Mercy Corps Social, Structural & Behavior Change Senior Officer for Nutrition Resilience Jobs in Kenya
Mercy Corps Social, Structural & Behavior Change Senior Officer for Nutrition Resilience Jobs in Kenya
About Mercy Corps Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more that 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action – helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
Introduction to the USAID Nawiri Program
USAID Nawiri is a five-year Development and Food Security Activity (DFSA) funded by USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) that began on October 1, 2019.
Nawiri aims to sustainably reduce levels of Persistent Acute malnutrition (PAM) in Samburu & Turkana by addressing, the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition and seeks sustainable solutions that go beyond humanitarian assistance.
Mercy Corps, in consortium with Save the Children, Research Triangle Institute (RTI), the BOMA Project, African Population & Health Research Center (APHRC), Caritas Lodwar and, Centre for Humanitarian Change (CHC), is implementing the USAID Nawiri Program in Turkana and Samburu counties and has an overall budget of USD $100 million.
Intelligence generated from the various studies commissioned by Nawiri will contribute to strengthening the local lore on nutrition and resilience and thus, expectedly, bridge critical knowledge gaps relating to the understanding of the complexities and the interplay of causalities contributing to PAM in the afore-mentioned counties.
General Summary of the Ssbc Senior Officer’s Position
In addition to the Community Health System (CHS), USAID Nawiri utilizes a broad spectrum of other change agents to drive its SSBC interventions.
The said officer will also be required to provide technical guidance and administrative support necessary for the successful implementation of Nawiri’s multisectoral SSBC strategies and interventions aimed at reducing PAM and improving the resilience of target communities to withstand shocks and stresses in designated USAID Nawiri ASAL counties of Turkana and Samburu.
The Nawiri HCD contractor, ThinkPlace Kenya has conducted several HCD trainings targeting Nawiri staffers, County officials and Representatives of Community groups, specifically, members of the Adolescent Advisory Committee (AAC).
Following the expiry of their consultancy contract, the technical leadership of HCD will be transitioned to Mercy Corps. The SSBC Senior Officer will be responsible for technical direction, coordination, general oversight for the implementation of the HCD interventions.
Essential Job Functions
Technical Leadership
Take full ownership of SSBC activities as detailed in Nawiri’s Theory of Change, Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) and budgets, i.e., Analyze and understand the general SSBC dimensions of PAM and steward the design, development, and implementation of customized (county) Nawiri SSBC strategies as guided by research findings, HCD insights and other available relevant programmatic intelligence.
Provide technical leadership for the implementation of Nawiri’s HCD interventions including facilitation of validation/ideation sessions, building/testing/piloting of viable prototypes and generating relevant reports, tailored to the consumers of the HCD outputs.
Provide technical (SSBC) and general administrative support to other Nawiri technical areas;
Specifically, support the conceptualization, design, implementation, and reporting needs of the different thematic areas, including the development and implementation of relevant SSBC frameworks, tools, messaging, and IEC materials in appropriate formats, appropriately customized for program’s target audiences and needs.
Steward the design, planning & execution of relevant capacity-strengthening interventions (e.g., Trainings, Supportive/Facilitative Visits, On-Job Trainings, Mentorship and Shadowing) at county level. Develop implementation plans, relevant content, facilitate SSBC trainings & support follow-on implementation activities.
Program Support and Implementation
Liaise with relevant program and county leads and ensure that Nawiri’s SSBC Strategy takes cognizance of and is aligned to county priorities and strategic plans. Additionally, assess and map out relevant interventions by partners, government agencies and private sector players and purposefully guide layering/integration of Nawiri’s SSBC interventions in a bid to avoid duplication and improve cost-efficiency and effectiveness.
Support Nawiri’s Continuous Learning & Adapting (CLA) approach, especially
activities with an SSBC dimension; specifically, the identification of critical issues, documentation & analysis of emerging evidence, learnings, and best practices. Thereafter, guide and/or participate in the co-creation and iterative processes that are designed to incorporate the lessons learnt into the agile Nawiri SSBC framework.
Team Management and Communications
Work with Nawiri officers, consortium partners and county officials to competently supervise Contractors, Research Assistants, Healthcare Workers, Community Health Workers (CHWs – CHVs/CHEWs/CHAs), collaborating Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and any other program operatives and/or partners implementing SSBC activities on behalf of the program.
Liaise with and maintain cordial relationships with partners and county officials/ departments implementing SSBC interventions. Plan for and support the coordination of relevant SSBC mechanisms at county level including participation and technical support to the Nawiri-fronted Multi-Sectoral Platform (MSP).
Foster organizational values of efficiency, integrity, professionalism, responsiveness, collaboration, and respectful programming. Develop & manage implementation of SSBC plans in a manner that increases team operating performance & efficiencies according to prescribed protocols & Standard Operating Procedures.
Security
Work closely with the country team’s security focal point to promote and maintain systems that promote the safety and security of all team members.
Ensure that gender specific needs and interests of program staff in relation to safety and security are identified and responded to appropriately
Organizational Learning
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to participants
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, & evaluation of our field projects.
Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Knowledge & Experience
A degree in Communications, Journalism, Community Development, Marketing, Public Health, Population Studies, Social Sciences, or related disciplines
At least 5 years of SSBC experience in designing, developing, implementing, monitoring strategies, activities, and materials
Experience in conceptualization, design, and implementation of user-centric approaches e.g., HCD and demonstrated experience at testing/pre-testing tools, materials, and strategies
Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships across sectors and cultures (cross-cultural skills)
Demonstrated experience at working with & coordinating county mechanisms & multi-sectoral players
Experience and excellent skills at training and facilitating community forums including competence in approaches such as Education Through Listening, Communication for Development and Problem-Posing Techniques
Demonstrated experience meeting USAID and other donor reporting requirements
Excellent interpersonal and communications skills; excellent English language writing skills are a must
Ability to think critically and strategically
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Proficiency in Office 365 including Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint.
Willingness and ability to travel at least 60 – 80 percent of the time.
Proficiency of the local languages/dialects is a plus.
Experience working in ASAL counties of Samburu & Turkana are an added advantage.
How to Apply
For more information and job application details, see; Mercy Corps Social, Structural & Behavior Change Senior Officer for Nutrition Resilience Jobs in Kenya
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