Public Engagement Coordinator

Position

Public Engagement Coordinator

Department

Public Engagement Group

Location

This position will be based in Ho Chi Minh City

Hours of work

Full time Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours per week, extra hours may be required including travel and overnight stays regionally.

Tenure

Initially for 01 year, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension based on annual performance appraisal and research approval

Reporting to

Head of PCE – Dr Mary Chambers

Vacancy reference

JD-1220-030

Background

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit based in Viet Nam. We are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. We also have sister units in Kathmandu, and Jakarta.  As a Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

Our ten-year vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. This is being achieved via an integrated long-term research programme, contributions to training, the scientific literature, national and international meetings and membership of national and international committees. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals, and to Viet Nam as a whole. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals but also to help improve patient care throughout Viet Nam and the region.

Dedicated to research excellence, OUCRU has a commitment to promote its research findings internationally and locally in Vietnam.  OUCRU has a dedicated Public Engagement team responsible for promoting the image and science of OUCRU in Vietnam, and designing and implementing training and public engagement activities. These range from workshops in rural farming communities, theatre shows with a health message in local primary schools to running training projectss and promoting collaborations with universities and research institutes in Vietnam.

Please see more information on OUCRU Website: www.oucru.org  

Job summary

You will be responsible for the Research Community Engagement projectswhich includes: 

• Working closely with health researchers and clinicians on all the following:
• Capacity building for Healthcare Workers at the Hospital for Tropical Disease and health workers and health volunteers provincial partners (Dak Lak CDC) through the development of appropriate training curriculum, materials and provision of training;
• Development of health messaging tools and methods of community engagement -with a focus on the national vaccination programme in rural areas;
• Development of community engagement activities as relevant to the contexts of the local partners and OUCRU research activities.

Key responsibilities and tasks

 Healthcare worker training and capacity building:

• Consult with local partners (CDC Dak Lak and HTD) regarding training requirements.
• To collaboratively develop curriculum for healthcare workers and hamlet-level health volunteers, with focus on communication skills, health messaging (specifically around vaccines), community engagement, and TOT skills.
• Conducting TOT training for healthcare workers responsible for training the hamlet-level health volunteers on above listed skills utilizing participatory methods.
• Evaluate curriculum content and delivery and modify as required.
• Provide supervision and guidance to TOT participants on their training capacities.
• Meet reporting and budget management requirements

Vaccination health messaging and community engagement capacity building:

• Coordinate consultations with health staff and key stakeholders from the CDC Dak Lak, other local district health workers, and community members to develop strategies for community engagement and health messaging on vaccines and vaccine uptake.
• Development of strategy and implementation plan in collaboration with local partners.
• Coordinate development of health messaging tools and educational material in conjunction with local partners which are accessible in local ethnic minority languages and appropriate for those with low literacy levels.
• Delivery of project activities in collaboration with local partners.
• Evaluation of implementation of projects, and providing recommendations to local partners for future implementation projects
• Meet reporting and budgetary management requirements.

Other tasks:

• Be responsible for organization and logistics arrangements of project activities in charge
• Annual reporting requirements for OUCRU and funding partners.
• Produce an evidence-based report and recommendations about the vaccine training project which can be presented to promote the use of the training scheme in other provinces.
• Where the applicant is unfamiliar with the job they may be required to spend time learning the fundamental aspects of this discipline.
• Other tasks requested by Line Manager
  

Selection criteria

Essential:

• BSc, BA (Public health, Social Sciences or associated subject ) or higher degree;
• Excellent spoken and written Vietnamese and English;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in cross-cultural settings essential;
• 3 years minimum experience in training and/or community engagement programmes and/or facilitating group activities;
• Experience in working with communities /public;
• Highly organized
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, and yet be a team player
• Willingness to perform other tasks requested by Head of PE

Desired:

• Experience in conducting and analyzing evaluation activities
• Experience in report writing in English
• Experience with rural and /or ethnic minority communities
• Experience in developing health messages
  

Benefits

• Contracted salary:  Negotiable (depending on actual experience and education).
• Optional insurance: In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage
• Two months’ salary for annual bonus and clothes 
• Annual leave 18 days each year for the first year
• Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labour Law.

How to apply

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send their detailed resume and cover letter in English, including copies of relevant degrees, certificates, either by email or by post to the following address:

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit

Laboratory of Clinical Science

Hospital for Tropical Diseases

764 Vo Van Kiet, Ward 1, District 5, HCMC

Tel: 39237954    Email: [email protected]

The cover letter should detail:

• What do you think ‘community engagement’ involves?
• What part of your education, training or employment history has best equipped you for this position?

*** We thank all candidates for their interest but only short-listed applicants will be notified for interview.

Contact person

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Phuc

Deadline for submission

28 December 2020