Community Engagement and Referral Specialist

Jhpiego seeks to hire a Community and Referral Specialist/s will play a crucial role in strengthening community engagement and ensuring effective referral pathways for pregnant women, newborns, and children under five years old within the project areas. This position will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with community leaders, community health workers (CHWs), and health facilities to improve access to quality integrated MNCH +Nutrition, immunization, HIV, TB identification services including malaria where applicable. S/he will also focus on enhancing demand creation activities, promoting healthy behaviors, and supporting the identification and referral of vulnerable populations thereby strengthening community-facility linkages for a seamless access to life-saving quality health services. Additionally, where required, S/he will be responsible for coordinating and supervising sub-awards to indigenous implementing partners affiliated with the project leading community engagement efforts.

• Community Mobilization and Engagement:
• Develop and implement community mobilization strategies to promote awareness of MNCH + Nutrition +Malaria, immunization, TB, HIV services and encourage service utilization, including antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care, immunization, nutrition and malaria etc.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with community leaders including women and youth, religious leaders, and other key influencers to foster community ownership and support for the project.
• Work with existing community governance structures and committees such as Ward Development Committees (WDCs), to promote MNCH +N practices and monitor progress.
• Identify and address community-specific challenges and barriers to accessing MNCH + N services.
• Strengthening Referral Pathways:
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive referral network of secondary healthcare facilities, including primary health centers, hospitals, and specialized clinics.
• Strengthen referral linkages between communities and healthcare facilities to ensure timely access to appropriate care.
• Support training of CHWs and other relevant community members on referral protocols, documentation, and follow-up procedures.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with health facility staff, including CHEWs, CHWs, midwives, nurses, and doctors, to facilitate smooth referrals.
• Monitor referral completion rates and identify bottlenecks in the referral system, working with relevant stakeholders to address them.
• Advocacy and Networking:
• Advocate for improved access to integrated MNCH +N, malaria, RI, TB, HIV services at the community and local government levels.
• Participate in relevant MNCH +N working groups and forums on behalf or Jhpiego
• Build relationships with other organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and civil society groups working on working in the MNCH +N sector
• Facilitate regular multi-stakeholder meetings that promote inclusive participation and shared decision-making at the community level 

• Training and Capacity Building:
• Contribute to the development and implementation of training programs for CHWs, healthcare providers, and community members on relevant integrated MNCH +N topics.
• Facilitate trainings and workshops and mentorship to CHWs on integrated MNCH +N topics, including antenatal care, safe delivery, newborn care, immunization, nutrition, and malaria.
• Support the development and implementation of community-based health education programs.
• Data Collection and Reporting:
• Collect and analyze data on community engagement activities, referral patterns, and MNCH +N, RI, Malaria service utilization.
• Prepare regular reports on progress towards project targets, including key indicators such as antenatal care coverage, skilled birth attendance rates, and immunization coverage.
• Maintain accurate records of community mobilization activities and training sessions.
• Contribute to the development of project reports and presentations.
• Other Duties:
• Participate in project planning meetings and contribute to the development of project work plans.
• Support the monitoring and evaluation of project activities.

Perform other duties as assigned by Supervisor.

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, Nursing, Midwifery, Community Health, or a related field. A Master's degree is preferred.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in implementing community-based MNCH, malaria, HIV, RI and Nutrition programs in Nigeria.
• Proven experience in working with Community Health Workers (CHWs), strengthening community health systems and building relationships with community leaders.
• Strong understanding of MNCH+N challenges and opportunities in Nigeria.
• Experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Fluency in English and the local language of the assigned location is required.
• Experience working with US-funded projects is an advantage.

Working Conditions:

• Primarily field-based position with minimal office time (85% field work)
• Extensive travel within assigned communities, including remote and difficult-to-access areas

NOTE:  All staff members of Jhpiego, regardless of the level of their responsibilities, are expected to:

• Model the mission and values stated above
• Participate in the business development processes
• Contribute to the knowledge sharing and transfer process
• Make responsible decisions that result in time and cost containment and clear accountability
• Participate in multiple teams, adopt team spirit, take responsibility for action items assigned and provide feedback as needed
• Multitask, be able to manage competing priorities, and be able to prioritize to meet program and/or organizational objectives.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

EEO is the Law

RECRUITMENT SCAMS & FRAUD WARNING

Jhpiego has become aware of scams involving false job offers. Please be advised:

• Recruiters will never ask for a fee during any stage of the recruitment process.
• All active jobs are advertised directly on our careers page.
• Official Jhpiego emails will always arrive from a @Jhpiego.org email address.

Please report any suspicious communications to [email protected]

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