ThaiNGO

Job title: Public Engagement Coordinator

Department: Public Engagement Department

Supervisor:  Head of Public Engagement Department

Supervisee:  N/A

Location: Mae Ramat, Tak Province 

Introduction
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) is a field station of the faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and is part of the Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit (MORU) supported by the Wellcome Trust (UK).

The main objective of SMRU is to provide quality health care to the marginalized populations living on both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border in the Mae Sot area, Tak Province. This is achieved by the dual activities of research and humanitarian services, with an emphasis on maternal-child health and infectious diseases.

This combination of health care and research makes SMRU unique. The research agenda is driven by the questions we face in our clinical practice and whether clinical or laboratory based, our studies are designed to be of relevance to the population we serve

Tasks/Responsibilities:

The Community Engagement Assistant, reporting directly to the head of PE department, will be responsible for supporting, monitoring and evaluating community engagement strategy for SMRU and Borderland Health Foundation (BHF). The post holder will be responsible for planning, training and facilitating and manage the PE team to reach out to key communities, as we seek to inform them about our work, consult with them over their direction and collaborate with them on new researches and humanitarian projects. With close supervision from the PE officer, engage with a range of different stakeholders’ groups with interest and relationship with health-related programs. The objective of the Public Engagement Department is promoting a wider community awareness and understanding of health programs and the research and scientific processes that support them. 

Major responsibilities Public Engagement Coordinator

The Community Engagement Coordinator will work closely working with SMRU/BHF CE staff to collective serve beneficiaries, community partners, stakeholders and researchers and work to:

• Develop and implement activities strategic plan for overall CE/PE activities  to engage with community members, organizations, and stakeholders.
• Support researchers, where researches are taking place, as well as intervention in promoting health care for serve population from hard -to -reach areas.
• Organize public events, workshops, community consultation and event to promote engagement and gather feedback.
• Assist the other departments outreach team in surveying a new intervention site and other necessary activities, ensuring that the correct messages are effectively communicated.
• Coordinate PE department meeting as well as other departments within SMRU-BHF.
• Cultivate relationship across diverse communities to provide information on research and intervention related health promotion to serve population.
• Ensure that the grant and budgets for every engagement activity as well as equipment budgets are available.
• Coordinating in IEC tools development for training & capacity building, culturally appropriate with local languages for the use of community engagement activities, and feeding back to the team for tools improvement.
• Ensure that community engagement activities and messages are carry out in an appropriate way to each setting, and report back to head of department with written note in every activity or every event that had been conducted in communities or meeting that has been attended.
• Establish network with other local or country organizations for collaboration and maintain partnerships with relevant internal and external organizations, participate in local and national public engagement networks as deemed necessary.
• Be responsible and supervise on engagement tools are appropriate translations in relevance with local languages, messages are correct and completion in timely manner.
• Be responsible in preparing applications for funding to support individual community engagement project.
• Assisting in collecting fields information and prepare department annual report.
• Be Able to represent the PE department and BHF in conferences to promote SMRU and BHF’s community engagement activities with the support from SMRU-BHF Human resource department and COO.
• Ensure community engagement activities compliance with SMRU-BHF policies and procedures e.g. health and safety, security and data protection.
• Other activities related to SMRU-BHF community engagement or within the department as assigned by PE officer.
• Delegate the tasks to coordinator assistant as require.
• Ensure that the activities tracking log has been filled at all time.

Position requirement and skills:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills are crucial for effectively engaging with diverse audiences and conveying information clearly.
• The ability to build relationships and connect with community members, stakeholders, and partners.
• Excellent organizational abilities are needed to plan events, manage projects, and keep track of multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Comfort and confidence in speaking to groups, whether in presentations, workshops, or community meetings.
• Ability to identify challenges and develop creative solutions to engage the community effectively.
• Understanding and respecting diverse backgrounds and perspectives within the community.
• Knowledge of marketing or develop engaging content, including social media posts, newsletters, flyers, to attract and inform community members.
• Skills in collecting and analyzing feedback to assess engagement efforts and make informed decisions.
• Ability to work collaboratively with different teams and organizations to achieve common goals.
• Flexibility to respond to changing community needs and adjust strategies accordingly.

Educational and qualification requirement:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Educated to degree level of equivalent in related field.
• Significant relevant experience in community engagement.
• Experience in strategic thinking and of initiating, managing and delivering long-term projects effectively.
• Experience in relevant work experience in community engagement, outreach, or program coordination in community could be valuable.
• Experience of training and facilitating workshop.
• Experience in delivering community engagement activities with various levels of education setting.
• Understanding of the need for and benefits of community engagement with research and knowledge of effective community engagement practice.
• Ability in evaluating the effectiveness of community engagement activities and reporting to relevance parties.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build productive relationship and partnerships within and beyond the organization including liaise and maintain relationship with partner organizations and IOs, GOs, NGOs, and skills in influencing and negotiation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Thai, including fluency in local ethnics’ languages, e.g. Karen and Burmese.
• Highly self-motivated, capable of working independently as well as initiating collaborations and working as part of a multi-cultural team.
• Good understanding of the complex situation prevailing on the Thai-Myanmar border.

IT skills:

• Proficiency in using computers and common software applications (e.g., Microsoft Office).

• Social Media Proficiency: Familiarity with various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) and tools for managing and scheduling posts (e.g., Hootsuite, Buffer).
• Skills in using spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets) for data collection.
• Experience with online survey tools to gather community feedback and data.

How to apply:

Applications, CV or Resume must be sent to SMRU/HR Department MRM - BHF/SMRU office Address: 78/1 Moo 5, Mae Ramat Sub-District, Mae Ramat District, Tak Province, 63140 or email to smru-hr@shoklo-unit.com

Dead line for application: 17^th November 2024

 Please note that only short-listed candidates will be notified for the interview process.

SMRU has a zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) is everyone’s responsibility and all staff are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct, that enshrines principles of PSEA, always (both during work hours and outside work hours). All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles