PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing heath challenges.
PATH runs a fully-fledged country program in Uganda that implements various projects and programs, the core ones being Vaccines and Immunization, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS self-testing, Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance, and Infection Prevention and Control.
About the Vaccines and Immunization Program at PATH:
Since 2002, PATH has been an expanded partner of the Ministry of Health/UNEPI providing technical assistance (TA) to the program in a number of areas mainly; the vaccines and supply chain; advocacy, communication and social mobilization (ACSM); monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and other initiatives related to program management including Gavi grant applications and new vaccine introduction. PATH currently receives funding from Gavi to implement TA and delivery activities under UNEPI, with an expanded scope that includes managing and coordinating up to 25 local civil society organizations that largely support the ACSM pillar at national and sub-national level, to deliver evidence-based demand generation interventions for immunization. Against this background, PATH would like to hire a highly motivated, self-driven, flexible, qualified and experienced Social Behavior Change Specialist, to lead the technical aspects of the demand generation scope that is being implemented by both PATH and the sub-grantee CSOs at national and sub-national level.
Job Summary
The Social Behavior Change Specialist will work closely with the PATH leadership and the Vaccines and Immunization program team in Uganda to provide technical assistance (TA) to the Ministry of Health/UNEPI and oversee direct activity implementation at national and sub-national level, in relation to SBC and demand generation for vaccines and immunization, including new vaccine introduction and routine immunization. The Social Behavior Change Specialist will directly be responsible for supporting the Ministry of Health/UNEPI in implementing the advocacy, communication and demand generation strategies for the malaria vaccine introduction in the country, working in close collaboration with the Health Promotion, Education and Communication (HPEC) department and the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP). These will include, among others, stakeholder engagements, media engagements, development of communication tools and materials, and evidence generation to inform SBC and demand generation interventions. The Social Behavior Change Specialist will also lead the coordination and supervision of implementation of tailored demand generation interventions for immunization across the country by PATH and subrecipient civil society organizations across different Gavi grants. They will provide thought-leadership and thought-partnership as a PATH representative in various advocacy, communication and social mobilization (ACSM) technical sub-committees and technical working groups at national and sub-national level.
Key duties and responsibilities:
- Provide technical assistance to MOH in the development and implementation of risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) plans, under the HPEC, NMEP and UNEPI departments, aimed at promoting vaccine confidence and uptake, especially for the malaria vaccine and other vaccines on the horizon.
- Working closely with other ACSM sub-committee members, support the conceptualization and implementation of immunization-related stakeholder and community engagement plans at national and subnational level especially for malaria vaccine introduction.
- Support the vaccines and immunization team at PATH in developing and implementing a capacity building agenda for subrecipient civil society organizations to effectively execute their workplans for communication and demand generation activities in the context of routine immunization at sub-national level.
- Work with PATH Vaccines and Immunisation structure leadership to provide oversight to subrecipient CSOs implementing demand generation interventions for immunization at sub-national level, in close collaboration with the PATH program team, as well as Ministry of Health/EPI technical teams and partners.
- Lead knowledge translation activities including the utilization of evidence generated from rapid assessments, formative/audience research, behaviour and social behavioural drivers surveys, among others, to inform tailored demand generation interventions for immunization.
- Provide leadership in the documentation of learnings and success stories related to immunization, especially regarding effective demand generation models as they are applied in different settings.
- Participate in national level MOH/EPI planning and coordination meetings involving other partners in the immunization space representing the interests of the demand generation pillar of the EPI program.
Required qualifications, skills, and experience:
- The candidate should have a master’s degree in public health, communication, social sciences, behavioural sciences or related field
- At least seven (7) years of experience working in the NGO sector and specializing in delivering innovative and impactful social/behavior change and demand creation interventions for RMNCAH+N including immunization.
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience in applying technical concepts in the field of communication, SBC/demand generation such as behaviour economics, human centre-design, journey to health, behavioural insights, among others.
- Existing strong working relationship with Ministry of Health, other sectors, and partners is an added advantage
- Must be self-driven and willing to work with minimum supervision
- Strong technical writing and documentation skills are a MUST
- Possess flexibility to travel upcountry up to 25% of their time.
- Fluency in at least two or more Ugandan native languages is an added advantage
- The applicants must also be legally authorized to work in Uganda
