Gender and SBC Manager

Who we are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows, TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting. And we’re using technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, her health, her learning and her livelihood.

Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country.

That’s the Girl Effect.

Context of the role

Girl Effect aspires to be at the cutting edge of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) and is looking for an ambitious and innovative Gender and SBCC Senior Manager to support the design and implementation of our work in South Africa. Reaching adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15-24 years, our programming seeks to improve their mental well-being, sexual and reproductive health and economic empowerment. 

The Gender & SBC Senior Manager is directly responsible for the management and overall success of our SBC strategy, including the design of gender-transformative programming.  This role will work alongside the South Africa Programme Lead to implement existing work, design new programmes and unlock potential funding opportunities to enhance gender equality in South Africa. In addition, the successful candidate will have significant skills and knowledge in sexual reproductive health to provide ongoing technical direction in this area.

What you’ll do

• Review, refine and implement the SBCC impact strategy, identifying programme objectives, behavioural change tactics and key messaging to ensure the wide-scale impact of our SA work. 
• Lead the integration of the gender and equity strategy to ensure our work is inclusive of and accessible to minority groups. 
• Support research, co-creation and pre-testing activities with young people to ensure programmes are grounded in the needs, interests and challenges of South African youth.  
• Work alongside our creative team to develop inspiring programmes that are engaging, relevant and accessible to girls and young women. From chatbots to TV dramas to social media content, you will ensure SBCC and gender best practices are embedded throughout.
• Create and implement the programme’s approach to engaging men and boys as part of our gender-transformative approach, identifying key messaging required to enhance gender equality amongst South African youth. 
• Support the Programme Lead with new funding proposals and donor reporting as per contractual requirements.
• Lead the development of the SBC and gender learning agenda, synthesising and disseminating lessons learned internally and externally.
• Facilitate SBC and gender training for staff, partners and young people. 
• Where applicable, support the Global SBC and Gender team to enhance organisational tools, processes and policies. 

Who you are

• Degree in a relevant field such as international development, anthropology, sociology, social psychology, behavioural economics or another similar field. 
• Strong background in applying behavioural science and SBCC principles/theory to practice, preferably from a multi-disciplinary lens. 
• Experience designing and executing international development SBCC is essential. At least 7 years+ experience is desirable.
• Experience working with digital media is highly desirable, or, at the very least, familiarity with digital trends and emerging evidence.
• Solid understanding of gender-specific issues affecting adolescent girls in South Africa and how SBCC interventions can contribute to their empowerment. 
• Experience in reproductive health/family planning implementation in South Africa.
• Excellent knowledge of gender transformative approaches and their application to programme design, implementation and/or measurement. 
• Strong technical writing skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and exceptional attention to detail.
• Personal qualities of integrity, results-oriented, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for development. 
• Ability to be flexible within a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Experience meaningfully involving young people or beneficiaries in the design, delivery and governance of programming is also desirable.

What else you should know

As we continue to scale and grow - we are hugely ambitious for our future, and we are looking for people who are driven to change the world for girls.

Our teams are a diverse mix across sectors (non-profit and commercial) and specialisms (from Brand and Creative through to Gender and Insight). You'll learn and grow in an environment that will challenge you to think and work with a fresh perspective. In turn, you can expect to work somewhere where you will be stretched and developed in your role, a place where you can build your career and work with talented, engaged people committed to our cause.

Girl Effect is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to building an organisation that is increasingly representative of the communities that we serve. To this end, due regard will be paid to recruiting candidates with diverse professional, academic and cultural backgrounds.

The Gender and SBC senior Manager should expect to travel up to 40% 

Contract duration: 12 months

Closing date of applications: 17th May, 2023