Role Purpose:

As a member of Save the Children’s Unit for Civil Military Engagement and Access, this role supports frontline and regional teams in negotiating access for services and protection activities. Through advising on humanitarian negotiations, the role contributes to Save the Children’s efforts to protect children in conflicts and complex crises. This work includes advice on structuring dialogues with parties to conflict for humanitarian outcomes for children and communities including access for education, health, child protection and complementary activities. This direct support informs and is guided by policies, procedures and principles of humanitarian action. The Strategic Advisor works with the Unit and others to provide expert insight and advice for strategic decision-making including developing solutions and potential changes to policies and practices across the domain of humanitarian negotiations.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the Strategic Advisor will be expected to contribute to additional Humanitarian Team priorities including work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Demonstrated commitment to the Save the Children mission and values
• Higher level education degree, Masters or above, in a relevant field (e.g., IHL, IHRL, Protection of Civilians, humanitarian action)
• Direct experience working at country or regional level humanitarian structures including focus on humanitarian negotiations including access for services and protection activities
• Has led negotiations processes, and can advise on aligning priorities in their organisation and maintain a clear mandate in complex environments
• Demonstrated technical knowledge of relations with armed actors, humanitarian civil-military coordination, humanitarian negotiations, humanitarian access, as well as some or all the sectors that Save the Children works in, particularly Child Protection, Protection, Education and Healthcare and Nutrition
• Ability to work across networks of internal and external stakeholders to build a common vision and coordinate actions and align priorities
• Understands changing environments and positions, develop multifaceted strategies for multiple stakeholders and how to leverage competing sources of influence for humanitarian outcomes
• Demonstrated experience mobilizing resources for humanitarian or development programming, including developing concept notes to full proposals. Experience of project management, including establishing systems and processes to promote consistent implementation and timeline follow-up to deliver in scope, on time, and within budget
• Experience working as part of team to drive high performance and results, and a supportive and positive work environment both remotely and in person
• Significant ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt work plans depending on external opportunities and demands; ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks while maintaining high-quality standards
• Willingness to travel to high-risk environments with ongoing humanitarian response, as needed
• Fluent spoken and written English and one or more additional languages

Closing; 3 Jan 2023

Role Purpose 

The SBC Advisor provides strategic direction and technical management for the planning and implementation of cross-cutting SBC strategies and interventions in the USAID Nawiri project. The position will lead all SBC-related interventions in both Turkana and Samburu. The SBC Advisor will design the overall SBC strategy and integrated umbrella campaign. S/he will ensure that all SBC activities support the achievement of health & nutrition targets in the project sites. The position will be responsible for the timely delivery of all SBC-related activities based on state-of-the-art SBC practices and capture lessons learned. The SBC Advisor will also take a technical leadership role in coordination with all project staff and partners in the consortium to adhere to the SBC strategy and approach.  S/he will work closely with project technical and management staff to generate stakeholder inputs, develop implementation plans and suitable knowledge management and measurement.

The Program / Department / Team

With funding from USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Mercy Corps’ USAID Nawiri Program is leading a consortium of Kenyan and international partners on a five-year journey to sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition in Turkana and Samburu Counties of Kenya. Through a phased approach that emphasizes evidence gap analysis, as well as partnership, learning, and co-creation, the program takes a robust county-centered design with government leadership, active engagement from communities, the private sector, and civil society. Mercy Corps’ consortium brings together the global leadership, research capacity, technical expertise, and implementation experience necessary to partner with local institutions to test, adapt, and scale evidence-based solutions. Together we will sustainably reduce persistent acute malnutrition for vulnerable populations in Turkana and Samburu counties. The project is co-created, co-implemented, and co-measured to address problems and solve them at the county level. Save the Children is a member of the Mercy Corps Led USAID Nawiri consortium implemented in Samburu and Turkana counties.

