Community Engagement Specialist

HPF’s overall goal is to reduce maternal and children under five years old mortality, ensuring universal coverage, and improving the overall health status as well as the quality of life of the South Sudanese population. Its

overarching objectives are:

• Improved health and nutrition services for the population, especially women and children;
• Improved community engagement and accountability of health services;
• Stabilisation of local health systems.

To attain these objectives, the HPF team is responsible for the following work streams:

• Management of the HPF fund, IPs and support to the HPF steering committees;
• Ensuring continuity of and support to service delivery, with a focus on improving quality;
• Management of fiduciary risk associated with use of donor funds;
• Development of and support to the implementation of a nutrition component, integrated within the health services delivery and health systems strengthening work streams; and
• Procurement of essential medicines.
• In country distribution of essential drugs

Position Summary

The Community Engagement Specialist will be responsible for supporting the roll out of iCCM activities in the 8 HPF3 states, coordinating other community driven health activities and helping push the Boma Health Initiative to help meet the goals of the Ministry of Health. Other activities will include community level coordination, humanitarian and crisis operations, and supporting other community level communication and messaging. The incumbent will be required to travel to implementation sites for monitoring the project activities. This position will be based in Juba and report to the Health System Stabilisation Manager.

Responsibilities

Program Management & Development

• Provide strategic direction, leadership and overall technical and management support to the iCCM program in South Sudan.
• Lead design processes that ensure new or adapted programming for the child and community health sectors focusing on harmonizing best practices, improved impact and integrated approaches.
• Ensure that the community engagement program is utilizing standard protocols, policies and guidelines as prescribed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and WHO.

• Work collaboratively to integrate iCCM with other program sectors where appropriate, particularly with the nutrition, health, child protection and women’s protection and empowerment programs.

• Work in partnership with the Nutrition Coordinator to support aspects of the strategic direction and leadership of the community-based nutrition programming guiding linkages and integration within iCCM programming.

• Manage partnership with prime recipient of key grants; work in collaboration to align donor requirements to iCCM best practices; coordinate with finance and monitoring and evaluation units on budget issues and reporting; diplomatically balance role as iCCM technical lead with prime’s role as consortium-led grant management.

• Continue to explore and develop new strategies that support adapted Boma Health Initiative programming implemented in emergency settings and camp-based contexts.

• Conduct monthly meetings with Senior Health Coordinator and relevant senior staff to provide regular updates on spending (BVAs, burn rates), progress of achievements against set targets, program challenges and successes, as well as ways forward for on-going implementation.

• Coordinate and manage all grant reporting for program in with inputs from multiple iCCM and Nutrition program managers and advisors; work in collaboration with grant and finance teams to meet all reporting requirements and deadlines in a timely manner.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building:

• Support the program managers and field teams in the implementation and monitoring of the work plans ensuring that activities reflect the commitments PSI made to the donor and the community
• Provide technical support to Field Coordinators supervising program staff in various field sites to ensure program implementation aligns with grant timelines and targets.

• Oversee the program’s monitoring and evaluation mechanisms focused on strengthening data collection, information sharing, and data management systems; provide direct support to the M&E Manager in the overall M&E strategy, tool development, and efforts to improve data quality.

• Analyze health and nutrition data collected from the field to obtain evidence-based trends in diseases and track program progress against set targets; lead and support program managers to utilize data for informed decision making on program direction.

• Lead quarterly data analysis review meetings with the Senior Health Coordinator, M&E Manager, and key iCCM team members to direct the utilization of evidence for program decisions.

• Provide technical support to the Nutrition Advisor in all efforts to integrate nutrition components into iCCM;

• In coordination with the primary health team, coordinate and plan visits from the Health Technical Unit providing support for child health, M&E, pharmaceutical management, and nutrition.

• Liaise regularly with the relevant Health Technical Advisors on special projects and research initiatives.

Operational Research, Surveys and Assessments:

• Work closely with Regional Research Advisor to design, facilitate, and implement regular quality of care assessments in each field site.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of operational research on Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) use by community-based health volunteers.

• Coordinate client responsiveness initiative focused on developing community-based feedback mechanisms; oversee pilot initiative with internal and external data collection; support field teams in implementing and learning from pilot process as well as developing plans for long term integration into project design.

• Support the emergency preparedness and planning process with guidance and tools for assessing child health needs in changing humanitarian settings.

Representation and Coordination:

• Oversee the program’s role as community engagement technical lead within a consortium of implementing partners, key stakeholders, and the MOH; policies and strategies based on best practices.
• Work in coordination with key consortium partners to provide technically sound perspectives and implementation strategies within the iCCM technical working group and relevant community health forums**.**

Staff Supervision:

• Provide on-going training, technical support and guidance to the program managers and advisors.
• Work in collaboration with program managers to recruit, train and supervise national staff.

• Provide on-going mentoring and training for international and national staff.

• Conduct annual and semi-annual performance reviews for technical staff, often in collaboration with Field Coordinators in relevant field sites

Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders

• Be an active participant and advocate in relevant Working Groups.

• Partner with National Malaria Control Program and Technical Working Group to oversee National Malaria Indicator Survey from concept development to reporting of results.

• Support the coordination and delivery of studies that review health outcomes for children under five based on intervention led by the WHO and National Malaria Control Program.

• Work closely with Business Operations to build capacity and transition commodity planning, warehousing and logistics to MOH.

• Coordinate effectively with PSI South Sudan Business Operations, Procurement, Finance, and PSI HQ team and Supply Chain department in Washington DC.

• Perform any other related duties that may be assigned by the immediate supervisor.

Interested candidates may apply via e-mail: jobs@psi-southsudan.org or you can drop hard copy of their CV, cover letter and list of referees to Reception’s Desk at PSI South Sudan Juba Office reception.