Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) Technical Lead Consultant

Organisational and Project Overview

Coalition Health Zambia (CHZ) is a Zambian organisation working to improve health outcomes through health systems strengthening, technical assistance, service delivery, social and behaviour change, community engagement, capacity building, partnerships and innovation. CHZ collaborates with the Ministry of Health, development partners, civil society organisations, communities and other stakeholders to implement sustainable health interventions.

CHZ, in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and with support from UNICEF, is implementing a project focused on the design and implementation of multimedia Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) interventions to promote the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions among adolescents and young people aged 10–29 years in Zambia. The project will use evidence-based, youth-centred and culturally appropriate approaches to address NCD risk factors, mental health awareness, stigma reduction, emotional well-being and help-seeking. Interventions will combine multimedia communication, digital platforms, community engagement and linkages to health, mental health and psychosocial support services.

The project will involve collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, WHO, UNDP, relevant government departments, the Zambia Paediatric Association (ZPA), technical partners, health service providers, youth organisations, community-based organisations and other stakeholders to strengthen the reach, quality, sustainability and ownership of the intervention.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The SBC Technical Lead Consultant will provide technical leadership for the design, implementation, quality assurance, monitoring and documentation of multimedia SBC interventions that promote healthy behaviours, reduce NCD risk factors, strengthen mental health awareness, address stigma and increase demand for appropriate health and psychosocial support services among adolescents and young people.The consultant will lead the development and implementation of the SBC approach, working closely with the MHPSS Specialist Consultant, CHZ, the Ministry of Health, UNICEF and other stakeholders. The consultant will ensure that interventions are evidence-based, behaviour-focused, youth-responsive, inclusive and adapted to Zambia’s social, cultural, linguistic and media context.

Key Responsibilities

SBC Strategy and Behavioural Programme Design

·Lead the development and refinement of the project’s integrated SBC strategy and implementation approach.

·Conduct or guide behavioral profiling and audience segmentation for adolescents and young people aged 10–29.

·Identify key behaviors, social norms, barriers, motivators and enabling factors related to NCD prevention, mental health awareness, stigma reduction and help-seeking.

·Develop audience-specific communication and engagement approaches for different age groups, genders, geographic settings, languages, disability groups and levels of connectivity.

·Apply relevant behavioral and communication theories to the design of SBC interventions.

·Ensure alignment with Ministry of Health priorities, national strategies and relevant UNICEF, WHO and other technical guidance.

·Coordinate with the MHPSS Specialist Consultant to ensure the technical accuracy and appropriateness of mental health-related SBC interventions.

Multimedia Content Development and Production

·Lead the development of multimedia communication concepts, messages and materials addressing NCD risk factors and mental health.

·Coordinate the production of culturally relevant and adolescent and young people friendly content for platforms such as radio, television, and digital media, short videos, interactive audio, SMS, social media and community-based communication.

·Ensure that content is accessible, inclusive, age-appropriate and suitable for both high- and low-connectivity settings.

·Integrate edutainment, storytelling, youth-led content, community voices and local languages where appropriate.

·Work with the MHPSS Specialist Consultant and other technical experts to review and validate health and mental health messages.

·Lead message pre-testing, audience feedback and refinement before final production and dissemination.

· Support the appropriate integration of digital platforms and tools, including relevant On My Mind-related content where applicable.

·Ensure that communication materials are accurate, non-stigmatizing, culturally sensitive and consistent with approved technical guidance.

Adolescent and Young People Engagement

·Lead participatory and human-centered approaches that position adolescents and young people as active contributors to intervention design and implementation.

·Facilitate youth consultations, co-creation sessions, focus group discussions and message pre-testing.

·Ensure meaningful participation of young people from diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

·Incorporate young people’s perspectives, media preferences, lived experiences and communication needs into the SBC approach.

·Support youth-led storytelling, peer engagement and the participation of young people as champions, content contributors and community mobilisers.

·Ensure that youth engagement activities are safe, ethical, inclusive and appropriately safeguarded.

 Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination

·Work closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, CHZ and relevant government departments to ensure coordination and ownership of SBC activities.

·Engage with the Zambia Pediatric Association (ZPA), UNDP, WHO, technical partners, service providers, youth organizations and community-based organizations as relevant to the project.

