The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. After passing a century, which it celebrated in 2019, it is now a global movement made up of 29 national member organizations which work in 120 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The SBCC Specialist is a member of the USAID/LEGO Foundation-supported ECCEiE Project team implemented by Save the Children Ethiopia Office and local partners targeting crisis-affected pre-primary school-age children in five regions of Ethiopia

The SBCC Specialist will work to build upon existing social, physical, and cultural norms and structures that promote young children’s early learning. She/he will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of the Activity’s SBCC strategy in relation to ECE in an emergency setting. The SBCC Specialist, in collaboration with Local Implementing Partners, will innovatively engage communities, educators, parents, and other actors in a coherent, multi-sectoral way to identify context-relevant approaches to address negative social norms against early learning of children with disabilities and girls. She/he will support in designing SBCC data collection tools, and in the interpretation of findings of SBCC assessment to inform the development of tailored SBCC strategy. She/he, in collaboration with the technology-based team and other key actors, will produce strategized SBCC materials (brochures, flyers, pictorials, posters…) based on context and needs, and support capacity building in documenting best practices.

Scope of Role

Reports to: Senior Community-Based Intervention Advisor

Staff Reporting: None

Budget Responsibility: none

Role Dimension:

The SBCC Specialist participates in the development/adaptation of SBCC, parenting education and Social, Emotional Learning (SEL) manuals. She/he will work with local implementing partners to develop the technical skills of SBCC strategies. She/he will monitor parenting education, SEL, and Emergent Literacy and Numeracy (ELM) at home approaches are implemented at the community level. Monitor and review documentation of LIP progress of the implementation of parental group sessions at a community level. Coach and mentor LIP staffs on SBCC Strategies. She/he works closely with LIP and the technology-based team, and both audio and print materials are used at the community level to change negative social norms towards girls and children with disability early learning. Collaborate with teacher education specialists and protection specialists so that SBCC materials that promote young children (specifically CwDs and girls) early learning are used at ECCE centers to create a conducive social environment for young children.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Technical Leadership:

• Support the project’s technical specialist on how to use  SBCC intervention materials in promoting young children early learning crisis affected areas
• Involve in the development of SBCC strategies  to change negative attitudes, norms, beliefs and behavior  that prevent girls and children with disabilities’ access to preprimary education
• Participate in the development/adaptation of SBCC manual or guideline to bring social behavioral changes at institution, community, family and individual level
• Participate in the development/adaptation of parenting education and Social and emotional learning manuals
• Involve in the development of tailored messages to engage policy makers, key government officials, key community representatives, families and individuals in the promotion of ECCEiE in conflict and crisis affected areas.
• Participate in the development of SBCC change measurement tools in collaboration with MEAL team
• Build the capacity of  LIP staff in the use of SBCC change measurement  tools and involve in the interpretation of the data collected
• Provide SBCC approach based coaching and mentoring to LIP staff and support their community based interventions to be based on SBCC strategies.
• Provide capacity build training to LIP and government staff on SBCC approaches

Ensuring Program Quality (Design & Implementation):

Work closely with new business development colleagues to identify and pursue funding

• Involve in the technical scoping and sequencing of tailored SBCC messages on the expansion of early childhood care and education.
• Coach and mentor local implementing partners’ staff on the inclusion of  gender, disability, conflict sensitivity messages in their  social and behavioral change interventions
• Collaborate with technology based team to ensure community level audio and print productions integrate social and behavioral change communication messages to promote girls and children with disability preprimary education.
• Present evidences of successes and challenges on social and behavioral changes communication interventions at community, family and individual levels to promote girls and children with disability early learning (access to preprimary education) at district and regional levels ECCE working groups and learning forums.
• Build the capacity of local implementing partners on implementation the social and behavioral change communication strategies and approaches.
• Participate in the preparation of case stories on the social behavioral change interventions results.
• Participate in the interpretation of qualitative data collected by MEAL team on changes in community’s knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behavior towards preprimary education in emergencies.
• Involve in the preparation of project technical briefs, project lesson learnt, project achievement briefs.
• Involve in the establishment of regional level ECCE technical working groups and ECCEiE learning forums at district level.
• Participate in  SCI-Education sector community of practice  and present  case stories and qualitative reports on ECCEiE  social  and behavioral change interventions
• Participate in the joint field visits to understand the challenges of implementing SBCC approaches at a community level by LIP and find solution in collaboration with LIP and other stakeholders.
• Support humanitarian team on emergency data collection on conflict sensitivity, gender and disability.
• Contribute to the quality, clarity and consistency of technical components of internal and external reports (e.g. donor report, report to SCI, report to government) of the ECCEiE project working with the local implementing partners.

Networking & External Engagement:

• Collaborate with regional, zonal, district ECCEiE actors (INGOs, NGOs, CBOs and UN agencies) on the success of social and behavioral change interventions to expand ECCEiE services in crisis affected areas.
• Participate in ECCE regional technical working groups and ECCEiE learning forums at district level to share results of the project SBCCC interventions.
• Involve in the engagement of CBOs and CSOs (through LIP)I on social behavioral change and communication intervention to improve the participation of children with disabilities and girls in preprimary education.
• Work with technical colleagues from across Save the Children-Education, Child Protection and child right governance and communication & Media in the adaptation/development of social and behavioral change communication strategies, messages and materials.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds their team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in accordance with the context, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares Save the Children’s vision, and engages and motivates others future orientated, thinks strategically and on a national and global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

The post holder must commit to work in an international agency that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion and fights racism, gender inequality and discrimination in all forms; and to model positive behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to equality and respect to all colleagues, partners and communities.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• BA/BSc  degree in Community development Public Health, Social Psychology, Social Work, Development
• Studies, or related field
• Training in SBCC strategies, SBCC project implementation and child right based programing is an asset.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• At least 8 years experience in design and implementation SBCC intervention in ECCE, education or related projects
• Familiar with education systems for ex. ECCE policy framework, ECCE Implementation strategies, and national strategy pre-primary education
• Experiences in case story writing and project report write up
• Experience in involvement in designing SBCC strategies and approaches for ECCE, education or related programs.
• Experience in planning SBCC activities in ECCE, education/health related interventions
• Experience in presenting SBCC intervention evidences at regional and district level to expand ECCiE services in crisis affected areas.
• Experience on reaching outs to GOs and NGOs at regional and district level to jointly work to change negative social norms, attitude and practice that prevents CwDs and girls access to preprimary education.
• Able to use digital software such as KOBO TOOL BOX and SPSS for data collection and analysis.
• Experienced in generating and use of data and evidence to innovate and deliver what works and what doesn’t work for young children
• Experience of promoting quality and impact in SBCC intervention through cross-cutting issues such as gender, inclusion, and conflict sensitivity.
• Experience in facilitating training in education technical areas, SBCC strategy, project design and development, and in coaching and mentoring
• Fluent in English and high level of English writing skills.

KEY COMPETENCIES

Technical competencies:

• Ensures all children’s access to quality education
• Ensures all children’s wellbeing
• Supports all children’s learning and development

Generic Competencies

• Being the Voice of Children: Promotes evidence-based policy and public engagement that includes the voices of children and their communities
• Advancing Equality & Inclusion: Displays a commitment to ensuring everything we do considers the most deprived and marginalized children
• Building & Strengthening Partnerships: Promotes working with diverse partners as critical to delivery
• Child Rights: Promotes the rights of children in own work and in work with colleagues and peers