Senior Advisor, Research Utilization, Social and Behavior Change (SBC)

Reports to: Senior Director of Programs

Location: Africa/Remote

The salary range for this position is $105,000 - $115,000 with full benefits.

 The primary function of the Senior Advisor, Research Utilization, Social and Behavior Change, is to support CORE Group’s USAID-funded “Agency For All” award, over a period of up to 3 years. “Agency for All” is a consortium for collaborative learning on agency and social and behavior change. The project goal is to improve and sustain health and agency for women, girls, and communities. To this end, Agency for All (AforAll) will create locally led, equitable partnerships focused on understanding agency and its ability to convert intentions into action within social and behavior change (SBC) programs. Consortium partners are The Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH) at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) (prime), CORE Group, Save the Children, Makere University, Matchboxology, Equimundo, IPPF, and others.

The Sr. Advisor will be part of the consortium Strategy Team for the project and lead the CORE Group team on the project to achieve the deliverables. The Sr. Advisor will work with the Consortium members to achieve the Research Utilization (RU) strategy and will focus on collaboration, capacity, and communication, to ensure new evidence impacts practice and policy. The Senior Advisor will supervise the three Learning Collaborative Regional Coordinators and a communications/knowledge management consultant who work at CORE Group on the project. The Senior Advisor will manage all of CORE Group’s work on the project and serve as CORE Group’s primary liaison to the Consortium.

The Sr. Advisor will work with project partners further develop and expand regional learning collaboratives (East and West Africa and South Asia) to engage key research utilization actors throughout the research life cycle. This will be done by strengthening the community of practice, developing efficient communication linkages, and creating an enabling environment for partnership. The Sr Advisor will also complete an assessment of organizational networks and be responsible for knowledge management/communications activities supporting the Learning Collaboratives and the Consortium as a whole.

General responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

 SBC TECHNICAL GUIDANCE

• Provide SBC technical guidance at the global and country level for SBC strategies, SBC research uptake and utilization
• Coordinate stakeholder and partner inputs to overall strategy development and project design
• Provide technical oversight to the Learning Collaborative Coordinators on the use and uptake of research utilization and SBC tools, research materials, and diffusion at the regional and country level.
• Build capacity of staff, stakeholders, and local partners in SBC throughout project design and implementation. Assist with learning agenda for the consortium, in coordination with the Communication and KM Manager.
• Based on research findings and stakeholder consultations, coordinate with the Consortium to lead the development of knowledge sharing events at the regional and global levels
• Contribute thought leadership on SBC approaches to agency for Learning Collaboratives, country and regional organizations, as well as country specific approaches to SBC Research utilization, gender transformative approaches, decolonization of global health, inclusivity and equity, and community engagement.

MANAGEMENT

• Lead all aspects of the project management cycle including, formulation of concept notes, development and use of work plans, formulation and review of budgets, writing and editing of reports, monitoring and evaluation, etc.
• Manage full and part time staff working on the project including 3 regional Learning Collaborative Coordinators and the Knowledge Management/Communications Specialist.
• Participate in CORE Group overall strategic planning for SBC activities including providing support to the SBC Working Group.
• Present at conferences and speak at technical meetings, when relevant.

 COLLABORATION AND PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS

• In collaboration with the Consortium members, actively engaging with government, donors, and local organizations involved in the SBC sector and beyond, in order to promote collaborative planning toward long-term sustainable solutions.
• Establish and maintain productive collaborative relationships with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.
• Participate in and contribute to coordination meetings at the global and local levels
• Work with USAID and other partners on project goals, objectives, and timelines. Contribute to technical reports and technical briefs, as well as program reports.
• Other duties as requested, and as the project evolves.

REQUIREMENTS

The Senior Advisor must have:

Technical Skills:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree or higher in public health or social sciences. PhD preferred.
•  A strong background in social and behavior change research utilization and uptake.
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience working with US Government- funded programs, with at least three years of experience in an international setting, supporting social behavior change development programs in less developed country settings.
• Demonstrated knowledge and background in SBC including community engagement; experience in SBC strategy development (minimum of 7 years), implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of SBC interventions
• Demonstrated technical experience/expertise related to SBC research uptake utilization, and social norms, along with conducting training with local organizations, using a participatory approach.
• Gender and health systems strengthening expertise strongly encouraged
• Excellent writing skills, preferable strong publication history

Managerial Skills

• Knowledge of USG initiatives related to development assistance, USAID programming policies, regulations, procedures, and documentation requirements for strategy and project design, implementation, management, and evaluation.
• Experience with project management and all phases of the project management cycle.
• Experience managing staff from different cultures and in different time zones.
• Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment.
• Demonstrated strong teamwork, cultural competency, diplomacy, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated strong written and oral communications skills in English and ability to communicate complex technical information to a variety of audiences and stakeholders including academics, senior-level managers, country-level health officials, UN, senior level USG delegations, inter-agency partners and host government counterparts. French proficiency highly desirable.
• Experience developing and working with budgets in Excel.
• Willingness to travel to in-country programs when as needed and also be available remotely for training and technical advice.