Health Promotion and Community Engagement Assistant needed at International Rescue Committee

Job Overview/Summary

• The community Mobilization assistant’s is responsible for the following major roles; the implementation of educational and promotional activities as well as conducting all community engagement activities related to Reproductive Health/Reproductive Health and emergency programming in Numan LGA. He/she will supervise and work closely with a network of community structures (volunteers, WDCs, CHIPS Agents). Design and lead efforts to improve community awareness and acceptance of reproductive health services. Implement community engagement efforts to improve women, girls, men and boys’ access to and use of reproductive health services.

Major Responsibilities

Program Management, Technical Quality, and Strategy

• Conducts assessments and surveys in the community to identify trends and needs.
• Participation in the design, plan, and input to the work-plans, based on identified trends and needs.
• Implementation of community mobilization activities to specifically access hard to reach and vulnerable beneficiaries.
• Organize culturally sensitive educational and promotional activities to raise awareness on RH topics/services, including Family Planning, Mother and Neonatal health, Antenatal Care, and Postnatal Care, Awareness of STIs and infection prevention, Referral, emergencies and guidance for survivors of sexual assault.
• Contribute to the development of a variety of health education materials and tools to fit the context.
• Mobilize the community, women and girls, women’s groups, community groups etc. to increase awareness and service utilization, together with RH and GBV teams.
• Liaise with midwives and community health workers to track and monitor women/clients targeted by the program.
• Ensure the safe and confidential referral of identified survivors of sexual assault to GBV services.
• Organize meetings with community representatives, and target groups as needed.
• Engage community leaders, stake holders and influential members of the community in creating awareness and community support for Reproductive Health.
• Participate in the recruitment of community health volunteers, traditional birth attendants, Peer educators and Men champions.
• Training of community health volunteers and ward development committees on outbreak response.
• Supervise community volunteers and traditional birth attendants during planned community activities.
• Identify advocacy concerns, Initiate, and coordinate advocacy actions.

Program Development

• Keep record of all the health education/promotional sessions (disaggregated by gender/ age/ IDP/Host etc.).
• Compile weekly summary of community mobilization activities.
• Responsible for compiling timely monthly community mobilization activity reports and data compilation
• Ensure that all distribution of community mobilization items is done in a timely manner according to distribution plan with relevant supporting documentations.
• Keep a record of distributed/used materials and provides a monthly stock report.
• Any other assigned task by supervisors.

Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development:

• Required for all positions with supervisory responsibility, if special considerations are needed (e.g. remote management), make this additive to the base language here.

• Research, Learning and Analysis

Coordination & Representation

• Attend all relevant community level meetings in relation to the health program as may be required and feed in the IRC priorities during meetings.
• Facilitate field visits for internal and external community level stakeholders, when required.

Key Working Relationships

Position Reports to:  Health Clinical Officer

Indirect/Technical Reporting: Senior Health Officer

Position directly Supervises: MoH Staff

Key Internal Contacts:

Country Program:  WPE case management assistant, EH/WaSH Officer.

Region/Global:

Key External Contacts:  ADSPHCDA, LGA and Community Stakeholders.

Qualifications

Education:

• Registered Nurse/midwife or CHEW. Additional qualifications in community engagement are a plus.

Work Experience:

• Two years’ experience of working as a community mobilizer? or other similar position.
• Significant experience of stakeholders’ engagement.
• Experience with office management software like MS Office (MS Excel and MS Word, specifically)
• Strong organization skills with a problem-solving attitude
• Very good in time management and ability to work under pressure with high level of flexibility.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with close attention to detail.

Demonstrated Technical Skills:

• Good communication skills.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and understanding of the social, political and ethical issues surrounding program delivery
• Ability to work well with others and to respect staff, subcontractors, consultants and recipients of assistance.
• Ability to manage tight deadlines and deliver on commitments.
• Good sense of integrity, service and accountability
• Work closely with the Health Clinical Officer and SHO in management of the grant budget
• Raise IFs as required after discussion with colleagues and follow up till delivery of items.

Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:

• Oversee the implementation of quality PHC/SRH and emergency program activities at all IRC supported health facilities in Numan LGA.
• Routinely monitor MoH staff performance according to Primary health care guideline and provide feedback and guidance.
• Develop ongoing education programs for MoH staff and conduct training and on-the-job training for health.
• Support planning and implementing of the project activities and outputs at the field level to ensure the project achieves its objective of improving access to quality health services
• Track the performance of the project activities and targets against the expected results and advise on implementation process to ensure the project is progressing towards attaining its targets in each LGA.
• Identifying program gaps in the supported health facilities services with immediate solution for further necessary steps to address those gaps.
• Provide capacity building and on-job coaching to Facility staff on Antenatal care, delivery care, postnatal care, family planning counseling, STI counseling and treatment and post-abortion care in supported facilities.
• Support collection of stories and photographs that demonstrate the positive impact of the project.

Languages: 

• Fluent in written/spoken English.
• Ability to speak local languages Hausa will be added advantage.