messages.
• Provide technical assistance for the implementation of the developed SBC strategic Framework and support the CHIPS agents on the use of developed SBCC messages.

Description of the Assignment

• Review of background documents such as the developed strategy documents to gain a clear understanding of the health issues, barriers, the audience, and their needs.
• Desk review of existing messages and materials by the national and States.
• Draft composition of participants for the message and materials development workshop
• Conduct 5 days message and material development workshop per audience segment based on SBCC strategy to determine core content of messages using the 7C’s of Effective communication as a checklist to ensure messages are interesting, clear, effective, and reaching the audience.
• Develop samples and conduct pretest of developed messages for key target groups to gather audience feedback before finalization.
• Review and validation of pretested messages.
• Finalize production of developed messages and materials.
• Dissemination of developed messages and materials.
• Develop step down capacity building plan to cascade developed messages.
• Support the kickoff operationalization of SBC Strategy framework and messages.
• Participate/attend donor and other coordination meetings when required

Assignment Overview

• HeRON consortium will commit time to support the consultant during this exercise:
• Facilitate introductions and connections to key stakeholders for the consultant as necessary
• Facilitate the mobilization of participants for interviews with government stakeholders.
• Facilitate travel bookings and accommodation
• Organize regular check-in calls with the consultant for the provision of updates
• Consultant to submit work and timetable for the assignment- including clearly stated:
• reporting deadlines for the various stages of the assignment
• A timely request for documents and needed logistical support
• Timely notification for workshops, interviews and required participants
• Meets agreed deadlines and deliverables.
• The consultant will be available to attend donor meetings and other coordination meetings when required.

Reporting:

• The consultant will report directly to the HeRON Deputy Team Lead. Regular progress updates and reports will be submitted according to the agreed-upon schedule and format.

Qualifications

• The IRC is looking for an Individual with substantial experience performing SBCC related consultancies. More specifically, the consultant should have a proven track record in the development of SBCC strategies in health areas and message development and related implementation guidelines. Experience with country situations similar to that of Borno and Yobe State, Nigeria and with similar projects.
• Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following fields is required: Social and Behavioral Science, Sociology, Psychology, Communication, Public Relations, or any other relevant technical field.
• At least 5 years of experience in communication for behavioral change or related communication.
• Demonstrated understanding of key primary health care areas RMNCAEH+N, malaria, COVID 19 and GBV.
• Previous experience supporting the development of behavior change campaigns that delivered results.
• Experience in development of SBCC strategy and SBCC package.
• Experience in interacting with community-level stakeholders.
• Experience in fostering open dialogue, building trust, and engaging key stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills required, including strong professional communication ability.
• Experience as a consultant producing and delivering quality results.
• Advanced computer skills with proficiency in Windows, Microsoft office and other digital media
• Strong written and spoken English ability.
• Experience working in BAY states and conversant in local language is an advantage.
• Previous experience in working out SBCC strategies for health system strengthening projects.

Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit the application with:

• A current CV
• Short proposal (maximum 10 pages) to outline the suggested approach and means to accomplish the objectives/ stages of support outlined above.
• 2 – 3 previous work samples (SBCC materials produced or involved in / example of previous messages developed) in the last 3 years
• Proposed daily rate or budget.

Duration of Consultancy

The consultancy engagement is expected to commence between 1^st March 2024 and 7^th May 2024. The consultant will be engaged on a part-time basis, with an estimated 48 days dedicated to the assignment.

All applications should be submitted through the email: NGHR.ConsultantsApplications@rescue.org 

The closing date for applications is 30th April 2024

Note: Applications lacking any of the above requirements will not be considered.

Standard of Professional Conduct: IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of IRC Persons in any work setting. 

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Employment Gaps: We welcome applicants with varied career paths and recognize that a gap in employment does not define a candidate's potential. We value transferrable skills and are committed to investing in the growth and development of our team members. We encourage applicants to highlight any relevant skills or experiences they have acquired, even if they were not gained in a traditional work setting.

Compensation and Benefits: IRC strives to provide externally competitive and internally equitable Compensation and Benefits programs that attracts, motivates, and retains employees that deliver strong performance while demonstrating the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, ethnicity or tribe, gender, age, religion, caste, sexual orientation, differently abled, geographic origin, marital status, veteran status and cultural background (or any other characteristic protected by law). We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.