Community Engagement Coordinator

Department

OUCRU – HN – Nam Dinh

Location

This position will be based in Nam Dinh City, and will require extensive travel within Nam Dinh, as well as some travel within Viet Nam to coordinate with our Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City units, and possibly internationally to attend conferences and workshops.

Hours of work

Full time Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required.

Tenure

Initially for 01 years, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension based on annual performance appraisal and research approval

Reporting to

The Principal Investigator/Senior Epidemiologist, and Director, OUCRU Hanoi

Vacancy reference

JDHAN_0621_005

Background

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit, with sites offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam, Jakarta in Indonesia and Kathmandu in Nepal. In Vietnam, we are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. OUCRU-Nepal is hosted by the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, and in Indonesia we exist in partnership with the Eijkman Institute as the Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Programme (EOCRU). As a Wellcome Trust Africa Asia Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

OUCRU’s vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals where we work, and to the countries as a whole where we operate: Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal.  All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals, but also to help improve patient care throughout Southeast Asia.

OUCRU employs approximately 320 people across Viet Nam and has an average annual budget of USD 12mil.

Please see more information on OUCRU website: www.oucru.org

Job summary

The main research interests for the Hanoi office are antimicrobial resistance and influenza. As part of our work on antimicrobial resistance, we are partnering with the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology to develop community-based and facility-based interventions to change the way antibiotics are currently used, in order to reduce the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. We are looking for a Community Engagement Coordinator with experience using participatory problem-solving approaches, and working with different stakeholder groups in Vietnam.

The Community Engagement Coordinator will coordinate activities in local communities around prevention and treatment of common infectious diseases and antibiotic use, in order to inform the development and implementation of public health interventions. They will coordinate the activities with CHC staff and local leaders across 3 districts in Nam Dinh Province. They will lead the formation of community action groups with, and use participatory methods to generate dialogue and develop collective solutions. They will actively seek novel and creative ways to create opportunities for dialogue and interaction between researchers, community members, farmers, pharmacists, health-workers and the public.

The Community Engagement Coordinator will work closely with other members of the public engagement and research teams. The Community Engagement Coordinator will coordinate with local health facilities, governmental departments and institutes in Viet Nam and with the other national organizations on our projects in Nam Dinh, principally focusing on projects related to antibiotic use and resistance. They will coordinate engagement projects through dialogue and discussion, using participatory methods to gain a better understanding of the perspectives and practices of multiple stakeholders.

They will be personable, organised, enthusiastic, creative and highly motivated.  They will be able to work independently but also be a team player.

They will be expected to contribute to wider research and Public Engagement events, and partner with other the Nam Dinh Coordinators when needed.

Key responsibilities and tasks

You will be working in a team to implement engagement activities under the guidance/mentorship of the Senior Epidemiologist based in OUCRU Hanoi, and will also be supported by the Head of Public Engagement based in OUCRU offices in HCMC.  This involves the following:

·         Initiate discussions and handle paperwork with relevant stakeholders to formalize the involvement of community/health authorities in OUCRU Hanoi’s projects in Nam Dinh Province.

·         Serve as OUCRU Hanoi’s focal point for all communications with Nam Dinh partners about community health, making sure that OUCRU Hanoi’s project activities/roadmaps are clear to the partners.

·         Organize training for community facilitators.

·         Establish action groups to address antibiotic overuse in communities, and empower and supervise 16 facilitators to maintain those groups.

·         Manage a team of fieldworkers across 3 districts;

·         Seek inputs from researchers and health practitioners to create surveys, and take charge of the implementation of those surveys.

·         Conduct qualitative research (e.g. interviews, direct observations) to understand the experiences of participants and non-participants of OUCRU Hanoi’s community activities.

·         Run workshops and discussions with communities and health facility staff;

·         Travel to districts to set up and implement activities;

·         Write up summaries of project activities;

·         Draft reports, research papers and presentations.

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated above, the ideal candidate for this position will be an experienced project/program coordinator who is passionate about improving the quality of life in their community by listening to them and promoting their needs, and by promoting science through diverse artistic and cultural innovation.

Other Requirements

·         Where the applicant is unfamiliar with the job they may be required to spend time learning the fundamental aspects of this discipline.

·         Other tasks requested by Line Managers

Selection criteria

Essential criteria

-          BSc,, preferably with a background in community development, preventive medicine, public health/one health, or social science Project planning, management, and budget experience

-          Excellent communication and facilitation skills

-          Evidence of success in working with communities

-          Experience using participatory approaches

-          Excellent written Vietnamese

-          Some spoken and written English

-          Highly organized and able to work independently

Desirable criteria

-          MSc, or higher degree, preferably with a background in community development, preventive medicine, public health/one health, or social science Experience producing communications materials

-          Experience delivering training on participatory approaches

-          Experience supervising others

-          Diplomacy skills and evidence of working with government

-          Problem solving skills

-          Energetic and creative; open to new approaches and ideas

-          Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, and yet be a team player

Benefits

-          Contracted salary:  Negotiate (depending on actual experience and education).

-          Optional insurance: In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage

-          Two-month salary for annual bonus and clothes

-          Annual leave 18 days/year for the first year, a maximum of 30 days.

-          Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labor Law.

How to apply

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send their detailed resume and cover letter in English, including copies of relevant degrees, certificates by email to trangbh@oucru.org

* The cover letter should detail:

- What part of your education, training or employment history has best equipped you for this position and why you would be a good candidate?

- Contacts of two referees who are your latest HR/ line manager and can provide details of relevant work experience and attitude

* We thank all applicants for their interest but only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Contact person

Ms. Bui Huyen Trang

Deadline for submission

27th June 2021

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