Social Solutions International, Inc. (Social Solutions) is a Hispanic and woman-owned business emphasizing quality research and evaluation, training and technical assistance, and institutional support services. We are a mission-driven organization that believes that superior science can improve the world. Social Solutions is dedicated to the creation of social and health solutions to improve the welfare of underserved populations worldwide.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has contracted Social Solutions to recruit and hire qualified individuals for the following position:

Title: Social and Behavior Change Advisor 

Location: Washington, DC

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Salary Range: GS-13

The SBC Advisor (Advisor) will work as part of the SBC Team and will provide technical leadership to GH/PRH’s SBC project(s) and activities; provide technical assistance to the PRH Office and USAID Missions on SBC and field implementation; and collaborate with other SBC technical staff to address questions and issues concerning social and behavior change. The Advisor will receive day to day guidance and technical direction from the SBC Team Lead, as the USAID point of contact.

The SBC Advisor will be responsible for:

Providing technical leadership to SBC projects and other PRH projects as applicable:

• Providing independent technical guidance on key activities of SBC project(s) and other projects managed out of PRH.
• Providing active support to SBC project management teams to ensure technical soundness of key planning activities, including review of project scopes of work, work plans, and budgets; monitoring of project performance against objectives; and oversight support of project reporting.
• Participating on design teams for new projects and providing technical guidance in the implementation and evaluation of these programs.

Providing SBC support to Missions:

• Supporting USAID Missions in designing, assessing, and evaluating behavior change-focused programs, including SBC and demand-side activities associated with social marketing, through virtual and in-country technical assistance.
• Developing and implementing innovative and effective approaches to strengthen the capacity of Mission staff in designing, assessing, and evaluating high-quality SBC interventions.
• Facilitating sharing of SBC materials and best practices across US Government programs in different countries, including to other USAID HQ operating units.

Providing SBC expertise to PRH and GH Bureau:

• Developing recommendations for new areas of SBC research and programming, and promoting innovation in social and behavior change.
• Providing USAID country health teams and implementing partners with informed input and ongoing technical support to ensure best practices in social and behavioral interventions and communication campaigns.
• Responding to information requests from PRH leadership and staff on USAID-supported SBC programs.
• Together with other senior technical staff in PRH, guiding development of Office-wide strategies for SBC research and programming. 

Providing technical expertise:

• Independently liaising with a range of external stakeholders active in behavior change programming, including donors and members of technical consortia to guide development of shared agendas and areas of collaboration.
• Together with other senior technical staff in PRH and GH, guiding development of Bureau-wide strategies for SBC research and programming.
• Maintaining knowledge of current literature in all areas of FP/RH-related behavioral research with particular attention to determinants of individual behavior change, including providers, and broader transformation of social norms, effectiveness of diverse behavioral approaches, including individual, small group, community and mass media interventions; and the state-of-the-art in design and evaluation of SBC activities.
• Collaborating with relevant PRH staff to plan, participate, facilitate, and present at international and domestic meetings, workshops and conferences dealing with social and behavioral aspects of FP and RH.
• Deepening knowledge of cutting-edge FP/RH-related behavior change practices.

International travel approximately 15-20%.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree or higher in public health, social psychology, health communication, behavioral economics, or other relevant behavioral/social science field.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in global health, including substantial experience in SBC and/or social marketing, with at least 2-3 years’ experience in an international or resource challenged setting.
• Formal training in and demonstrated understanding of theories and frameworks relating to individual behavior change and broader social responses, the evidence base for SBC interventions and best practices, and familiarity with the current SBC literature.
• Hands-on experience designing, implementing and evaluating SBC interventions, with experience in FP/RH-related behavior change strongly preferred.
• Experience working on multi-sectoral programming, including cross-cutting aspects such as gender and population, environment, and development (PED) programming, preferred.
• Strong project management skills.
• Excellent analytical, written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team, including cross-cultural teams
• Experience with USAID programming and evaluation functions and procedures both in USAID/Washington and in USAID missions preferred.
• Ability to travel internationally.
• US citizenship or US permanent residency required.

In order to fully evaluate your eligibility, your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position.

Social Solutions offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. Please submit your resume online at www.socialsolutions.biz.

Social Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.