Project Background

Aiming Change for Tomorrow (ACT) International, in partnership with UNICEF Punjab and in coordination with BISP/Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP), the Punjab Department of Health, Lady Health Worker Programme and relevant district stakeholders, will implement BNP 3.0 across ten districts of Punjab.

The programme aims to improve maternal, child and adolescent nutrition and strengthen gender-responsive nutrition and social protection systems among BISP beneficiary households. Activities will be delivered through existing BNP Facilitation Centres, Support Centres and community structures.

The programme will focus on Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), maternal and child nutrition, Early Childhood Development (ECD), parenting and nurturing care, community engagement, counselling, referrals, follow-up, youth engagement and capacity development. Staff will work closely with communities and stakeholders to support awareness, mobilization, referrals and beneficiary engagement.

All staff are expected to uphold ACT, UNICEF, BISP/BNP and Government of Punjab policies and standards, including gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, PSEA, child protection, confidentiality, accountability to affected populations and responsible data management. Staff will perform only approved non-clinical roles and will not diagnose, prescribe, treat or provide clinical services.

Role Purpose

The SBC Programme Team Lead will provide overall technical, managerial and operational leadership for ACT International’s implementation of BNP 3.0. The position will lead integrated Social and Behaviour Change (SBC), nutrition, Early Childhood Development (ECD), parenting, community engagement, capacity development and referral-strengthening interventions across assigned Facilitation Centres (FCs) and target districts.

The role will ensure quality, timely and accountable programme implementation in line with approved programme guidance, government systems, donor requirements and ACT International policies. 

Key Responsibilities 

Programme Leadership & Planning

 Lead day-to-day implementation of BNP 3.0 in accordance with approved programme documents, workplans, budgets and implementation arrangements.

• Develop and oversee integrated programme workplans, activity schedules, targets and implementation trackers.
• Translate programme objectives into practical district, FC and community-level implementation plans.
• Monitor implementation progress, operational risks, staffing gaps and field-level bottlenecks.
• Ensure corrective actions are assigned, monitored and completed within agreed timelines.
• Coordinate programme priorities with MEAL, Finance, Administration, Logistics, HR and senior management.

 Technical Leadership 

• Provide technical leadership on SBC/SBCC, community engagement and behaviour-change interventions for beneficiary households.
• Lead integrated approaches covering maternal nutrition, MIYCN, responsive feeding, ECD, parenting and nurturing care.
• Guide the development and use of approved counselling materials, messages, tools, job aids and session plans.
• Ensure communication approaches are evidence-based, culturally appropriate, gender-responsive and disability-inclusive.
• Guide approved counselling on maternal diet, MMS uptake and adherence, breastfeeding, complementary feeding and timely care-seeking.
• Ensure appropriate awareness and referral support for anaemia, wasting, growth concerns, developmental concerns and other nutrition-related risks.
• Guide ECD, parenting and nurturing-care interventions, including responsive caregiving, early stimulation and age-appropriate play.
• Ensure field personnel remain within their approved non-clinical roles and do not provide diagnosis, treatment or prescriptions.
• Ensure programme activities and materials comply with approved government, programme and ACT technical guidance. 

NDF Deployment & Field Supervision 

• Ensure NDF deployment follows the approved staffing structure, district allocation and FC coverage requirements.
• Review FC duty rosters, outreach plans, workload distribution and staff coverage.
• Oversee recruitment, induction, placement, replacement and transition arrangements in coordination with HR.
• Directly supervise Regional SBC Coordinators and provide strategic direction and technical support.
• Ensure structured supportive supervision is conducted by Regional SBC Coordinators and Senior NDF Officers.
• Review staff performance against workplans, quality standards, data requirements, referral follow-up and safeguarding responsibilities.
• Ensure field teams receive coaching, mentoring and corrective support where required.
• Escalate significant staffing, performance, access and operational risks with practical mitigation recommendations. 

Community Engagement & Campaigns 

• Provide strategic direction for Mother Support Groups and Father Support Groups, including establishment, facilitation and functionality monitoring.
• Ensure support groups have trained facilitators, regular meetings, action plans, feedback mechanisms and safeguarding measures.
• Oversee quality implementation of community sessions, group counselling, household engagement and outreach activities.
• Ensure cooking demonstrations use approved nutrition messages, hygienic practices and affordable locally available foods.
• Guide mobile information kiosks, interactive theatre and other approved public-engagement activities.
• Lead planning and documentation of approved awareness campaigns and thematic events.
• Promote meaningful participation of fathers, grandmothers, mothers-in-law and other household decision-makers.
• Ensure youth and adolescent champions are selected transparently, oriented appropriately and supported through safe, age-appropriate processes.
• Use community feedback, social listening and field observations to improve programme approaches. 

Capacity Development 

• Lead the programme’s cascade capacity-development approach for NDFs, FC/SC staff, government personnel and relevant community stakeholders.
• Ensure training covers SBC, maternal nutrition, MIYCN, ECD, parenting, referrals, wasting, safeguarding, PSEA and disability inclusion.
• Coordinate training activities with relevant government and programme stakeholders.
• Ensure ECD kit operationalization training promotes positive caregiver-child interaction, early stimulation and age-appropriate play.
• Ensure training includes demonstrations, role plays, counselling practice, facilitation practice and supervised field application.
• Review training results, observed competencies, supervision findings and participant feedback.
• Ensure refresher training, peer learning, mentoring and on-the-job coaching are provided based on identified gaps.
• Maintain consolidated records of training, competency findings and follow-up actions. 

