Community Engagement & Social Behavior Change Officer
Community Engagement & Social Behavior Change Officer
Locations: DRC, Kinshasa
Time type: Temps complet
Job requisition id: R839
The Community Engagement and Social and Behavior Change Officer will assist in building a relationship that enables community stakeholders to work together to address issues and promote well-being to achieve positive health impact and outcomes.
Ipas DRC is recruiting for the implementation of a project funded by Global Affairs Canada, titled ‘Diversified and sustainable pathways to high quality abortion services in the DRC’. The project will also work to reduce SGBV by creating awareness among city and village dwellers. The project will be implemented for 5 years also covering 5 provinces such as North and South-Kivu, Tanganyika, Kinshasa, and Haut-Katanga. The CE-SBC Officer will bring technical knowledge and skills to strengthen the roll out of the project in the above-mentioned geographies as assigned, aiming to reduce stigma and discrimination on women and girls seeking for SRH services, strengthening individual knowledge, changing harmful social behaviors. A strong inclination to evidence generation and innovation is promoted through this project.
Summary of Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership and Strategy:
- Lead the strategic design processes and the development of technical strategies for community access projects using proven Project Management Principles.
- Financial and Risk Management:
- Develop timelines, budgets, and work plans in collaboration with in-country team for community access interventions. In compliance with Ipas DRC’s policies get the timesheet, absence report, procurement done in WORKDAY.
- Ensure compliance to internal control and audit compliance including adherence to the Protection Policy.
- Attend audit meetings as requested.
Program, technical, or functional content of the job
- Under the supervision of the National Program Manager, lead the design and implementation of local-level Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strategies to support local partnerships, activities, and materials following the country-program and Unit workplan .
- Streamline community activities to integrate gender-responsive approaches that will tackle inequalities between men and women and lay the ground for a better access to SRHR information and services for women and girls in stable and humanitarian zones.
- Support in developing strategy and tools to facilitate youth engagement and develop SRHR champions among adolescents and youth living in slum areas.
- At the direction of the Ipas and project manager, with the support of RME, develop pre-testing and produce communication tools and job aids based on evidence-based theories and methodologies in line with the SBC strategy.
- Assist in message development on abortion, contraception and GBV prevention that is appropriate to the target audience of the project.
- Assisting in documenting project results and impacts in various forms including media stories lessons learned case studies and contributing to regular quarterly and annual reporting.
- Work with youths in slum, outreach workers of MOH, MASUJAA, community Intermediaries, DOULA, CODESA, CHWs, health facilities, clinical mentors, General Practitioner, and other clinic health workers to develop a comprehensive demand generation, referral and orientation mechanism and awareness on SRHR including SGBV, FP and CAC.
- Develop linkages with Community Based and other Civil Society Organizations, youth and women-led organization, institutions working on gender-sensitive initiatives to promote knowledge, skills, and social support so women can exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.
- Collaborate/liaison with health system unit, policy unit, RME unit and partners at provincial/district level/field to implement, supervise and support and document community engagement strategies/interventions.
- In collaboration with CE lead and Program Manager, locally lead the design of curriculum and Facilitate capacity building programs for youth partners, community-based organizations (CBOs) to increase knowledge, skills and abilities of women and community members to access Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
- Conduct capacity building activities for outreach workers to increase the capacity to create awareness on CAC, FP, and SGBV to implement referral mechanism and awareness strengthening initiatives among key populations.
- Provide support in creating and empowering Community Action Group for SRHR called Makoki Ya Mwasi Ambassador network, consisting of champions and their peers, to create supportive communities accompanying women ang girls seeking for services without stigma.
- Utilize a social media network to develop a network of SRHR adolescent and youth champions, post different events and stories for community mobilization.
- Work collaboratively with other project team members to ensure necessary program planning, development, resource availability and management activities function smoothly and efficiently.
- Assist in conducting formative research on end users for the development of the targeted SBCC programming.
- Represents Ipas at local community stakeholder and in thematic meeting on CE-SBC for as necessary as appropriate.
- Undertake regular field monitoring visits to review program progress, workplan implementation and to support the CBOs and NGOs in their activities.
- Supports the accurate documentation using qualitative and quantitative tools from the field to the in country and global RME/TEX Team to support documentation of best practices and organizational learning.
- Willingness to perform other duties as assigned by the organization.
Resource mobilization:
- Support the development of proposals at the country level and assist the Community Engagement unit activity implementation involving different stakeholders.
Communications & representation:
- Collaborate with communication Unit for the Publication of IEC and BCC materials related to SRHR and SAS for dissemination at local level.
- Represent Ipas DRC in meetings/events related to community engagement and other external stakeholders Financials and Workday
- Provide guidance to the PNGOs on effective implementation of program and financial management in accordance with Ipas DRC policies and monitor the financial reports budget vs expenses.
Position Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in social sciences and project management,
- Ability to build positive relationships with communities and networks (both internal and external), community partnerships, professional organizations, government, and other stakeholders.
- Strong facilitation and positive collaboration skills to participate on projects and committees with colleagues across Ipas and local community agencies.
- Highly developed change management skills to identify support needed to achieve objectives.
- Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- The ability to balance multiple priorities and communicate with all levels of the organization.
- Proven effectiveness at project management to assist in directing and managing all aspects of a project.
- Demonstrate a willingness to work hard to achieve the highest quality results.
- Develops and maintains accurate and complete files for projects and programs; continues to monitor for integrity and completeness.
- Demonstrated experience interfacing with the public and stakeholder groups.
- A deep commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially abortion and contraception access
- Professional-level fluency in both French and English (speaking, reading, and writing)
- Proven ability to lead and motivate teams and create a positive work environment, including through supportive supervision, strong communication, nonhierarchical leadership approaches, and modeling the Ipas core values.
- Demonstrated capacity and commitment to good stewardship of funds, including strong skills in work planning, budgeting, financial monitoring, and data-driven problem solving.
- Proven ability to build positive working relationships with diverse internal teams and external partners.
Education
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in social science or related field
- 3 years’ experience, preferably in a similar role with community groups and populations
- Experience working in an equity-focused program including youth, gender and humanitarian and fragile context.
- Must have the ability to work with different community populations, including adolescents and women's groups, especially in the areas of communication and training.
- Must have knowledge of community structures and entry points, including organizations and coalitions.
- Fluency in French and English
Preferred Qualifications
- Proven skill and knowledge of Microsoft Office, specifically advanced excel.
- Professional level proficiency in French and English (speaking, reading, and writing)
Working environment:
- Ability to travel up to 20% domestically (with occasional regional or global trips if applicable)
Ipas s’est fermement engagée à offrir un environnement de travail exempt de toute forme de harcèlement, de discrimination et d’iniquité. Nous recrutons, employons, formons, promouvons et rémunérons notre personnel sans égard à l’origine ethnique, l’âge, le sexe, la religion, l’origine nationale, la couleur, la religion, l’ascendance, la nationalité, caste, origine ethnique, identité régionale, identité tribale, l’état matrimonial, au statut d’ancien combattant, au service militaire, au handicap, à l’information génétique, l’identité de genre, l’expression de genre, au statut de transgenre, à l’orientation sexuelle ou toute autre caractéristique personnelle protégée par la loi ou définie par la politique d’Ipas. Ipas reconnaît que ces caractéristiques personnelles peuvent différer selon les contextes.
