Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity, with a focus on vulnerable and under-served populations.  Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.   

EDC is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

We are looking for candidates who share EDC’s commitment and understand the importance of cultural responsiveness in today’s context.

Project Description

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) South Sudan Youth Empowerment Activity (YEA), implemented by a consortium led by Education Development Center (EDC), will reach 25,000 skilled and unskilled South Sudanese youth (aged 15 to 29) in 13 counties across five states (Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, and Western Bahr el Ghazal) over four years. This community-based intervention will improve access to education and soft skills, expand livelihoods opportunities, build social cohesion among youth and their communities, and provide information, resources and referrals to connect youth with health services and supports.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Public Health Specialist functions in a functions in a leadership and technical capacity, and is responsible for providing high-level technical oversight and fulfillment of project deliverables of the projects health and behavior change components. Together with the Chief of Party, Deputy Chief of Party and EDC home office technical staff, s/he guides strategies for the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and gender-related technical requirements of YEA and provides technical expertise to ensure the fulfillment of project deliverables.

The Public Health Specialist is responsible for the technical objectives and deliverables related to fostering behavior change among youth to make positive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) choices and cultivating positive gender norms.  S/he is specifically responsible for: ongoing training of trainers and implementation and monitoring of the SRH curriculum to youth; conducting health facility and pharmacy assessments to determine availability of youth-friendly services; cultivating a supportive environment for youth health and well-being through community-based outreach, mass media campaigns and peer youth health advocates; engaging and training youth and Youth Led and Serving Organizations (YLSOs) on SRH and Gender; strengthening the linkages between youth and trusted, community-based health services and increasing demand for youth-friendly SRH and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) information, referrals and services; and internal and external collaboration, information and coordination sharing.

S/he builds relations with key stakeholders (community leaders, Anchor Organizations (AOs), YLSOs, Youth Corps Leaders, GBV Health Agents), and actively collaborates with the USAID/South Sudan AOR and Education Office to effectively support program implementation and address operational and programmatic questions and challenges. S/he demonstrates an understanding of best practices in Social and Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC), adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, youth friendly health services, positive youth development, gender norms and gender-based violence, and training and facilitation. S/he contributes to knowledge capture and dissemination of key learnings to key stakeholders within the YEA Activity and promotes innovation, improved methodologies, and project implementation through the USAID Collaborating, Learning, & Adapting (CLA) approach. This position reports to the Deputy Chief of Party.

Essential functions include: 

• Provide overall strategic guidance and technical oversight to advance the activity’s SRH and gender approach related to curriculum adaptation and delivery, community based SBCC, and linking youth to available SRH and GBV services and support
• Build relationships with key stakeholders including AOs, Youth Corps Leaders, GBV Health Agents, private sector and other humanitarian and development organizations and promote effective collaboration and cooperation
• Conduct quality assurance (QA) and monitoring of health curriculum implementation, including regular county-level site visits, QA observations and supportive coaching and feedback to trainers
• Train and provide tools on the health curriculum to AOs, Zone Supervisors, and other technical staff to monitor training quality, record progress, troubleshoot, ensure fidelity to materials, compliance with approach, policies and program, and deliver quality training. Hold regular meetings and establish communication channels for feedback to inform refinement of curriculum
• Support YLSOs and FOH trainers and Youth Health Advocates to refer and link youth to community-based health services and private sector SRH service providers to improve access to youth-friendly SRH information, products and services using the developed referral pathway tool and lists of health facilities and services
• Support AO and YLSO Organizations partners to introduce community dialogue that begins to shift the narrative on SRH and harmful gender norms, particularly among adolescent girls and young women
• Create strategies and linkages and develop partnerships with community-based health services and private sector SRH service providers such as local pharmacies to improve access to youth-friendly SRH information, products, and services.
• Build community and government awareness regarding the importance of sexual and reproductive health and gender topics
• Work with home office experts and local partners to ensure activity cultural relevance, acceptability, and quality.
• Other duties, as assigned 

Qualifications:

The candidate for the position of Health Specialist shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

Master’s degree in medicine, public health, international development, Social Sciences, or other related field required OR comparable number of years of professional experience.

Skills and Experience:

• A minimum of 7-8 years of progressively responsible and relevant experience developing and managing programs around Sexual and Reproductive Health, gender norms and social and behavior change communication
• Experience with monitoring program implementation using qualitative and quantitative approaches;
• Strong experience identifying and working with traditional gatekeepers and community leaders;
• Substantive knowledge and practical experience in SRH programming in emergency and post-conflict recovery settings;
• Experience and capacity in development and delivery of SRH training components to community level partners and participants;
• Demonstrated leadership, facilitation, and team working skills and ability to establish harmonious working relations in an international and multicultural environment.
• Excellent computer literacy (windows environment, MS office applications including Word, Excel and Power-point and Internet skills);
• Strong organizational, communication, computer, leadership, and interpersonal skills;
• Good technical writing skills;
• Willingness to travel to provinces covered by the project;

Language:

Advanced proficiency in written and spoken English and Arabic. Knowledge of and proficiency in at least 2 local languages spoken in Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, and Western Bahr el Ghazal highly preferred.

Application Instructions:

Job closing date:  May 15, 2024

To apply, Applicants are encouraged to visit the Careers Page at: https://go.edc.org/SouthSudanJobs

Or hand deliver applications, enclosed in an envelope, to the Security Desk of River Camp/AFEX addressed to the attention of The Chief of Party, Education Development Center, (EDC), USAID Youth Empowerment Activity. Indicate on the envelope the position applied for.

Applications will be progressively reviewed as they are received.  Applications submitted without a resume or CV will not be reviewed.

Due to Urgency of the position, Applications will be Reviewed on a Rolling Basis.

EDC is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.