Description
Position Title: Senior Community Health Program Specialist Reports To: Community Health Program Director Location: Maryland County, Liberia
Organizational Profile:
Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based on our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training, and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health Care system strengthening.
PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone, and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Womenโs Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.
Partners In Health (PIH) is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee. It is the policy of PIH not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex and gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. PIH works in and with a number of governments in and outside the U.S., and to the extent applicable, this statement is intended to incorporate the prohibition of any unlawful discrimination covered by applicable laws in such countries, states, and municipalities.
Position Overview:
The Senior Community Health Programs Specialist will work closely with the Director of Community Health Programs (CH Director) in overseeing all of PIHโs community health programs in Liberia. He/she will have a firm understanding of PIHโs mission and approach to community health programming around the world. They will ensure that PIH is providing the highest-quality programs to patients, providing a supportive working environment for community-based staff, understanding and addressing the socio- economic drivers of poor health, linking clinical programs and community programs, and working to further social justice. The Programs Specialist will also ensure that all activities are aligned with the priorities and policies of the Liberian Ministry of Health. The successful candidate will support the CH Director to develop tools and processes to facilitate efficient management practices, support fundraising and effective budget management, and support overseeing the day-to-day management of the program. Qualified candidates will have prior experience working to build progressive, paid community health worker models that understand the socio-economic drivers of poor health. They will also have experience managing a team of professionals, in non-profit or governmental organizations, in a developing world setting. It is imperative that the candidate has strong interpersonal skills, coordinating with a host of managers and directors across a team that s/he does not directly manage. Success is predicated on forming high-trust relationships with PIH and County Health Team colleagues, providing cogent advice, and perseverance. Humility and a commitment to the accompaniment, of colleagues and patients, are paramount. This is a position that relies heavily on both technical skills and expertise, and that focuses greatly on capacity building to support an already strong and growing Liberian-led team. This person will be willing to live in rural Southeastern Liberia nearly full-time. Finally, this individual will be expected to lead by example, embodying the values of PIH, including doing whatever it takes to provide the highest level of service to our patients; treating every member of our organization and community with equal respect and dignity; fostering a sense of generosity and teamwork; and working patiently, yet persistently, to accompany our government partners to achieve our shared goals.
Specific Responsibilities:
PIH-Liberia Leadership - Support the CH Director in strategic planning and budgeting for PIHโs CHW program. This includes
identifying and helping to support fundraising opportunities to expand PIH Liberiaโs community programs while not compromising on the values and mission of the program.
- Collaborate closely with multiple PIH departments (Clinical, M&E, Operations, Policy and
Partnerships, and the Executive Director). In particular, work closely with the Clinical team, supporting the Director to seamlessly integrate the CHW program into our facility-based healthcare programs. This includes monthly meetings and daily troubleshooting as needs arise to communicate program progress, challenges, and strategic planning.
- Ensure that PIH Liberiaโs community health programs align with PIH Liberiaโs overall strategy and growth, with a particular eye on ensuring that clinical and community health programs are aligned to support patients throughout the continuum of care.
Accompaniment and technical support
- Support the CH Director in skills development to strengthen the Liberian-led team. Skills building should focus particularly on program design, writing and communications skills, performance management, reporting and documentation, strategic planning, and computer skills.
- Support the Director to evaluate other CHW program designs, successes, and strategies that have been implemented across the world at PIH and non-PIH sites. Consider how lessons learned from these other programs can support the growth and development of PIH Liberiaโs community health programs, and how cross-site knowledge exchange can be enhanced.
- Collaborate with the CH Director to provide financial and technical support to the Ministry of Health in the implementation of the Community Health Promoter Program (CHP) and technical support for the Community Health Assistant Program (CHA). Support the CH Program Director and other community health program staff to identify ways to align these different programs to maximize their clinical and socioeconomic impact on vulnerable patients. Review different community health programs from around the world, and support the team to implement ideas to strengthen, integrate, and grow community health programming.
- Liaise with the MEQ team in improving community health reporting tools and processes to appropriately measure performance and outcomes.
- Work with the CH Director to provide technical assistance to the National Community Health Services Division (CHSD) in the areas of curriculum development, standard operating procedures, log frame, outcome indicators, reporting tools, and CHW professional development scheme.
Program Management
- Manage grant compilation and reporting of all community-based activities.
- Provide supervision and mentorship to the community health team, including Community Health Officers, Community Health Quality Improvement Officers, and Social Protection Officers.
- Ensure financial compliance of all PIH CHW program activities at national and district levels.
- Work closely with the CH Director, CH Officers, and the MEQ team to build and implement a mHealth system for CHW reporting. Once implemented, ensure that the system meets program needs and is used regularly to review CHW effectiveness and patient care and inform programmatic decisions. Particular attention should be spent on how to link community and clinic data and how to distill metrics into tangible actions that can be taken by the CHW team.
- Support the development of research initiatives, prepare abstracts and manuscript submissions to public health journals, and knowledge-sharing opportunities related to CH program successes and lessons learned alongside the CH Director and other members of the leadership.
- Depending on the need that arises, act in a mobile, decentralized role that could also provide accompaniment support to the CHSD of the Ministry of Health.
Building Partnerships
- Work with the CH Director and PIH Liberia leadership to support strong working relationships across the public health sector at National, County, and District levels, including with the CHSD, County Health Team (CHT), District Health Teams (DHTs) and hospital clinical and administrative management team. Particular attention should be placed on policy discussions around community health at the national and international level and how PIH Liberiaโs community programs can fit