Community Health Assistant at International Rescue Committee

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership and Accountability: Provide overall technical oversight and leadership in the Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning of all community interventions within their area of jurisdiction ensuring that program interventions are of quality and meet the SPHERE and donor standards, and donor targets and expectations are met within the required timelines.
• Coordinate implementation; of all community level health service delivery (Child survival, SRH, Nutrition) school health, WASH, Environmental health and mental health interventions through the community health workforce: plan and execute all activities that are budgeted for within the specified timelines including trainings, household mapping and registration, household visits, community dialogue, action days and integrated outreaches.
• Coordinate all community mobilization and sensitization interventions: In collaboration with the community health workforce conduct forums with key opinion and community leaders, including the Community Health Committees, community health promoters, block elders, and clergy in the program area. Inform the community about the program's existence, purpose, and benefits to their communities, as well as the broader county, country, regional, and global impact.
• Capacity building of the Community Health Workforce: Support in identifying training needs, plan and execute training and refresher trainings and on job trainings for the community health workforce i.e. CHPs, CHCs, teachers and champions on all community health technical modules in line with the CHS and school health training package and other program specific modules.
• Community health workforce supervision and performance monitoring: lead the recruitment of and setting of performance targets for community health promoters and carry out monthly field-based supportive supervision and check-ins to measure and review progress.
• Manage the community-based health information system: ensure availability of relevant data collection tools, support CHPs in data collection, compile and analyze data from the community health unit and submit the information for reporting. Collate information the reports and display it at strategic sites to enhance dialogue at the household and community level.
• Data review and analysis: Review and analyze data for performance monitoring. Utilize the data for decision making.

MEAL & Knowledge Management

• Support the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) team and other project staff in monitoring and evaluation of project activities including preparation of monitoring reports, documents and lessons learned. 
• Provide mentorship/OJT to the community health workforce.
• Carry out regular program monitoring of community interventions and attend review meetings.
• Develop weekly, monthly and quarterly progress reports in line with the workplan and ensure timely submission to program manager.
• Identify, document and share lessons learnt, best/promising practices, case studies, human-interest stories, with MEAL Unit for onward submission to IRC, partners, and donors.
• Participate in periodic program performance reviews and program evaluations i.e. Quarterly, Semiannual, and annual reviews.

Key Working Relationships

Internal

Work in collaboration with other IRC programs (Health, WPE, Nutrition, Julisha and Protection) for proper implementation of the project.

External

Work with UNHCR health team, implementing partners, Sub/County health departments, refugee and host communities.

Complexity

Requires skills for collaborative work within the health service delivery and education teams at IRC as well as with different operation functions, stakeholders and partners in his/her area of jurisdiction. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Degree/Diploma in Public health, Environmental health or Community Health with a minimum of 2 years of experience in health programming within an NGO.
• Experience working with or supporting the MOH in implementing the Kenya Community Health Strategy and Community Health Policy is a MUST have.
• Experience in training, capacity building, community mobilization within the development context is desirable.
• Should demonstrate strong leadership and interpersonal skills with ability to build and maintain strategic relationships with a wide range of stakeholders i.e. team mates, supervisor, partners, donors, government and non-state actors.
• S/he should have a very good understanding of how the MOH and county health departments function.
• Experience in community health systems strengthening approaches to enhance community facility linkage, improve demand generation and uptake of services in link health facilities.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the Kenya Health policies and system
• Demonstrated IRC’s core values of accountability, integrity, service, and equality.
• Ability to design community engagement and BCC strategies to foster positive change and sustainable impact in the community.
• Demonstrated expertise in collaborating with communities that have varied cultural traditions and low literacy rates.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in a team
• Demonstrated problem solving skills, creativity and innovativeness.
• Expert knowledge of English is essential and proficiency in Somali is desirable.
• Skilled at managing workload and prioritizing work in multi-task environment with frequent interruptions and challenging timelines.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Proficiency in computer skills; Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, and e-mail).