Key Areas of Accountability

Technical assistance and capacity building

• This staff will be the primary driver of developing the SBC approach, branding campaign platforms and working with all purpose leads (Governance, health & nutrition, WASH and Livelihoods) to ensure they are using state-of-the-art SBC approaches linked to the overall strategy and work with them on the development of SBC content (i.e. trigger videos, forum theatre, experiential fairs, radio diaries, experiental and participatory learning) as appropriate.
• Mobilize and engage with communities through the MOH structures including Community Health Services and other change agents in the project to address negative social determinants to health and nutrition.
• Build the capacity of USAID Nawiri field staff to be able to support and oversee the community change agents’ engagement with the community members. Support in the identification and development of innovative approaches for changing the attitudes, perceptions, and practices around decision-making for health and nutrition outcomes, at multiple levels and scales (e.g. individual, HH, community, public and private sector institutions, etc.)
• Develop comprehensive behavior change tools and SBC campaign activities using evidence-based theories and methodologies, in close collaboration with external stakeholders.
• Support in the design community-level interventions that target caretakers of children, household and community decision makers, farmers, and community members at large to increase demand for nutritious, diverse, and safe diets.
• Provide state of the art and evidence based technical inputs and programmatic leadership; guide priority setting for the research agenda and activities in collaboration with other technical teams and project management.
• Design strategy and umbrella campaign with stakeholder input and audience testing
• Actively identify direct technical inputs from all technical areas to ensure effective support for their targets; coordinate project SBC activities and provide direct technical support to other technical counterparts as needed.
• Cultivate strategic relationships with government ministries, and other stakeholders for the smooth implementation of program activities.
• Support MEAL advisor with specific SBC learning agenda, SBC indicators; ideas for suitable real-time monitoring and audience feedback loops as well as M&E designs; coordinate monitoring of SBC activities with other staff according to the M&E framework and assess if targets are achieved and document results.
• Ensure the timeliness and quality of all SBC content for reports and meet all reporting requirements.

Representation and collaboration

• Represent USAID Nawiri in relevant internal and external fora including donor meetings (as appropriate)
• Represent Save the Children in relevant internal and external fora including donor meetings (as appropriate)
• Work closely with the Programme Advisors – Health Systems Strengthening, Advocacy and Policy, Health and Nutrition Advisors, Household economic strengthening, and Medical Supply Chain Specialist to streamline the SBC strategy in child survival and nutrition in line with the Country’s Strategic Plan and global strategy of Save the Children.
• Work with other consortium leads and members to further USAID Nawiri and Save the Children’s mission for children.

People management, mentoring and development

• Have overall management responsibility for the direct reports. Lead and motivate the team to ensure effective project implementation. 
• Manage the direct reports; define expectations, provide leadership and support as needed, and evaluate performance regularly
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate; ensure availability of and support appropriate professional development opportunities for staff in USAID NAWIRI
• Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. 

Assessment, monitoring, evaluation and documentation

• Participate in the annual work planning process in close collaboration with USAID & MOH and County health teams and the project staff
• Prepare narrative reports for the donor(s) and Save the Children as required, ensuring these are of a high quality and submitted for review in a timely manner. This will involve compilation of information from a range of project staff and MoH partners
• Monitor program outputs and results and work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research team to ensure that results are documented and reported accurately and in a timely manner
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research team and take a lead in ensuring that all HSS components have robust monitoring plans, baselines, reviews and evaluations in line with the project design and donor guidelines
• Facilitate appropriate dissemination of research findings and good practices documentations in the project internally and externally to donors, governments, consortium partners and other key actors strategic for immediate and sustainable development of children in Kenya
• Escalate complaints and feedback of a serious nature to field manager/Technical Head and child safeguarding focal point.
• Support MEAL staff to ensure that an accountability status report is developed and shared with all project staff at least twice a year
• Ensure that all project-learning meetings have as a standing agenda, review of the project accountability mechanisms and trends analysis of complaints and feedback.
• Ensure that all staff within the project are collecting feedback/complaints.

Knowledge management

• Serve as a technical knowledge, skills and experience hub for the sector in USAID Nawiri in documenting and sharing best practices and innovations for replication and advocacy together with quality programme team.
• Work with technical resources among Save the Children members to facilitate sharing and learning in child survival and nutrition good practices and leverage their support for strengthening HSS related studies, assessments, innovations, advocacy and capacity building in favour of children in Kenya   

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree required. Post-graduate education (master’s or higher) preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of experience required in health communication, public health promotion, health or behavioral sciences, or related field and demonstrated experience in management of large, community-based and inter-disciplinary teams.
• Extensive experience implementing SBC, ASRH, health promotion, social marketing, child health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene or similar programs in Kenya;
• Demonstrated ability to design effective behavior change campaigns, including community engagement and experiential learning activities in Kenya; prior experience working in Northern Kenya highly desired
• Demonstrated abilities and experience in SBC strategy and materials development (a minimum of 7 years), implementation and monitoring and evaluation of SBC interventions; (innovative radio and experiential program design preferred).
• Experience of working with local/national governments and capacity building of systems, partners and staff
• Demonstrated problem solving skills, collaboration experience, creativity and willingness to innovate;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations;
• Familiarity and understanding of USAID & FFP policies and procedures, or those of other donors, or those of donor-funded projects or community-based projects;
• Fluent oral and strong analytical, written English communication skills is required;
• Willingness to be based in the Turkana for months at a time, with frequent travel to project offices and field sites within the county and Samburu.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international and matrix management environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
• Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy in
• Outstanding report writing skills
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
• Demonstrates Save the Children’s core values of accountability, collaboration, integrity, ambition, and creativity.

Closing; 30 Dec 2023