Job Opportunity: Consultant - Community Engagement Specialist position available at ILu Women and Children Integrated Development Association (IWCIDA) in Assosa, Benishangul Gumuz. Health Care, Natural Sciences, Consultancy and Training jobs in Ethiopia are in high demand. Apply now through GeezJobs - Ethiopia's leading job portal.

ILu Women and Children Integrated Development Association (IWCIDA)

IWCIDA is a nationally operating, nongovernmental and not for profit organization established in the year 2004 with the certificate and license number, 0107. It is devoted to bring about developmental changes in its operational localities in collaboration with indigenous local community and government bodies, as well as, international and national agencies committed to reduce poverty. One of the prominent thematic interventions of IWCIDA is health program. IWCIDA has been successfully implementing health and health related programs in multiple areas bringing about substantial impacts. Particularly in regard to RMNCH, IWCIDA successfully implemented projects on promotion of reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health, and communication for health In its efforts to achieve its development objectives.  IWCIDA, in collaboration with JSI Ethiopia, is in agreement to implement Momentum Integrated Health Resilience(MIHR) in woredas in Assosa and Metekel Zones, Benishangul Gumuz.

Project Overview

The Momentum Integrated Health Resilience project is implemented by a consortium led by IMA World Health, is a global initiative that partners with governments and local stakeholders in fragile states and regions. MIHR’s objective is to save lives through increased access to high-quality MNCH-Nutrition life-saving interventions, strengthening partnerships with local organizations, and improving adaptive management to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies. MIHR focuses on equipping health institutions and frontline workers with the skills, tools, and resources to sustainably address the leading causes of maternal and child deaths. In Ethiopia, the project has three main objectives: 1) Enhance health facilities' readiness to provide essential quality MCH and nutrition services; 2) Improve access to and utilization of quality MCH and nutrition services through contextualized service delivery models; and 3) Enhance health security by improving emergency preparedness, disease surveillance, and outbreak response.

Position 1: Consultant - Community Engagement Specialist

Duty station:  Assosa

Job Type: Full-Time

Project duration፡ Nine (9) months

Reports To:  Cluster coordinator

Job Summary:

Provides direct, operational support to Primary Health Care Units (PHCUs) and their associated community structures. This pivotal role is dual-focused: 1) Driving demand and improving health-seeking behavior for essential RMNCAH services through Community Mobilization, and 2) Enhancing Health Security by strengthening local capacity for Risk Communication and Emergency Preparedness (RCCE). The Consultant will ensure high-impact implementation and knowledge transfer, aligning local actions with MIHR-E's strategic goals for sustainable community health and resilience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Direct Technical Support: Provide direct, hands-on technical support and mentorship to Health Extension Workers (HEWs), community volunteers, and PHCU staff in implementing planned Community Mobilization and SBC (Social Behavior Change) strategies.
• Platform Rollout: Facilitate the effective rollout and utilization of community-based platforms such as community dialogues, Health Post Open House events, Community Action Cycles (CAC), school health activities, and other participatory approaches that strengthen linkages between communities and health facilities.
• Barrier Analysis: Facilitate and monitor community meetings and dialogues to understand local barriers to service uptake and gather community feedback, which must be relayed back to the Woreda level for programmatic adjustment.
• Data-Driven Prioritization: Support the PHCU management team in using both community and facility data to identify under-performing villages/kebeles and prioritize specific community mobilization interventions for maximum impact on RMNCAH utilization.
• Preparedness Planning: Lead the development and implementation of a Cluster-Specific RCCE Action Plan focusing on priority health risks (e.g., infectious disease outbreaks, health crises) to ensure rapid, trusted communication protocols are in place.
• Coordination and Intelligence: Maintain active, day-to-day coordination with PHCU leadership and Woreda Health Office experts regarding outbreak intelligence, public health alerts, and the effective deployment of RCCE messaging.
• Systems Linkage: Support the integration of community-based surveillance and referral systems with facility response protocols during periods of heightened health risk.
• Supportive Supervision: Provide timely, supportive supervision and technical mentorship to cluster staff on the use of various community engagement and RCCE tools, ensuring quality implementation.
• M&E and Tracking: Track the performance and impact of the interventions using established indicators.
• Data Analysis and Reporting: Collect, analyze, and report on performance data to inform local evidence-based decision-making and identify areas for improvement, adhering to MIHR-E reporting standards.
• Stakeholder Harmonization: Conduct mapping of relevant stakeholders, including development partners in the woreda, with regular updating to harmonize community engagement efforts.
• Work Relationships: Foster close and smooth work relationships with woreda health office and facilities managements and experts to ensure local ownership and sustainability.
• General Duties: Perform other duties as assigned.

Gross Monthly Salary: 64,100ETB

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in health fields, Health promotion, Social Science, or related field with training and/or experience related to community engagement and empowerment 
• More than five years of demonstrated technical and programmatic experience on community engagement and empowerment
• Familiarity and demonstrated experience with Ethiopian Primary Health Care system including the Community Health Program, community engagement 
• Proven experience in the provision of technical support and capacity building Community-level experience in facilitating trainings and workshops is highly desirable
• Demonstrated experiences on capacity development of NSAs/CSOs
• Strong communication, interpersonal skills, and writing skills
• Able to promote team work and effort.
• Experience of working with local governments and civil society organizations, and senior level government officials is desired. 
• Excellent English writing and communications skills required, fluency in local language is an advantage
• Computer literacy
• Able to work with minimum supervision.

Skills

• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

How To Apply

Interested applicants should submit their non-returnable CV and an application letter clearly indicating the position they are applying for.

**Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Interested applicants are required to submit non-returnable CV, copies of original documents online through iwcida.interven4change@gmail.com,/ iwcida@yahoo.com   telegram @Gemeda(0913916605)  or in person to:

IWCIDA head office, Around Winget square(Awolia area), Tel.+251112731336 /+251911543544/+251917359287

Within Seven (7)  days  including weekends starting from the day of this announcement.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted for further assessment