Status: Full Time, Project Employee
Location: Accra, Ghana with regular domestic travel
(Ghanaian Nationals Preferred)
Classification: Exempt
Start Date: 1st February 2012
End Date: 31st March 2014
Background
The Mobile Technology for Community Health program (MOTECH) is a partnership between the Grameen Foundation Technology Center and Ghana Health Service (GHS). It aims to increase the quality and quantity of antenatal, neonatal and infant care through mobile phone applications. MOTECH’s Mobile Midwife application sends pregnant women weekly voice or SMS messages that provide time-specific information about their pregnancy. Messages contain guidance about how to stay healthy during pregnancy, practical advice such as how to prepare for delivery, information which addresses local myths and fun facts like fetal development milestones.Voice messages are in local languages and content is tailored to the specific challenges and beliefs of each region. MOTECH’s Nurses’ application enables healthcare workers to track care delivered to women and newborns. Each facility is equipped with low-end phones on which the MOTECH application is installed. Nurses enter data about clients’ clinic visits into the application and send this to MOTECH. The MOTECH system checks patients’ records against Ghana Health Service protocols for scheduled care. If the system identifies that a patient has missed an appointment, Mobile Midwife sends the client a message reminding them to go to the clinic. Meanwhile, nurses are alerted when their clients default for care so that they can follow up. MOTECH uses the submitted data to automate many of the nurses’ monthly reports, saving time and increasing accuracy. This program has been piloted in Kassena Nankana West District in Upper East Region, and replicated in Awutu Senya District in Central Region. With two new donor grants, MOTECH will be expanding to four new districts in the next two years.
Job Summary: The Community Mobilization Officer will be responsible for ensuring that communities are aware of MOTECH and that they have adequate means for enrolling in and accessing MOTECH services. In each MOTECH district, the Community Mobilization officer will develop strong working relationships and collaborations with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) as well as generate community based advocates for the project to attract new users to the service. The Officer will also be responsible for managing the set up and day to day management of a network of Mobile Midwife Agents whose role it is to assist clients in accessing their messages. The Community Mobilization Officer will also manage marketing campaigns in the implementation districts and assist with Public Relations activities within Ghana.
Reporting and relationships: The Community Mobilization Officer reports to the Implementation Manager.
Availability: The Community Mobilization Officer will be expected to work a standard work week of 40 hours. Frequent travel to MOTECH implementation districts will be required.
Essential Job Functions
· Establish a standardized mobilization work plan to be implemented in each MOTECH district, including the use of community radio, community theatre and other approaches to community mobilization and awareness.
· Working with the Implementation Manager and the Field Coordinator ensure appropriate community entry for the project in the preparation stage of new MOTECH districts.
· Build on existing relationships or create a relationship between the district-level MOTECH Technical Working Group (including project staff and GHS staff) and community infrastructure.
· Establish and maintain good working relationship with local NGOs, FBOs and CSOs, orientating these groups and establishing them as strong advocates for the Mobile Midwife service.
· Maintaining contact directories for the above organizations, including interactions which have taken place with each.
· Identify and cultivate community-based advocates for MOTECH, utilizing GHS’s existing networks of CHPS volunteers and Health Extension Workers, and coordinating with GHS’s existing training activities and community sensitization activities.
· Generate new opportunities and innovative ideas for mobilizing communities to join Mobile Midwife and to increase the awareness of MOTECH in the community.
· Prepare for and conduct trainings and orientations for relevant community organizations and advocates.
· Establish and manage a network of Mobile Midwife Agents who are responsible for marketing the service, registering new clients, providing phone charging services and assisting clients to access their weekly messages. This includes managing the relationship with microfinance partners who provide loans to agents for the purchase of phone charging kits from which they run a business, ensuring that agents are servicing their loans, providing business and marketing training to agents, and incentivizing and monitoring the agent network, ensuring that they are meeting targets.
· Handle procurement of all marketing materials, including working with designers to finalize campaign materials and managing vendors for all production collateral.
· Manage the inventory for marketing materials, ensuring that collateral does not go missing and is used effectively.
· Monitor advertising campaigns to identify the most effective interventions.
· Document key learnings in these areas and create a report on lessons learned.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
· Deep commitment to eradication of poverty and alignment with Grameen Foundation’s mission.
· Demonstrable experience in community mobilization and appropriate community entry.
· Creative and innovative in approach to engaging with communities.
· Experience in the use of drama and the arts in community engagement.
· Training and orientation skills and experience working with low literacy communities.
· Ability to work fast, anticipate and counter issues and avoid conflicts.
· Ability to create clear project plans and execute to schedule.
· Experience and demonstrable understanding of the GHS organization and culture and protocol.
· Fluency in spoken and written English is essential.
· Fluency in some local languages preferred.
· Good knowledge of marketing agencies and vendors in Ghana an advantage.
· Dependable and accountable, takes initiative, keeps commitments and takes responsibility.
· Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation and listening skills.
· Excellent level of proficiency with the Microsoft package, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Education and Experience
· Experience working on development projects.
· Experience of working with GHS.
· Experience working with rural communities.
· Experience working with mobile phones and other information and communication technology, preferably in the field of international development.
· 5 years’ or more work experience in a directly relevant role is required.
· A university level qualification is required.
Physical and Environmental Conditions
This position does not require unusual demands for physical effort. This position may occasionally require physical effort to lift and transport boxes weighing no more than 50 pounds. Work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of places such as offices, meeting or training rooms, residences, or commercial vehicles; e.g., use of safe work place practices with office equipment, and/or avoidance of trips and falls, and observance of fire regulations and traffic signals.
Additional Comment
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made in appropriate circumstances to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
Application
