Senior Behavioral Scientist

Credence Management Solutions employs hard-working, passionate individuals who bring innovation, accountability, and a growth mindset to the many missions we support across the US Federal Government. Employee empowerment is part of the fabric of our corporate culture through which we emphasize opportunity, recognition, reward, and retention. At Credence, we follow the principles of servant leadership and believe that serving and supporting others is critical to both our individual and collective achievements. We have only one measure of success. Yours.

We are hiring for positions under the Global Health Training, Advisory, Support Contract (GHTASC) in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health (GH). These roles deliver institutional support services in a wide range of technical areas at the junior, mid-, senior, and expert levels.

We are a diverse, enthusiastic family of subject matter experts, business professionals, and practitioners who all share a common goal of providing excellent services to our government customers. If you want to work in a dynamic and fast-growing environment with highly motivated colleagues, then Credence is the right place for you!

Credence Management Solutions is seeking a Senior Behavioral Scientist. The Senior Behavioral Scientist will primarily support the USAID’s Malaria Division as a Credence Institutional Support Contractor (ISC).

Summary Statement

The Malaria Division of the Office of Infectious Disease of USAID’s Bureau for Global Health is charged with the technical leadership for, and management of, USAID’s malaria portfolio, including leading the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the US Government’s (USG) flagship global malaria initiative led by USAID and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The aim of PMI is to reduce the intolerable burden of malaria and help relieve poverty on the African continent. When PMI was launched in 2005, the goal was to reduce malaria-related mortality by 50 percent by a rapid scale-up of a package of proven malaria prevention and treatment measures: artemisinin-based combination therapy; insecticide-treated mosquito nets; intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy; and indoor residual spraying. The Initiative is results-based, focused, and exhibits a high level of financial and programmatic accountability. USAID is the lead agency for implementation of the PMI.

The Senior Behavioral Scientist will provide technical, programmatic, and management support to up to three francophone PMI country programs, support social and behavior change (SBC) efforts, serve as a member of one or more PMI interagency technical working groups, and provide guidance and support to the Malaria Division Chief and the Initiative at large on issues related to the use of behavioral science for malaria control and elimination.

Position Summary

The Senior Behavioral Scientist is an integral member of USAID’s PMI headquarters team, developing and providing malaria-specific technical and programmatic guidance and support to strengthen and guide implementation across PMI countries. The Senior Behavioral Scientist will contribute to PMI policy and technical guidance development and be a part of the SBC Technical Team, collaborating with technical experts across the interagency. The Senior Behavioral Scientist will carry out activities that contribute to PMI achieving the goal and objectives, with emphasis placed on addressing the social and behavioral aspects of malaria control and elimination. The Senior Behavioral Scientist, in collaboration with fellow PMI technical staff, will also work with global malaria stakeholders and technical partners, Ministries of Health, and USAID cooperating agencies to provide technical leadership around the generation, analysis, and use of data to design, implement, and assess high-quality, targeted interventions that reflect a comprehensive understanding of the multitude of factors that support or inhibit the practice of desired malaria prevention and control behaviors.

The Senior Behavioral Scientist will also provide direct PMI program backstopping support to up to three PMI focus countries, serving as an extension of the in-country team. They will participate in annual PMI Malaria Operational Plan development, convey and interpret requests and guidance from PMI headquarters to the field teams, and serve as a day-to-day resource for the in-country teams. They will exercise independent judgment in planning and carrying out tasks, in serving USG priorities at critical technical and policy forums, in resolving problems and conflicts, and in taking steps necessary to meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

The Senior Behavioral Scientist will:

