Health Promotion and SBC Specialist

Society for Family Health (SFH), Rwanda

JOB ADVERTISEMENT 

Title: Health Promotion and SBC Specialist (1)

Reporting to: Ingobyi Activity Senior Field Coordinator

Type of contract: Fixed term contract (One year with the possibility of extension)

ABOUT SFH

Society for Family Health (SFH) is a non-profit organization in Rwanda. It is the largest social marketing organization in Rwanda, with five regional offices across the country. Working in partnership within the public and private sectors, and harnessing the power of the markets, SFH provides life-saving products, social and behavior change communications (SBCC) that empower the world’s most vulnerable populations to lead healthier lives. SFH’s core values include a belief in markets and market mechanisms to contribute to sustained improvements in the lives of the poor; results and a strong focus on measurement; speed and efficiency with a predisposition to action and an aversion to bureaucracy; decentralization and empowering our staff at the national and district level; and a long-term commitment to the people we serve. SFH implements diverse public health interventions in HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, malaria, and maternal and child health including nutrition, water sanitation, and hygiene. SFH’s activities range from product sales and distribution to social and behavior change communication, advocacy, reproductive health research, and community mobilization.

In order to implement the IntraHealth International Inc. funded Ingobyi Activity, SFH is hiring a Health Promotion and SBC Specialist.  

Job summary:

This position plays a key role in the Ingobyi Activity project implementation. The Health Promotion & SBC Specialist will be a senior member of the Ingobyi Activity team and will work with key health partners, particularly the Ministry of Health (MoH), departments within the MoH/Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), local NGO partners, community organizations and other stakeholders, especially in the National Technical Working Groups (NTWG) to support the implementation of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) and malaria services. The Health Promotion & SBC Specialist provides guidance to ensure that program implementation adheres to appropriate technical standards and guidelines and that programs are technically sound. S/he will provide global scientific leadership by staying current of evolving technical standards, guidelines, and program developments in the area of expertise. S/he reports to the Senior Field Coordinator.

Roles and responsibilities:

1. Provides technical assistance to develop and implement health communication strategies, RMNCH and malaria programs in all phases from formative research, through client-centered design, media and materials production, community mobilization;
2. Responsible for sharing best practices and contribute to the knowledge base through participation in scientific forums and national technical working groups (NTWG) within MoH, other networks.
3. Participate in detailed strategy write-ups, work plans, and deliver quarterly reports and all other reporting requirements;
4. Provide technical guidance in the implementation of the Ingobyi Activity social behavior change strategy for RMNCH and malaria services in all supported districts.
5. Work with partners like Urunana DC and World Vision to design communication and messaging content and therefore leverage their deep understanding of community perceptions;
6. Collaborate with Ingobyi Activity MER team to organize periodic SBC assessment to measure the impact of RMNCH and Malaria messages on positive behavior change;
7. Work with partners to monitor and recommend adjustments in SBC activities through rigorous evaluations;
8. Make use of existing community and private sector structures and the latest research to guide, test and scale-up messaging on RMNCH and malaria;
9. Build capacity of the Ingobyi Activity team in design, implementation, and evaluation of SBCC programming;
10. Engage collaboratively with relevant government departments to enlist their support for Ingobyi Activity objectives and ensure its goals and approaches remain aligned to public health policy;
11. Provide regular supervision of planned SBC interventions to ensure quality implementation and programmatic compliance;
12. Carry out any other duties that will be assigned by the supervisor from time to time.

Required qualifications:

• Minimum of master’s degree in communications, public health management, social sciences, and international development.
• Knowledge and experience in health education and behavioral change communication is required.
• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in leadership and management of relevant projects.
• Experience in developing and implementing a behavioral change communication strategy, focusing on creating demand for community and facility-based health services.
• Experience in designing and implementing the RMNCH and Malaria services that include a strong behavior change communication component.
• Guiding and providing technical assistance to project members of staff under the health programs department working on Social Behavioral Change Communications activities.
• Proven experience in developing behavioral change communication tools and materials.
• Proven experience in monitoring and evaluation of health projects and operational research experience.
• Oral and written English and Kinyarwanda communication skills required. Oral and written communication skills in French will be an advantage

Documents to be submitted include:

• Application letter addressed to the Executive Director;

• Curriculum Vitae (including 3 referees where at least 2 are from the former employer);
• Copies of degrees;
• Copies of Certificates of Professional qualification and training;

How to apply:

All interested applicants are advised to submit their application files by email ONLY to hr@sfhrwanda.org by Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 12:00 PM. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us, please consider your application unsuccessful.

SFH is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals.