Job Description

Communication & Advocacy Officer - Consultant

On-site · Democratic Republic of Congo · Full-time

Kindu, Maniema, The Democratic Republic of Congo

Kalemie, Tanganyika, The Democratic Republic of Congo

Application

ABOUT VILLAGEREACH

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach’s goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030. We work with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products, information and services to the most under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization, VillageReach has offices in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and the United States.

VillageReach is seeking a Communications & Advocacy Officer to provide strategic and operational support across all immunization areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including use of community feedback to improve strategies. This position will provide social behavior change communication, including advocacy, guidance to sub-recipients; ensure documentation of best practices and lessons learned, and key impact stories from communities served as well as collection of community feedback. Key duties include technical support to the subrecipient organizations, , conducting field monitoring visits as necessary to collect key stories of stakeholders providing impact in served communities and best practices. Other key tasks will include support of the collection and implementation of community feedback to improve strategies, strengthening community engagement and capacity building of community health workers (CAC/RECO) to strengthen community-based surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases.

The person will operate under the direct supervision of the DRC Lead for communications and advocacy, while closely collaborating with designated technical assistants in the region.

Terms This is a consultant position through December 31, 2026.

Type : Consultant

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

· Provide technical guidance to sub-recipient partners on social behavior change (SBC) strategies, evidence-based approaches, intervention implementation, for the development and implementation of communication plans, including micro-planning, stakeholder mapping; modules for capacity building; risk communication and community engagement, and integration of gender in programs.

· Support the collection by subrecipient local organizations of feedback from community members and/or community health workers (CHWs) using digital tools (e.g., CITA approach, KoboCollect) to monitor program impacts.

· Support the analysis of community perspectives, share insights with stakeholders, and communicate actions back to communities.

· Contribute to the design and adaptation of key messages for IEC materials, media content, FAQs, and training tools for frontline workers to improve immunization promotion, as well as key advocacy messaging within a humanitarian context;

· Support the collect of key stories of health workers and community health workers and other stakeholders involved in creating impact in served communities;

· Ensure the documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and key impact on the field;

Reporting 

· Monthly reports of support provided, including lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations.

· Document key impact stories in served communities in various forms (Article, blogs, profile of key stakeholders, etc…)

· Document and report findings on community feedback to inform decision-making, in collaboration with subrecipient organization, M&E and technical assistants

· End-of-consultancy report including best practices, lessons learned and key recommendations.

Requirements

Qualifications et expérience requises :

• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in communications, public health, community health, social/behavioral sciences, or related field.
• At least 5 years’ experience in social behavior change communication strategy, implementation, community health, and management of sub-recipient/partner organizations.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing communication strategies for health interventions, including immunization,
• Experience working in humanitarian settings and in disease outbreak response is highly appreciated
• Strong understanding of vaccine-preventable diseases, community health, socio-cultural aspects affecting health behaviors.
• Experience in documenting impact stories, best practices are highly desired
• Excellent communication, facilitation and capacity building skills.
• Knowledge of human-centered design, social listening
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in multicultural environments
• Proficiency in computer tools, including Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.), Kobo Collect tools for the collection and analysis of community feedback
• Fluency in French, both written and oral; Swahili and English are assets

Location :

· Kindu, Maniema – with travel to health zones/catchment areas and/or neighboring province as needed

· Kalemie, Tanganyika – with travel to health zones/catchment areas and/or neighboring province as needed

This is an immediate hire and therefore candidacies will be reviewed on a rolling basis