Strategic and Technical Leadership

• Develop and provide technical leadership and guidance related to social and behavior change and the use of behavioral economics to USAID Missions, Regional bureaus, and country teams in malaria endemic countries
• Serve as a member of the SBC Technical Team, as well as other interagency technical teams and working groups as needed to provide technical support to PMI countries, including for the tailoring and evaluation of strategies and interventions and the measurement and assessment of the extent of social and behavioral change
• Serve as a key USAID team member for one or more PMI interagency Technical Working Group, which involves garnering consensus on PMI priorities, drafting and disseminating revised technical guidance for the technical area, and contributing to resources for use throughout PMI
• Review Malaria Operational Plans for PMI countries and track trends and activities across countries as they relate to social and behavior change
• Coordinate and collaborate with other donors and technical partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, and RBM Partnership to End Malaria on global malaria issues and priorities
• Inform stakeholders about malaria development and USAID’s role, especially as it relates to social and behavior change, by preparing and conducting presentations and other materials for colleagues, USG and global partners, and other donors and contractors
• Work with the Office of Infectious Disease and technical offices in regional bureaus to enhance linkages between malaria and other development-related activities
• Advise Bureau and Agency senior management and the US Global Malaria Coordinator on technical and programmatic issues that arise during the course of carrying out work responsibilities.

Country Support

• Provide strategic, technical and programmatic guidance and support to up to three PMI partner countries, including participating as an integral member of the PMI interagency country support teams
• Support the planning and operationalization of malaria control activities in up to three PMI countries and provide technical input into the development of Malaria Operational Plans and partner work plans for these countries
• Provide strategic leadership for new bilateral malaria-related program designs and evaluations
• Assist in monitoring and tracking overall progress of PMI plans and activities in up to three PMI countries

Documentation and Reporting

• Participate in report and manuscript writing related to PMI activities, including routinely identifying where behavioral economics and related disciplines have been applied to support malaria control and elimination and opportunities to further incorporate behavioral insights and approaches in PMI-supported interventions
• Keep abreast of new developments and emerging issues in malaria, social and behavior change, and behavioral economics that affect USAID’s technical priorities via literature reviews, attending technical meetings and workshops, and participating in relevant training events
• Formulate recommendations for PMI’s responses to these developments and sharing with colleagues, the Bureau, and PMI leadership, and missions

Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 10 years, Bachelor’s degree with 12 years, Associate’s degree with 14 years, or High School graduate with 16 years relevant experience in public health, international health, social psychology, behavioral economics, sociology or other another relevant field
• Eight years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing, and/or managing public health development programs, with at least four years of experience working within an international setting on social and behavioral change preferred
• Three years of experience designing, applying, testing, or evaluating behavioral science approaches, including in international development (low- and medium-income countries) settings preferred
• Knowledge and specialized experience in infectious disease control programs including malaria preferred
• Knowledge of development assistance programs, procedures, and systems for program design, procurement, logistics, management and monitoring preferred
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with people of varied professional, cultural, and educational backgrounds
• Ability to work effectively with a broad range of USG personnel and partners, and in a team environment
• Experience working with donors and development partners to jointly plan and coordinate program activities
• Flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment
• Strong oral and written communications skills and proven ability to communicate quickly, clearly and concisely in English and French
• Ability to communicate technical health information to both health and non-health audiences
• The ability to use verbal communication skills to negotiate activity plans and resolve activity implementation issues with counterparts, partners, and team members
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google suite
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time
• US citizenship or US permanent residency and ability to obtain at a minimum a facility access clearance

Competencies/Performance Criterion

• Creativity: Employee takes initiative to propose new ideas/approaches and demonstrates ability to find new and better ways to accomplish work.
• Customer Service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates with customers, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Interpersonal Relationship: Employee demonstrates ability to work in cooperation with others and communicate effectively with co-workers, supervisors, subordinates, clients, and other outside contacts.
• Accountability: Takes ownership of work responsibilities and holds high standards. Keeps commitments and takes appropriate actions to ensure obligations are met. Pursues efficiency and effectiveness and adheres to Organization policies and procedures.
• Continual Learning: Assesses and recognizes own strengths and weaknesses; pursues professional development that is aligned with organizational role, contribution, and goals. Proactively shares knowledge with others to foster learning across the Organization.