Mobilization and Engagement, Malawi
Save the Children
invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the
United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child
has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a
healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy
efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the
leading expert on children, we inspire and a
chieve lasting impact for millions
of the world’s most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children’s lives
now, we change the course of their future and ours.
Save the Children is
currently recruiting for a Technical Director of Community Mobilization and
Engagement needed for an upcoming USAID integrated health program which aims to
increase utilization and quality of primary health services to reduce maternal,
newborn and child morbidity and mortality in Malawi. This includes providing
technical and program oversight in the design and day-to-day management of
implementation to increase the demand for quality priority health services and
community mobilization and engagement activities. The Director will work to
improve community engagement utilizing and contribute to cross-cutting
approaches, such as performance improvement, as well as, annual phasing in of
activities. S/he will also ensure the technical and methodological soundness of
activities and, in collaboration with the project team and partners, support
the design of service delivery strategies, based on sound and current
scientific evidence. At the district level, Director will provide leadership
and technical guidance to:
- Improve
community’s health-seeking practices and behaviors especially for youth - Increase
clients use of community level accountability mechanisms, including
citizen scorecards rating health service delivery - Engage
civil society organizations and faith based organizations to advocate for
quality priority health services, nutrition, and water, sanitation and
hygiene
This is a key
position on the senior leadership team and is contingent upon award from USAID.
Malawian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities:
- Provide
technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support
for the implementation of project activities in demand generation and
community mobilization - Identify
appropriate facility- and community-based strategies to address demand
generation and community mobilization bottlenecks that act as an
impediment to effective service delivery of priority health services - Create
partnerships with district, facility community groups, and village private
for profit entities to promote a market-based approach to the provision of
priority health services to clients. - Design
approach to creating partnerships with private for profit partners to
expand priority health services and WASH - Guide
the integration of demand generation and community mobilization/engagement
with key project services in family planning/reproductive health ,
maternal, newborn, and child health, and malaria - Identify
agencies/organizations implementing community-based activities - Develop
and coordinate community level communication campaigns that modify
behavior and inform key stakeholders at the community - Provide
expertise in gender issues, particularly how to design programs to reach
men and youth - Refine
evidence-based training materials, job aids, and curricula, supervisory
systems and other training materials needed for implementation of demand
generation and community mobilization/engagement to meet the needs of
USAID and the Government of Malawi - Provide
“train the trainer” sessions and information education communication
sessions with community leaders and project-supported health facilities,
as required by project activities - Work
with colleagues to develop a cadre of community mobilization champions who
will facilitate links to facility-level health services - Coordinate
assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy,
demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across
project sites as required by project activities
Required
Qualifications:
- Advanced
degree in social sciences or related field - 8+
years’ experience with progressively increasing responsibility for
designing, managing and implementing complex community mobilization and
engagement programming in developing countries involving multiple
stakeholders and implementing partners - Demonstrated
hands-on experience in building community capacity to provide health
services - Demonstrated
supervisory experience of professional staff - 5+
years’ experience in implementing $10M per year in donor-funded projects
and in the design and implementation of overseas health projects;
preferably in the East and Southern Africa - Qualification
as a “master trainer”; experience training health workers on aspects
related to demand generation and community mobilization/engagement - Skill
in at least two or more of the following technical areas: demand
generation and community mobilization/engagement, water, sanitation and
hygiene, strengthening service delivery projects, training, performance
and quality improvement, monitoring and evaluation - The
ability to liaise with senior MoH officials and dignitaries, executives of
NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, the for-profit business community, and senior members of
the donor community; - Demonstrated
in-depth understanding of Malawian healthcare system, particularly the
public health system - Experience
living and working in Malawi preferred - Strong
oral and written communication and presentations skills in English - Familiarity
with USAID or other USG administrative, management and reporting
procedures and systems - Proven
track record managing a project team composed of several technical experts
and fostering team work - Ability
to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in national programs and
technical staff in the areas - Ability
to travel up to 50% time
Qualified candidates
should apply directly through the website at: www.savethechildren.org under the
Careers page. Please select “Search US Jobs” and then choose location as
Malawi. EOE
