Social Behaviour Change Director

Who we are

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

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

Role context

The role of the Social Behaviour Change Director is pivotal in driving transformative change at both individual and societal levels. It requires a blend of strategic vision, deep expertise in behaviour change methodologies, and strong leadership to effectively implement programs that create lasting positive impact. The Director is directly responsible for the strategic development, quality assurance and overall success of our Social Behaviour Change strategies, including the integration of gender-responsive and transformative programming.

We are seeking an ambitious and passionate Social Behaviour Change expert with significant experience in applying social behaviour theories and technique into impactful programming especially in youth programming in health and economic empowerment. You'll be positioning Girl Effect as a thought-leader in the SBC space and contributing to the organisation’s strategic direction, offering expert guidance to cross-functional teams.

What you will do 

Strategy & Design: Steer the ongoing development of Girl Effects comprehensive social behaviour change strategy aligned with organizational goals and program objectives. Lead and support in identifying target behaviours, barriers, and drivers within specific populations or communities through research. Design innovative and evidence-based interventions and campaigns that leverage behavioural insights to promote desired behaviours.

Implementation: Provide strategic oversight of SBC programme implementation across multiple geographies, working with cross-functional teams, including researchers, creators, and program managers to ensure quality, consistency and impact. Champion the documentation and dissemination of best practice related to demand generation and sustain behaviour change. 

Partnerships: Support the partnerships and resource mobilization team in program design and proposal development; identifying opportunities to work with aligned organizations and donors.

Technical support: Lead the provision of technical SBC support to global teams, to maximize learning and integration of behavioural science into programming, including design, testing and learning. Quality assure our programming from an SBC perspective. 

Monitoring and Evaluation: Work with the Impact team to establish metrics and evaluation frameworks, assessing the effectiveness and impact of change initiatives. Use data-driven insights to iterate and refine strategies for continuous improvement and maximum impact.

Capacity Building: Provide leadership and mentorship to a team of behaviour change specialists and program managers across Africa and India. Develop training programs and resources to build internal and external capacity in behaviour change methodologies and techniques.

Thought leadership and representation: As a sector thought leader, stay at the forefront of SBC trends and positioning Girl Effect as a leading voice in the field. Represent the organisation at high-level events and in strategic dialogues with donors, partners and other key stakeholders. 

This list should not be considered exhaustive; the post holder will be expected to deliver other duties relevant and appropriate to this position.

Who you are

• A leader passionate about social impact and driving large-scale, sustainable change for  individuals and communities
• A strategic and creative thinker with a commitment to innovation and evidence-based decision making
• An adaptable and resilient senior professional, skilled at navigating complex, multi-stakeholder relationships  and driving change in dynamic environments
• A collaborative team member who inspires cross-functional, global teams

Qualifications and experience

• A master’s degree or higher in international development, public health, behavioural science, or a related field
• Significant experience (7+ years) in designing and implementing behaviour change strategies, preferably in international development, public health, or social impact sectors.  Including at least seven 7 years’ experience in senior-level management positions overseeing multi-country programmes
• Expert knowledge of behaviour science theories, methodologies and application
• A proven track record of strategic leadership through teamwork, collaboration, and open communication
• Experience working on large scale, complex SBC programs across geographies
• Advanced research and analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and insights to inform strategy
• Excellent communication, advocacy and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels
• Cross-cultural competency and experience working in diverse cultural and socio-economic contexts

What else you should know

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 organization 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.

This role is subject to a enhanced background disclosure

This role is being recruited for on a 12 months fulltime contract basis

Closing date for applications will be Monday 23rd June 2025