Senior Social and Behavior Change Research Advisor

Credence Management Solutions employs hard-working, passionate individuals who bring innovation, accountability, and a growth mindset to the many missions we support across the US Federal Government. Employee empowerment is part of the fabric of our corporate culture through which we emphasize opportunity, recognition, reward, and retention. At Credence, we follow the principles of servant leadership and believe that serving and supporting others is critical to both our individual and collective achievements. We have only one measure of success. Yours.

We are hiring for positions under the Global Health Training, Advisory, Support Contract (GHTASC) in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health (GH). These roles deliver institutional support services in a wide range of technical areas at the junior, mid-, senior, and expert levels.

We are a diverse, enthusiastic family of subject matter experts, business professionals, and practitioners who all share a common goal of providing excellent services to our government customers. If you want to work in a dynamic and fast-growing environment with highly motivated colleagues, then Credence is the right place for you!

Credence Management Solutions is seeking a Senior Social and Behavior Change Research Advisor. The Senior Social and Behavior Change Research Advisor will primarily support the USAID’s Malaria Division, which is within the Bureau for Global Health’s Office of Infectious Disease (GH/ID/MAL), as an Institutional Support Contractor (ISC) through the Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Contract (GHTASC).

Summary Statement

The Malaria Division of the Office of Infectious Disease of USAID’s Bureau for Global Health seeks an individual with a strong understanding of research design, data use, and social and behavior change (SBC) interventions to contribute to the Bureau for Global Health’s Malaria Division and the Bureau’s overall efforts. The Malaria Division is charged with the technical leadership for, and management of, USAID’s malaria portfolio, including leading the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the US Government’s (USG) flagship global malaria initiative led by USAID and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As described in End Malaria Faster: U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative Strategy 2021-2026, the goals of PMI are to reduce malaria mortality, reduce malaria morbidity, and accelerate progress toward national or sub-national elimination in PMI partner countries. PMI’s strategic approach includes reaching the unreached, strengthening community health systems, keeping malaria services resilient, investing locally, and innovating and leading. PMI supports the implementation of evidence-based interventions at-scale, including malaria diagnosis with microscopy and malaria diagnostic tests; malaria treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapy; vector control with insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying; chemoprevention, such as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy and seasonal malaria chemoprevention; surveillance; supply chain strengthening; and SBC. The Initiative is results-based, focused, and exhibits a high level of financial and programmatic accountability.

As a member of the Interagency PMI SBC Technical Team, the Senior SBC Research Advisor will provide global and country-level technical assistance for the design, implementation, analysis, utilization, and dissemination of malaria SBC research, including formative research, monitoring, and evaluation. The Senior SBC Research Advisor will also provide backstopping support and technical assistance to PMI country teams Global in PMI partner countries. Finally, the Senior SBC Research Advisor will advise the PMI Front Office, including the US Malaria Coordinator, Deputy US Global Malaria Coordinator, Malaria Division Chief, Deputy Malaria Division Chief, and other technical team leadership on malaria SBC research and data use and support the Interagency SBC Technical Team with documentation and dissemination of malaria SBC research resources and best practices.

Responsibilities

The Senior SBC Research Advisor will be an integral member of the PMI Interagency SBC Team and will help to shape PMI’s strategic approach to design, implementation, analysis, utilization, and dissemination of malaria SBC research. Specifically, the Senior SBC Research Advisor will be charged with the following:

Strategic and Technical Leadership

• Provide global and country-level technical assistance for the design, implementation, analysis, utilization, and dissemination of malaria SBC research, including formative research, monitoring, and evaluation, in PMI partner countries.
• Lead the development of technical guidance related to malaria SBC research.
• Manage implementation of quantitative and qualitative formative research, including the Malaria Behavior Survey, monitoring, program evaluation, and operational research.
• Lead the review, synthesis, and dissemination of malaria SBC literature.
• Contribute to the annual review and revision of the PMI Policy and Technical Guidance; annual review of PMI Malaria Operational Plans; periodic design of central and bilateral awards; annual review of implementing partner workplans; and regular review of technical deliverables.
• Work closely with PMI country teams in PMI partner countries, and Ministries of Health and National Malaria Programs.
• Provide high-level SBC research technical assistance to all Interagency PMI technical teams.

Country Support

• Provide high-level SBC research backstopping support and technical assistance to all PMI country teams in PMI partner countries related to the design, implementation, analysis, utilization, and dissemination of malaria SBC research, including formative research, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Provide general SBC backstopping support and technical assistance to PMI country teams in PMI partner countries. Ideally, the Senior SBC Research Advisor will support PMI country teams in Francophone PMI partner countries. Areas of support may include providing technical assistance for the development of the National Malaria Program’s national malaria SBC strategy; providing technical and programmatic assistance for the PMI team’s investments in malaria SBC; providing technical and programmatic support for the design of bilateral SBC mechanisms; providing technical, programmatic, and management support to the PMI country team for the management of their SBC implementing partners; and reviewing annual workplans and technical deliverables.
• Support, as the SBC backstop for PMI country teams, the development of the annual Malaria Operational Plan, specifically the cross-cutting SBC section.

Documentation and Reporting

• Advise the PMI Front Office, including U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator and Deputy U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator, and Malaria Division and other technical team leadership on malaria SBC research.
• Support the Interagency SBC Technical Team with documentation and dissemination of SBC resources and best practices.
• Support the Interagency SBC Technical Team with internal and external knowledge management, including documenting best practices through the development of manuscripts, reports, and guidance.
• Keep abreast of new developments and emerging issues in malaria and social and behavior change, including behavioral economics, via literature reviews, attending technical meetings and workshops, and participating in relevant trainings.
• Formulate recommendations for PMI’s responses to developments in malaria and social and behavior change, including and behavioral economics, and share with colleagues, the Bureau, PMI leadership, and missions.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 10 years, bachelor’s degree with 12 years, associate degree with 14 years, or High School graduate with 16 years relevant experience in public health, international health, social and behavior change, program evaluation, social psychology, behavioral economics, sociology or other another relevant field.
• Eight years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing, and/or managing public health development programs, with at least four years of experience working within an international setting on social and behavior change preferred.
• Three years of experience design, implementation, analysis, utilization, and dissemination of SBC research, including formative research, monitoring, and evaluation, low- and medium-income countries settings preferred.
• Knowledge and specialized experience in infectious disease including malaria preferred.
• Knowledge of development assistance programs, procedures, and systems for program design, procurement, logistics, management and monitoring preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with people of varied professional, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively with a broad range of USG personnel and partners, and in a team environment.
• Experience working with donors and development partners to jointly plan and coordinate program activities.
• Flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment.
• Strong oral and written communications skills and proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely in English and French preferred.
• Ability to communicate technical health information to both health and non-health audiences.
• Ability to use verbal communication skills to negotiate activity plans and resolve activity implementation issues with counterparts, partners, and team members.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google suite.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time.
• US citizenship or US permanent residency and ability to obtain at a minimum a facility access clearance.

Competencies/Performance Criterion

• Creativity: Employee takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work.
• Customer Service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Interpersonal Relationship: Employee demonstrates ability to work in cooperation with others and communicate effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients, and other outside contacts.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met. Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to Organization policies and procedures.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals. Proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the Organization.

Full salary range for this position is: $129,740 – $195,000 per year with the starting salary determined based on candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience, and education, in addition to budget availability.