·Coordinate with the MHPSS Specialist Consultant on mental health-related content, stakeholder engagement, referral linkages and technical reviews.

·Participate in relevant technical working groups, coordination meetings, stakeholder consultations and review sessions.

·Support collaboration with health, education, youth, community development and other sectors involved in NCD prevention and mental health promotion.

·Strengthen stakeholder capacity and ownership to support sustainability, integration and scale-up of SBC interventions.

·Ensure that communication activities are aligned with existing Ministry of Health structures and community systems.

Capacity Building and Mentorship

·Assess capacity-building needs related to SBC among health workers, programme staff, peer educators, community champions and volunteers.

·Develop or adapt training materials, facilitation guides, communication tools and mentorship approaches.

·Lead or support training, orientation, coaching and mentorship on SBC planning, message delivery, community engagement and feedback mechanisms.

·Strengthen the capacity of implementers to deliver consistent, accurate and inclusive communication.

·Support the integration of SBC approaches into existing health promotion and community engagement structures.

·Work with the MHPSS Specialist Consultant to incorporate relevant mental health communication, Psychological First Aid awareness and safe referral messaging into capacity-building activities.

Dissemination and Community Engagement

·Lead the development and implementation of a multimedia dissemination and engagement plan.

·Support the use of digital platforms, radio, bulk SMS, schools, community dialogues, sports and arts activities, faith-based structures and other relevant channels.

·Recommend context-appropriate communication approaches for urban, peri-urban and rural communities.

·Support the engagement of local radio stations, influencers, community leaders, youth champions and other trusted communication channels.

·Promote repeated exposure to key messages and link communication activities to relevant national and community health events.

·Strengthen linkages between SBC activities and available screening, prevention, referral, treatment and psychosocial support services.

·Support last-mile communication and community engagement through CHZ and relevant Ministry of Health structures.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Adaptation

·Lead the development of an SBC monitoring, evaluation and learning approach in collaboration with the CHZ M&E team and relevant stakeholders.

·Define SBC indicators and support the development of tools for monitoring reach, engagement, message recall, knowledge, attitudes, social norms and behavioral intentions or practices.

·Ensure that monitoring approaches capture relevant disaggregated data, including age, sex, disability and geographic location.

·Use digital analytics, community feedback, monitoring visits and other data sources to assess intervention performance.

·Support real-time learning and adaptive management to improve messages, channels and implementation approaches.

·Contribute to project reports, learning briefs, case studies, success stories and documentation of good practices.

·Generate evidence and recommendations to inform sustainability, replication and scale-up.

Quality Assurance, Safeguarding and Compliance

·Ensure that SBC materials and activities comply with CHZ, UNICEF, WHO and Ministry of Health standards and requirements.

·Promote accurate, ethical, inclusive and non-stigmatizing communication.

·Ensure that communication and engagement activities protect the dignity, privacy and safety of adolescents, young people and other vulnerable groups.

·Comply with safeguarding, child protection, PSEA, confidentiality and Code of Conduct requirements.

·Support the orientation of staff, peer educators, champions, volunteers and other implementers on safeguarding and safe engagement.

·Ensure that communication materials and community activities do not promote misinformation, harmful stereotypes or unsafe health practices.

·Contribute to risk identification, mitigation and quality assurance throughout the project cycle.

Qualifications and Experience

·Relevant master’s degree, preferably in Social and Behavior Change Communication, Mass Communication, Communication for Development, Public Health, Health Promotion, Behavioral Sciences or a related field.

·At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in SBC, health communication, health promotion, community engagement or related programming.

·Demonstrated experience designing and implementing SBC strategies and multimedia communication interventions.

·Experience in behavioral profiling, audience segmentation, behavioral theories, message development and pre-testing.

·Experience working on public health programmes, preferably involving NCDs, mental health, adolescent and young people’s health or other priority health areas.

·Experience in multimedia production, digital communication, radio programming, community engagement and youth-focused communication.

·Experience in training, capacity building, mentorship and stakeholder coordination.

·Strong knowledge of inclusive, gender-responsive and disability-inclusive communication approaches.

·Experience working with government, development partners, professional associations or civil society organizations will be an advantage.

·Strong communication, facilitation, analytical, coordination and report-writing skills.

·Knowledge of safeguarding, child protection, PSEA and ethical engagement with adolescents and vulnerable populations.