Stakeholder Coordination & Representation 

• Serve as ACT International’s primary programme focal point for technical and implementation coordination with relevant programme stakeholders.
• Maintain effective coordination with government departments, health and community structures, FC/SC staff, district authorities and other relevant partners.
• Represent ACT International in technical meetings, coordination forums, programme reviews, learning events and joint planning sessions.
• Ensure required technical review and approval processes are completed for tools, messages, materials, campaigns and public-facing activities.
• Raise referral bottlenecks, service constraints, operational risks and quality concerns through established coordination mechanisms.
• Ensure programme activities are coordinated through existing government and FC systems without creating parallel delivery arrangements.
• Maintain clear boundaries between ACT International’s responsibilities and those of government and other programme partners. 

MEAL, Quality Assurance & Learning 

• Work closely with the MEAL team to maintain an effective monitoring, quality assurance and learning system.
• Review progress against targets for FC coverage, outreach, counselling, referrals, support-group functionality, ECD activities and capacity development.
• Review field-monitoring findings, data-quality results, beneficiary feedback and referral-completion information.
• Use programme data and learning to identify inequities, inclusion gaps, low-performing areas and implementation risks.
• Ensure corrective-action plans are documented, assigned and followed up.
• Lead regular programme reflection and learning sessions.
• Ensure beneficiary data, referral records and feedback information are handled confidentially through approved systems. 

Reporting & Documentation 

• Lead preparation, consolidation and review of programme reports, technical updates, workplans, donor inputs and management presentations.
• Ensure reported achievements and results are supported by verified data and programme records.
• Coordinate reporting inputs with MEAL, Finance, Administration and regional teams.
• Ensure reports address progress, targets, quality findings, community feedback, referrals, risks, mitigation actions and learning.
• Document good practices, innovations and lessons learned appropriately and with required consent.
• Maintain organized records of programme plans, approvals, technical tools, training, supervision, meetings, reports and correspondence. 

Gender, Safeguarding & Accountability 

• Ensure gender-responsive, disability-inclusive and beneficiary-centred approaches across programme activities.
• Promote safe participation of women, girls, adolescents, persons with disabilities and other underserved groups.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, PSEA, child protection, confidentiality and prevention-of-harassment requirements.
• Ensure beneficiaries receive information about available feedback and complaints mechanisms.
• Ensure safeguarding, protection and serious complaints are immediately referred and reported through established procedures.
• Promote ethical, respectful and accountable engagement with beneficiaries, communities, staff and partners. 

Required Qualifications & Experience 

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Nutrition, SBC, Social Sciences, ECD, Development Studies or another relevant discipline.
• Professional training in SBC, nutrition, ECD, parenting, programme management or a related technical area will be an advantage.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience in development, humanitarian or social-protection programming.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in a senior technical, coordination or programme-management role.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-district or geographically dispersed programme teams and field operations.
• Experience in SBC, nutrition, maternal and child health, social protection, community engagement or ECD programming.
• Experience working with government departments, UN agencies, donors and community-based structures.
• Experience in training, mentoring, supportive supervision and capacity-development systems.
• Experience using programme data, beneficiary feedback and learning to improve implementation quality.
• Experience with BISP/BNP or Punjab health and nutrition systems will be an advantage. 

Required Skills & Competencies 

• Strong leadership, programme planning, coordination and people-management skills.
• Strong technical knowledge of integrated SBC, maternal nutrition, MIYCN, ECD and community-engagement approaches.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, negotiation and representation skills.
• Strong analytical, reporting, presentation and evidence-use skills.
• Sound understanding of safeguarding, PSEA, accountability, disability inclusion and data-protection principles.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, solve problems and deliver under strict deadlines.
• Willingness and ability to undertake frequent travel to project locations. 

Code of Conduct & Ethics 

The successful candidate will be expected to comply with: 

• ACT International’s Code of Conduct and applicable programme codes and standards.
• Data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Do No Harm, safeguarding and ethical programme principles.
• Strict prohibition on collecting unnecessary personal identifiers or exerting pressure on respondents.
• Zero tolerance for data manipulation, misconduct, harassment, exploitation and negligence. 

Core Competencies 

• Leadership and Team Management
• Strategic Thinking and Planning
• Technical Expertise
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Coordination and Networking
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Results Orientation
• Accountability and Integrity
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Commitment to Safeguarding, Gender Equality and Inclusion 

Safeguarding & PSEA 

ACT International is committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights and dignity of all beneficiaries, staff and communities. The selected candidate must demonstrate a strong commitment to Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), safeguarding, child protection, prevention of harassment, gender equality, disability inclusion and accountability to affected populations. 

Any form of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, harassment, discrimination, abuse of power or misconduct is strictly prohibited. The successful candidate will be required to comply with ACT International’s safeguarding and PSEA policies and procedures and report concerns through established mechanisms. 

Equal Opportunity 

ACT International is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified candidates, including women and persons with disabilities.Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.