The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Organization Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC)’s mission is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded over 90 years ago, the IRC is a leading humanitarian and development organization with presence in more than 40 countries. Across contexts, the IRC is committed to delivering innovative, high-impact programs tailored to the needs of communities affected by crisis.

The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting refugees, vulnerable host communities, and various institutions in the country notably the government, community-based organizations, civil society, and the private sector. Currently, the IRC in Uganda has a presence across five sub-regions and six refugee settlements, implementing programming in the sectors of health, protection and rule of law (PRoL), women’s protection and empowerment (WPE), economic recovery and development (ERD), and education. IRC Uganda also implements cross-cutting programming focused on systems strengthening and accountability to affected persons.

Project Overview

The IRC working in a consortium of partners – World Vision International (WVI), Reach a Hand Uganda (RAHU), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), and Open Capital (OCA) is implementing an Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kampala (EKN)-funded 4-year project ‘PROTECT SRHR’ in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda. The PROTECT SRHR project aims at improving the sexual reproductive health and social wellbeing of adolescents, youth, and women in West Nile by increasing access to and utilization of SRHR and SGBV services by women, adolescents and young people, including marginalized groups and improving retention and completion rates of girls and boys in primary and secondary schools. The PROTECT SRHR project is being implemented in 6 districts of Yumbe, Koboko, Maracha, Terego, Nebbi and Pakwach. The project will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social development, and district local governments as well as other development and implementing partners in the region.

Job Overview

Working closely with the Project Team Leader and the IRC Uganda Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, this position will provide strategic leadership, technical direction, and coordination for the design and implementation of evidence-based Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strategies within the PROTECT SRHR project. The role aims to influence positive behaviors, social norms, and policies that promote access to quality SRHR information and services, including family planning, adolescent sexual health, maternal health, gender equality, HIV and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention. Additionally, this role will coordinate the implementation of the project’s communications strategy inclusive of tracking and enforcing the branding and marking guidelines including donor branding for all visibility items produced; development and production of communication products and content through documentation, photography, and videography and support in ideation and execution of quality project events including coordination of mainstream media engagement, if any. Additionally, the incumbent will be expected to work with the MEAL team to identify and document high quality stories of change, good practices and development of relevant data guided products such as project briefs, case studies, issue papers, reports, and reports, among other communication materials as needed which will be used by donors, the PROTECT SRHR consortium and project staff. This role requires significant field travel to the districts of operation in West Nile to support teams and initiatives on ground.

Major Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Planning:

• Lead the design, implementation, and monitoring of the project’s SBCC strategy aligned with PROTECT SRHR project objectives.
• Integrate SBCC approaches into service delivery, advocacy, and community engagement components.
• Conduct situation analyses, audience segmentation, and formative research to inform targeted interventions.
• Develop annual and quarterly SBCC work plans and budgets in collaboration with project teams and partners.
• Work with the Project Management Committee (PMC) and Project Steering Committee (PSC) to identify communications opportunities and update on program events and initiatives, both for the project and other IRC and partner initiatives that could be leveraged for the project.

Technical Oversight and Implementation

• Design and oversee the development of SBCC materials (print, radio, TV, social media, community theatre, interpersonal tools).
• Support community-led and gender-transformative communication initiatives that challenge harmful social norms affecting SRHR.
• Lead capacity strengthening of staff, partners, and community structures on SBCC methodologies and participatory approaches.
• Coordinate with service delivery teams to ensure demand creation and community mobilization activities are evidence-based and effective.
• Generate content for use in communications materials: set up a system for getting regular content from project staff; interview consortium staff, partners, clients, and other stakeholders; conduct field visits on a regular basis to collect stories including audio-visual content.

Partnership and Collaboration

• Work closely with Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Education, Consortium partners, local government, community-based organizations (CBOs), and media partners to align SBCC efforts with national SRHR communication strategies.
• Liaise with consortium partners to ensure harmonization and complementarity of messages and interventions.
• Foster collaboration with youth, women’s groups, religious leaders, and traditional authorities to enhance community ownership.

Communication and Knowledge Management

• Lead documentation and visibility efforts showcasing project impact on SRHR behavior change.
• Manage media engagement, storytelling, and social media campaigns to amplify project messages.
• Contribute to donor reports, technical briefs, and knowledge-sharing platforms.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• In collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team, develop and apply SBCC indicators and tools.
• Conduct pre-testing, baseline, and post-intervention evaluations to assess reach, recall, and behavioral impact.
• Document success stories, lessons learned, and best practices for dissemination at national and regional levels.
• Use evidence to adapt and refine communication strategies for continuous improvement.

Key Deliverables

• A Comprehensive SBCC strategy and implementation plan.
• Suite of culturally appropriate communication materials and media campaigns.
• Quarterly and annual SBCC performance reports.
• Documented behavioral outcomes and community engagement results.
• Strengthened partner and community capacity in SBCC.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field (communications, journalism, marketing, public relations, human rights etc.). Additional relevant postgraduate qualifications in Health Communications, C4D, Public health are an added advantage.
• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in designing and implementing SBCC or communication for development (C4D) programs, preferably in SRHR, HIV/AIDS, Family Planning, or adolescent health.
• Strong understanding of gender, human rights, and social inclusion in health communication.
• Proven experience in message design, and participatory communication approaches.
• Familiarity with digital and social media strategies for youth engagement.
• Experience in producing published material, managing events, media/PR, and content for digital communications.
• Experience working in an international development / humanitarian organization preferred.
• Experience in working effectively with a range of staff, partners and stakeholders to achieve communications objectives and produce communications deliverables.

Competencies and Attributes

• Strategic thinking and creativity in designing communication campaigns.
• Strong interpersonal and team-building skills.
• Ability to translate research into actionable communication strategies.
• Commitment to gender equality, youth empowerment, and community participation.
• Flexibility to travel to field locations and work under pressure.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity in our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request reasonable accommodation.

Professional Standards

IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation