Market-Based Sanitation and Social and Behavior Change Advisor

RANO MAHARITRA is a 5-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which started in January 2024.

The goal of the Project is to improve sustainable and equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for rural households. In collaboration with the Government of Madagascar (GoM) and various experts, the program aims to overcome barriers to gender equality, social inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (DEIA) to achieve four key objectives:

1. Component 1 (C1): Strengthen governance and capacity to ensure access to WASH services.
2. Component 2 (C2): Increase financial resources to support the WASH sector.
3. Component 3 (C3): Improve supply of WASH products and services to meet needs.
4. Component 4 (C4): Increase demand for and use of WASH products and services.

RANO MAHARITRA promotes a systems approach to promote sustainable and locally managed WASH services, with a focus on GESI, DEIA and localization to empower communities, particularly women and youth.

The project, led by CARE International in consortium with partners WaterAid, iDE, MiarakaP, BushProofand Sandandrano, encourages partnerships with governments, institutions, civil society organizations, communities, the private sector and beneficiaries.

The project is implemented in ten districts of seven regions of Madagascar: Atsimo-Atsinanana, Anosy, Androy, Betsiboka, Fitovinany, Sofia, and Vatovavy.

About iDE

iDE is an international NGO with 40 years of experience in designing and delivering market- based solutions to poverty. iDE is headquartered in Denver, Colorado USA and operates in 11 countries around the world.

iDE believes inclusive markets are the most powerful tool for creating prosperity, building resilience, and ultimately ending poverty. By listening to every stakeholder—producers, suppliers, retailers and customers—we can overcome critical bottlenecks and develop lasting solutions. At iDE, we continually challenge assumptions, make effective data- and evidence-driven decisions, and enable agile delivery of strategies and resources toward improved outcomes for our interventions. We also work to transform beliefs and practices that perpetuate inequality and use the knowledge we acquire to design social and behavioral change programming that promotes the creation of resilient market ecosystems that benefit all people.

Scope of Work

Reporting to the RANO MAHARITRA Deputy Chief of Party, the MBS & SBC Advisor is a key member of the team responsible for Component 4 of the RANO MAHARITRA project. The Advisor will be an integral member of and work with the project management team (Program Management Unit or PMU) to develop the project's SBC and MBS strategy and lead capacity-building activities for project staff, implementing partners and stakeholders involved in direct implementation. The Advisor will ensure that human-centered design, inclusive market-based approaches, and social and behavior change strategies are used at all stages of the project. They will provide technical support and guidance for the design, implementation, and evaluation of MBS and SBC strategies, programs, and tools to improve the takeup of WASH behaviors and to build resilient WASH markets through supporting the private sector and integrating SBC and marketing. The Specialist will supervise one SBC Specialist and one MBS Specialist, will be responsible for the management and coordination of all Component 4 activities, and lead in drafting high-quality reports and guidance notes. The RANO MAHARITRA project adopts a culture of continuous learning. The MBS & SBC Advisor will work closely with the DCOP, the other Senior Advisors, the Country Coordinator and the Strategic Learning Lead for regular learning sessions.

We are looking for a Market-Based Sanitation and Social and Behavior Change Advisor comfortable leading innovation projects, managing partner, donor and government relationships, with experience in WASH and, most importantly, who can bring innovative market-based approaches to change behavior, ideas and ways of working to a broader team. While reporting to the project’s Deputy Chief of Party, the MBS & SBC Advisor will be supported by iDE’s Global WASH technical team and iDE’s Innovation Lab – a global team of 15 specialists, including designers, researchers and change-makers working on various projects with a social innovation focus in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Requirements

YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coach and build the capacity of local staff and partners in behavior change methodologies and techniques to enable them to implement behavior change initiatives effectively
• Collaborate with government at the national and local levels, NGOs, and other stakeholders to leverage resources and expertise and foster partnerships for the successful implementation of behavior change initiatives.
• Lead the development and implementation of market-based sanitation strategies based on a market-based sanitation framework and in alignment with RANO MAHARITRA objectives and principles
• Engage with project implementation partners, leading, representing and facilitating alignment meetings and strategy workshops with different stakeholder groups
• Co-produce a project plan and coaching/supporting the team to reach workplan milestones and produce deliverables
• Support the MBS Specialist in facilitating linkages with upstream private sector companies
• Coach and promote the team on the Market-based Sanitation framework and tailor it to new WASH products and services for the Malagasy context
• Provide inputs on how to embed MBS and SBC in the process of the solution design and project implementation
• Conduct trainings for the project team and government partners on SBC and MBS approaches, with the goal of mainstreaming them throughout the program and encouraging adoption in the Government of Madagascar’s initiatives.
• Make well-reasoned and timely decisions as required to move the project forward
• Inspire and coach your team on MBS and SBC
• Contribute to the dissemination of best practices and lessons learned through documentation, presentations, and workshops
• Ensure proper management of the budget allocated to the MBS and SBC components.
• Ensure the high quality of inputs towards deliverables due to USAID related to the Advisor’s role in MBS and SBC.

THE TYPE OF EXPERIENCE THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• Proven expertise in behavior change methodologies such as social and behavior change communication (SBCC), human-centered design, and participatory approaches
• Strong understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics in Madagascar and experience working with diverse communities and GESI practices
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in multicultural teams and navigate complex stakeholder relationships.
• Fluency in French, English and Malagasy (written and spoken) is required
• Demonstrated commitment to gender equality, social inclusion, and the empowerment of marginalized groups
• Proven experience in project management
• Experienced in facilitating workshops (HCD, co-creations, stakeholder alignments)
• Have confidence in presenting in front of large audiences
• Skilled in using Google Workspace as well as design and project management software like Mural, Asana, etc.

BONUS POINTS IF YOU HAVE:

• A designer with a business background or experience working as an entrepreneur
• Experience working on digital solutions (UX Design, ICT tools)
• Interest in working across diverse cultural environments, or remote areas
• Interested in innovation management methodologies and tools (sprint/agile project management, lean, stage gates)

IDEALLY, WE WOULD LOVE TO FIND SOMEONE THAT:

• Is optimistic, passionate, dynamic, and curious
• Is a fast learner and very hands-on
• Is open and happy to share new methods and ideas with the team
• Is an autonomous problem-solver with a mind full of ideas ready to be tested
• Brings a positive attitude to the team and doesn’t take themselves too seriously
• Is driven by a social mission
• Has cultural sensitivity and respect towards unfamiliar contexts
• Has a flexible mindset, is agile and adaptive, and at the same time takes into account their capacity, deadlines and limitations
• Has excellent time management skills
• Can embrace uncertainty and manage stress
• Will challenge the status quo to create creative solutions
• Is tech savvy

Benefits

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

iDE takes pride in our talented and diverse workforce. Minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Hiring, promotion, and compensation of employees are conducted without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.