SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL CHANGE (SBC) AND NUTRITION COORDINATOR

Job Summary

CARE Nigeria is seeking a SBC & Nutrition Coordinator who will provide strategic leadership, technical oversight, and quality assurance for all nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive SBC interventions under CASCADE. The coordinator ensures that program activities align with global best practices, are evidence-driven, and produce measurable improvements in maternal, adolescent, and child nutrition outcomes. The role requires strong technical expertise in MIYCN, adolescent nutrition, behavior change methodologies, community engagement, multi-sectoral nutrition, and working with diverse partners. The coordinator will play a cross-cutting role, supporting integration of nutrition and SBC across all CARE Nigeria program areas, including Food Security & Livelihoods, Gender, Protection, Resilience, WASH, and Humanitarian Response portfolios. CARE implements CASCADE in Nigeria across multiple states, partnering with government MDAs, community institutions, civil society, private sector actors, and national partners to deliver high-impact nutrition interventions. The project is positioned to accelerate progress toward improved maternal and child health outcomes, build resilience, and support national priorities for reducing malnutrition. The SBC & Nutrition Coordinator will lead CASCADE’s developmental nutrition and Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) components, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based interventions that address the underlying causes of malnutrition. The role will supervise a team of four Nutrition and Health Officers who work with national partners to strengthen community-level SBCC delivery. The coordinator will also drive accelerated implementation and—if the 2027 extension is approved—continue providing sustained technical support.

Job Details

SCOPE:

Employment Type: Contract - Full-Time 

Job Status: Nationals only.

Slots: 1

Location: FCT, Abuja.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

Job Responsibility #1: Technical Leadership in SBC and Nutrition

• Lead the design, rollout, and adaptation of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive SBCC strategies across project states.
• Provide high-level technical guidance on MIYCN, adolescent nutrition, dietary diversity, micronutrient deficiencies, and positive deviance approaches.
• Develop and refine SBC packages, community-dialogue tools, job aids, counseling materials, and digital content tailored to local contexts.
• Ensure SBC activities reflect evidence-based models, including community conversations, Social Analysis and Action (SAA), gender-transformative approaches, and systems-focused behavior change.
• Conduct barrier analyses, formative research, and rapid assessments to inform SBC design.
• Provide technical input into cross-sectoral approaches linking nutrition with agriculture, markets, social protection, gender equality, resilience, and WASH

Job Responsibility #2: Quality Implementation & Program Management

• Supervise four Nutrition & Health Officers and ensure strong collaboration with national partners for SBCC roll-out.
• Build capacity of project staff, government workers, and partner organizations on SBC, MIYCN, and integrated nutrition programming.
• Lead development of program implementation tools, SOPs, curricula, guidelines, and training modules.
• Strengthen systems for community mobilization, peer-support groups, adolescent engagement, and caregiver behavior change.
• Ensure nutrition is positioned as a cross-cutting theme across all CASCADE components.
• Support alignment with national guidelines, state-level nutrition strategies, and global standards.

Job Responsibility #3: Monitoring, Learning & Evidence Generation

• Work closely with MEAL teams to develop indicators, tools, and dashboards to track SBC and nutrition performance.
• Ensure systematic documentation of lessons, success stories, case studies, and best practices.
• Use evidence to refine SBC approaches and contribute to program learning agendas.
• Support evaluations, operational research, and assessments as required.

Job Responsibility #4: Coordination, Partnership & Representation

• Strengthen coordination with MDAs (MoH, SMoA, RUWASSA, SPHCDA), nutrition TWGs, and state-level actors.
• Represent CARE in nutrition and SBC forums, working groups, and cluster coordination platforms.
• Maintain strong relationships with national partners, civil society groups, and private-sector stakeholders involved in CASCADE delivery.
• Ensure coherence and synergy across donor-funded CARE projects, promoting integrated and complementary programming.

Job Responsibility #5: Donor Engagement & Reporting

• Provide high-quality technical inputs to donor reports, including quarterly, interim, annual, and ad-hoc submissions.
• Ensure compliance with donor quality standards, strategies, and technical guidance.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts, concept notes, and proposals.

Job Responsibility #6: Team Leadership & Management

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and mentorship to four Nutrition & Health Officers.
• Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and accountability within the team.
• Support training, orientation, and ongoing skills development of staff and implementing partners.
• Promote gender equity, inclusion, and safeguarding across implementation.

Resource Mobilization

• Contribute to CARE’s resource mobilization efforts

Other Responsibilities:

• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Requirements

QUALIFICATION/EXPERIENCE/TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Required

• Master’s degree in nutrition, Public Health, Social/Behavioral Sciences, Development Studies, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in nutrition, SBC, MIYCN, or related fields in development or humanitarian settings.
• Strong technical expertise in SBC design, MIYCN implementation, and multisectoral nutrition programming.
• Experience engaging donors such as the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, Global Affairs Canada, UN agencies (e.g., WFP), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and producing high-quality donor-compliant reports.
• Proven experience supervising and mentoring field teams and supporting local partners.
• Demonstrated ability to design formative research and apply evidence to refine SBC strategies.
• Strong writing skills, analytical abilities, and experience producing tools, guidelines, curricula, and training materials.
• Familiarity with community systems strengthening, gender-transformative SBC, and resilience programming.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently to project locations.

Competencies:

• Approachability                                 
• Building Effective Teams
• Customer Focus
• Integrity and Trust
• Drive for Results
• Comfort around Higher management
• Business Acumen
• Negotiating
• Organizational Agility

NOTE:

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
• CARE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CARE considers all applicants on the basis of merit without prejudice to race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, colour, national origin, marital status, or veteran status.
• There are individuals who may use CARE’s name and trademark in emails and on websites in an attempt to solicit fees from interested job seekers. Please note that CARE will not request for any monetary payments from applicants at any stage of the recruitment process.

Qualified Women and Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

About Company

CARE

https://www.carenigeria.org/

CARE is a global humanitarian and development leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We are known everywhere for our unshakable commitment to the dignity of people. CARE vision is to seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security. Our Mission is to work around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. We put women and girls in the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We are strongly inspired and guided by our Core Values of Transformation, Integrity, Excellence, Diversity and Equality. CARE Nigeria was established in Nigeria in April 2017 and has been predominantly operating in the conflict affected Northeast, and in the Northwest. CARE aims to support vulnerable people who are affected by conflict, natural disasters and poverty across four key programming areas: Food and Nutrition Security and Livelihoods, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, a Life Free from Violence (Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response) and Women’s Economic Empowerment through its Flagship ‘Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) approach. Our Commitment to Nigeria people goes beyond our current humanitarian work to exploring and initiating longer-term development programs that address underlying causes of poverty and vulnerability in Nigeria. In collaboration with other stakeholders, we will initiate and support equitable and sustainable development interventions by enabling the underprivileged to realize their potential, exercise their right and strengthen linkages with broader society.