Community Engagement and Risk Communication Officer, MalVac project, Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access

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PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity. With more than 40 years of experience forging multisector partnerships and with expertise in science, economics, technology, advocacy, and dozens of other specialties, PATH develops and scales up innovative solutions to the world's most pressing heath challenges.

This position will be based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

PATH's Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA) brings together our expertise across every stage of the long and complex process of vaccine research, development, and delivery to make lifesaving vaccines widely available to children and communities across the world. CVIA's current portfolio encompasses more than two dozen vaccines either in development or already in use to protect against 15 different diseases. We work in partnership with national health ministries, pharmaceutical manufacturers, donors, international financing and regulatory organizations, and many others. Within CVIA, the Policy, Access, and Introduction (PAI) functional area leads PATH's efforts to support countries in all aspects of new vaccine introduction, including implementation, costing, communication, system strengthening, and evaluation. PAI is implementing the MalVac project, a multi-country initiative supporting countries as they prepare for and implement malaria vaccine introduction.

PAI is currently seeking a Community Engagement and Risk Communication Officer for the MalVac project to work across a diverse set of internal and external partners to support the scale-up of malaria vaccination. This role will help to define and monitor community engagement and risk communication strategies and activities in Burkina Faso, working with the advocacy, communication, and social mobilization (ACSM) working group in country, coordinating closely with PATH country colleagues and reporting to the regional or global Communication Manager.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with PATH, Ministry of Health colleagues, and partners in developing demand generation and community engagement strategies and activities that align with and support malaria vaccination efforts.

• Work in close partnership with national and subnational government officials and with immunization and malaria sub-working groups.

• Assist PATH colleagues, partners, and others in adapting messages to the country and community context and ensuring that the resulting materials about malaria vaccination aim to sustain and increase vaccine acceptance and uptake in communities.

• Assist with developing tactics for engaging stakeholders to galvanize interest and support for malaria vaccines.

• Help to design and implement work plans, stakeholder meetings and workshops, as needed.

• Advise on augmenting processes for monitoring traditional and social media for reports on malaria, immunization, and malaria vaccination, and monitor processes for community listening, suggesting ways to maintain and update risk communication plans.

• Support national and subnational officials to strategically respond, if needed, to misperceptions and misinformation.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or higher, preferably in communication, public policy, global health, or related field.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in designing and managing advocacy, communication, and community engagement strategies for health, particularly immunization.

• Understanding of immunization programs and health systems required.

• Experience working with national-level stakeholders as well as civil society organizations and communities.

• Experience facilitating strong relationships and working within multi-country, cross-functional and diverse teams.

• Excellent verbal and written communication with the ability to tailor approaches for various audiences and channels.

• Fluency in oral and written French and relevant local languages as well as English required.

• Willingness to travel.