CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: GOAL
Country: Sierra Leone
Closing date: 30 Nov 2014

*This position is part of our emergency response, we urge you to apply as soon as possible, and
may appoint prior to the closing date.

Background
GOAL has been working in Sierra Leone since 1999; we have offices in West Freetown, East
Freetown, and Kenema District, and a staff body of approximately 180 people. GOAL has over 15
years’ experience designing and implementing system strengthening and community-based
programmes across Sierra Leone’s health; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); and child
protection sectors, and is rapidly scaling-up within and across these sectors to respond to the
current Ebola outbreak. GOAL’s key emergency Ebola response activities include constructing and
managing an Ebola Treatment Centre; construction, infection prevention control, and WASH
support within government health facilities; family tracing and reunification of Ebola orphans;
material and psychosocial support for Ebola survivors; and national social mobilisation activities.

Social Mobilisation Action Consortium (SMAC)
The number of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) cases are expected to increase from hundreds to
thousands per week in the coming months without significant scale up of social mobilisation
activities which focus on enabling individuals, households and communities to practice behaviours
that will result in reducing the number of new infections, even greatly reinforced health services
will not be able to keep up with the need, and the EVD reproductive ratio will continue to increase.
Additionally, social mobilisation activities are critical in ensuring that there is demand for, and
utilization of, services among the sick and bereaved by promoting health seeking behaviors and
facilitating community acceptance of new surveillance, clinical care, and burial procedures.
GOAL, Centres for Disease Control (CDC), BBC Media Action, Restless Development, and FOCUS
1000 formed the Social Mobilisation Action Consortium (SMAC) in order to support and strengthen
the National Social Mobilisation Pillar; simultaneously activate multiple channels to provide EVD
information which addresses the principle transmission modes; and work with and through existing
local community structures capable of leading and role-modelling behaviour change, in order to
reduce EVD infections. SMAC, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), is
now launching a six-month project, Community-based Action Against Ebola.

Description of the Role
The Ebola Health Communications Specialist is a key role within the SMAC Consortium Coordination
Unit (CCU). Reporting directly to the SMAC Director, the specialist will be responsible for designing,
developing, and delivering the SMAC behaviour change communications strategy; rapidly producing
high quality communications materials (either alone or by coordinating video producers,
photographers, and graphic designers); and providing technical and training support to all
consortium partners.
Responsibilities
? Design the SMAC behaviour change communications strategy based on a detailed
understanding of the principle transmission modes and key message areas; the SMAC
channels for providing EVD information; and the community structures and context being
targeted.
? Draft high quality, appropriate communications materials that can be used by SMAC staff
and Mobilisers across the country, including training guides, video scripts, posters, leaflets,
and pocket guides.
? Coordinate video producers, photographers, and graphic designers to ensure
communications materials are produced quickly and to a consistently high quality.
? Work closely with SMAC programme staff to ensure that all materials are pre-tested and
receive necessary ethical and Ministry of Health approval before being finalized.
? Work closely with SMAC programme staff to organize and facilitate training of staff and
Mobilisers (including Community Mobilisers, Paramount Chiefs, Religious Leaders, and
Healthcare Workers) and during these trainings: lead sessions on how to use new materials;
gather feedback on existing materials; and identify gaps where additional materials need to
be produced.
? Work closely with the SMAC M&E Manager, the SMAC research teams, and the SMAC
Technical Working Group to regularly analyze epidemiological data and feedback from the
field in order to assess effectiveness of interventions and in particular, changes that need to
be made to the communications strategy.
? Link to the National Social Mobilisation Pillar and give technical and capacity building
support in the area of messaging and materials.
? Attend relevant meetings and working groups to keep abreast of population behaviour
change related to the EVD outbreak, as well as changes in the response and services being
provided, which need to be messaged on.

Qualifications and Experience
? Masters in Public Health, Health Promotion, Anthropology, Sociology or equivalent
experience.
? Sound academic understanding of theories of behaviour change.
? Demonstrated technical experience in behaviour change, social marketing, community
health, and health promotion.
? Ability to write clearly for a range of audiences and educational backgrounds.
? Extensive experience developing high quality communications materials and tools for a
range of audiences and educational backgrounds.
? Ability to coordinate multiple service providers and consultants (including video producers,
photographers, and graphic designers) to produce high quality outputs.
? Strong facilitation and training skills.
? Excellent organisational skills and ability to work under pressure.
? Clear team player, able to work harmoniously with diverse group of individuals.
? Willingness to sign up to GOAL’s strict Child Protection Policy.

How to apply:

To apply please visit the GOAL website
http://www.candidatemanager.net/cm/Micro/JobDetails.aspx?&mid=YGTYD&sid=BEVGTAZ&jid=UFYWBU&site=Goal