Community Engagement  Advisor

JOB DETAILS

Position Title:  Community Engagement  Advisor

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Duration: January 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025

 

ABOUT UCSF 

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. We bring together the world’s leading experts in nearly every area of health. We are home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, aging and stem cells.

 

About GSI: The Center for Global Strategic Information and Public Health Practice (GSI) believes that the road to achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets – by the year 2030, 95 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 95 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV will receive antiretroviral therapy, and 95 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression – begins by translating the right knowledge into the right decisions. Since 2000, we have furthered data-driven science in the countries where we work. We help strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to collect, synthesize and use strategic information to inform, guide and monitor evidence-based responses to the HIV epidemic. Our support helps countries control their HIV epidemics to reach the 95-95-95 targets by 2030.

 

About IGHS: UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences (IGHS) is dedicated to improving health and reducing the burden of disease in the world’s most vulnerable populations. It integrates UCSF expertise in all of the health, social, and biological sciences, and focuses that expertise on pressing issues in global health. IGHS works globally to achieve these aims. IGHS seeks to improve health worldwide, especially in developing countries, through research that informs policy.

 

IGHS is committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment as we work towards becoming an anti-racist organization. We strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds. Please see our statement on anti-racism here: https://globalhealthsciences.ucsf.edu/aboutus/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/statement-structural-racism

 

This position will be hired through a third-party employment organization.

 

PROJECT SUMMARY (FOR PROGRAM STAFF) 

At UCSF, the Alliance for Country-led Control of the HIV Epidemic by Leveraging Efficient Resource Allocation To achieve Equity (ACCELERATE) project is housed in GSI and within the larger IGHS. ACCELERATE in Vietnam aims to leverage a global network of HIV expertise and peer learning that supports the translation of HIV science in Vietnam through innovations, policy, and leadership; enhances systems and capacity for high quality equitable care; and provides stop-gap support for new medicines, best practices, and technologies, with the goal of catalyzing excellence in Vietnam’s HIV program through visionary, supportive, and proactive collaboration. This project will promote person-centered HIV services through targeted technical assistance (TA) and building local capacity within the Ministry of Health (MOH) at the national and policy level and its provincial and site affiliates for adoption and implementation. The scale-up of HIV biomedical innovations and technologies and community-facility linkages and engagement will be critical to advancing health equity and person-centered care.     

 

SUMMARY OF ROLE

The Community Engagement Advisor should be an individual with a lived experience of living with HIV and/or being a member of key population (KP) group, or demonstrated experience of thoughtful, productive work with both of those groups. This position will work closely with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) U.S. CDC Vietnam staff, and community partners, including community advisory boards (CABs) to provide technical support to build capacity and identify program quality gaps, respond to those gaps, and document improvements in treatment access, viral load, provision of KP friendly, competent and appropriate care and broad HIV health literacy among clients and PEPFAR-supported sites. This will include community engagement for a study on the benefits of U=U messaging and supporting the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV (VNP+) to implement the second round of Stigma Index 2.0. Working closely with the UCSF Quality Improvement Lead and in coordination with the HIV Program Director and Clinical Advisor, this position will help to identify equity gaps, review current efforts in facility-based stigma reduction, and scale-up innovations found to be effective, relying on community advisory boards (CABs), scorecards, quality improvement for stigma and discrimination, and other models that promote community co-design and health literacy. Once interventions have been implemented, this position will work with CABs to facilitate community-led monitoring (CLM), strengthening CAB and community networks, which should inform the HIV program’s efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination and promote well-being and quality of life for HIV service users.

 

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical: 

• Collaborate in the development of community engagement, CLM, CAB, and other related materials Identify service delivery equity gaps
• Work with provincial CDC and VAAC/EPIC project teams to develop and implement capacity building plans for and with the CABs
• Mentor community-based partners, including Lighthouse and the CABs, in implementation of community engagement activities
• Support EPIC, CABs, and provincial CDCs in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the CAB model, including CLM, documenting improvements, and changing practice for scale-up and advocacy
• Monitor program implementation for quality improvement
• Engage CABs to conduct CLM on a routine basis, including strengthening the CAB network and providing responsive TA in collaboration with VAAC
• Review and document current efforts for facility-based stigma reduction and identify effective solutions
• Lead trainings on the community engagement tools and materials as needed
• Conduct monthly or quarterly visits to assess the logistics and technical progress of the work with VAAC and U.S. CDC points of contact to ensure that the technical requirements of the work are met and to monitor implementation
• Participate in protocol development, study implementation, data analysis and interpretation, report writing, and results dissemination
• Be open to new tasks throughout the project period and available to respond to unexpected logistical and other needs that may arise Communications:
• Work with CABs to ensure they are involved in study design, CLM and indicators, and overall programmatic planning in collaboration with GVN
• Prepare written and verbal reports
• Coordinate communication between collaborating organizations
• Coordinate communications for the CAB network, including supporting network engagement, documenting best practice and service improvements and supporting VAAC, pCDCs and CABs to share them on their respective platforms

 

Administrative:

• Organize logistics for community advisory boards (CABs) in provinces as needed
• Attend internal and external meetings

 

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, community organizing, or other related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience 7 years of experience working with PLHIV, KP groups, and CBOs
• Detailed knowledge of the public health system and legal environment for KPs in Vietnam
• Ingenuity and tact in developing community-led approaches, monitoring plans, and indicators to unique and different settings
• Considerable innovation will be required to support sites and district/provincial staff to establish, convene, and foster CABs
• Ability to analyze, understand, and discuss sensitive subjects with diverse stakeholders
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing and communicating with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary, multicultural, and multilingual team
• Proficient in the use of computers and software, including Microsoft Office Suite and email
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Strong communication skills in English and Vietnamese

 

ADDITIONALPREFERRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in public health, community organizing, or other related field

 

WORK LOCATION (Define if position required in office, if telework is allowed, if hybrid work arrangements are allowed)

• This position is primarily office-based
• Hybrid work arrangements may be negotiable

 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• This position will be based at the UCSF Office in Hanoi, VIetnam
• This position may be required to travel approximately 50% of time domestically
• This position may require attending in-person meetings as requested by GVN, donors, and other stakeholders

 

HOW TO APPLY

• Email Cover Letter and Resume (CV) to Alex Ernst: [email protected]