Community Engagement Manager at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid in more than 60 countries to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters or exclusion from healthcare.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Community Engagement Manager

Job Code: MM01130
Location: Shinkafi, Zamfara
Level: 10
Contract Period: 6 months (With possibility of extension)
Contract: 208 working hours per month

Main Purpose

• Understanding that community and patient engagement should be embedded in all MSF activities as part of a People Centered Approach (PCA), and in close collaboration with the Field Coordinator and PMR, the Community Engagement Manager will help achieve the following objectives among others: establish regular participatory dialogue with key stakeholders (different segments of the community, patients, staff, MoH) to involve the in the definition of problems and identification of potential solutions as an ongoing process and an approach (not just part of initial assessment), design and deliver contextually adapted health promotion and health education that supports communities and patients’ agency; demonstrates respect for the local culture and that responds to the project’s objectives and priorities as well as the community’s critical needs.
• Lastly, ensure timely analysis and communication to coordination team (PM, PMR, Log, Admin/HR Manager) of detected changes/concerns or requests from patients/groups/community which may lead to an adaptation of strategy and improvement of services.

Job Description

• Co-Defining (updating) the Community Engagement and Health Promotion strategy
• Ensures cohesiveness between CEHP strategy and key project components (e.g., crisis monitoring, security management, medical packages/activities (curative and preventative), WASH, protection.
• Identify existing protective factors, positive practices, strengths/coping mechanisms and resilience.
• Identify and address barriers of access of all segments of the community to MSF services (in terms of ethnicity, religion, gender, age, various vulnerabilities, etc.
• Further the understanding of community dynamics, health seeking behaviour, cultural practices, demographic, and geographic specificities, and how the crisis is impacting the population.
• Ensure the cultural adaptation and the local relevance of the MSF response (based on the understanding of local beliefs and practices around health, wellbeing, birth, death and dying, violence, identification of strengths and coping mechanisms, improved tracking of the evolution of perceived needs and priorities).
• Involve the community in the identification of priorities, the definition of problems and the identification of potential solutions (participatory assessment and/or problem solving), ensuring that the perspectives/interests of the various segments of the population are considered.
• Implement a system of data collection (quantitative and qualitative) and knowledge management that draws from different categories of information and that is received through a variety of channels (formal and informal).
• Detect risks/safety concerns (for the population and for MSF) and changes in relation to critical needs
• Develop culturally adapted HP/HE materials according to project needs and operational priorities.
• Design participatory methodologies to deliver key messages adapted to audience (consider age, gender, literacy level, consider locally used methodologies for transferring knowledge (oral, through stories, theatre, songs…) finding balance between creativity, innovation and local preferences.
• Ensure pre-testing of activities, methodologies, and tools to ensure adequacy, relevance, and cultural adaptation.
• Contribution to strategic design, monitoring/evaluation, learning and continuous improvement.
• Regular training/coaching of MSF teams (and where relevant also MoH staff) on community/patient engagement to integrate the PCA approach transversally in all positions (the curiosity, the empathy, the listening, the accountability, etc.
• Plan, implement and help coordinating Community Engagement activities in the Project areas of Zamfara State.The CEHP Manager to ensure an understanding and proper implementation of community engagement and Health promotion strategy by CEHP Team(IEC Officers,CEHP Supervisors and CHWs).
• Plan and execute continuous training for the CEHP team,development plans for CEHP Supervisor and keep proper record of the topics covered in both projects.
• Monitor population movements within the project areas and share the information promptly with the Fieldco.
• Engagement with Local NGO ( Mapping ,analysis of activities and background ) for possible collaboration to complement MSF activities
• Support Project CMT on adapting and innovate for humanitarian response strategy tailord to the context particularities.
• Provde Support to the Outreach component of the two projects (Shinkafi and Zurmi). Including the participation in developing strategies for community based activities, support to the Decentralized Models of care (DMC) as well as the PHCCs.
• Liaising closely with the PMR,CEHP Advisor, medical coordination and the outreach teams to improve the follow up of patients lost to follow up (defaulters) within the community.

Requirements
Education:

• Desirable: Bachelor's Degree or its equivalent in Social Science or related field.

Experience:

• Essential: Minimum of 2 years experience in community engagement, health promotion, project coordination or research. Experience in qualitative and quantitative data analysis.
• Essential: Experience with MSF or other International NGOs in Developing countries, experience working in an international environment

Language:

• Mission language essential, local language, desirable.

Knowledge:

• Essential: Computer literacy (Word, Excel and Internet).

Gross Monthly Salary
According to MSF National Salary Scale.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Note: MSF encourages Women and People with Disabilities to apply

Application Deadline  2nd April, 2023.