Community Engagement Manager - Parktown at The Aurum Institute

Position Summary:

• Aurum is seeking an experienced Community Engagement Manager to lead our efforts in establishing and maintaining effective relationships with community-based HIV TB and health Communities, Civil Society Entities (CCSEs), and regional and global networks of stakeholders. The Community Engagement Manager will play a pivotal role in supporting the development and execution of a multi-year civil society engagement action plan to empower CCSE programs, groups and activities that advocate for the TB and HIV Prevention and Treatment, including the Advanced HIV Disease Package of Care for adults, adolescents, and children. This role will require coordination with national and provincial agencies and international organizations to advance project objectives.
• The Community Engagement Manager will also lead the design and implementation of a capacity-building strategy and training program for CSOs, oversee small grant contracts for CSO partners, and ensure the visibility of project activities through branding compliance and media coverage. Additionally, the Manager will contribute to project reporting, work plans, budgets, monitoring, evaluation, and learning process.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Community Engagement Manager will report to the Project Director(s) of projects coming soon to Aurum Institute.

Responsibilities:

Technical

• Lead the Community Engagement team to establish and maintain effective relationships with community-based HIV and health CSOs and stakeholders, including local, regional, and global TB and HIV networks.  
• Provide expert guidance for Community Engagement and Advocacy, ensuring synergy with other UNITAID TB and HIV investments. Collaborate with projects ensuring mutual reflection of objectives and facilitating the contextualization adaptation of technical documents and materials.
• Lead the development and execution of adult-focused community engagement and advocacy strategy
• Facilitate the creation and implementation of a multi-year civil society engagement action plan, empowering Communities and Civil Society Entities (CCSEs) to advocate for TB Prevention, Treatment (DS and DR-TB) and HIV Disease Package of Care.
• Lead the design and implementation of a needs-based capacity-building strategy and training program for CCSEs, including curriculum development training modules, to strengthen their institutional and technical capacity for advocacy and technical support in TB and HIV Prevention and Disease Treatment across Africa.
• Working with local CSO networks to ensure the organization, timely preparation, and coordination of training courses, workshops, meetings, etc., relevant to the CCSE strategy of new projects.
• Work with the project communication team to ensure branding compliance, media coverage, and visibility of project activities.
• Contribute to the project’s advocacy and networking requirements:
• Collaborate closely with TB and HIV entities and network of NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, and local organizations to encourage key leaders to become champions for Paediatric HIV and TB prevention and treatment.
• Facilitate appropriate linkages between the CCSE projects and regional platforms, ensuring avenues for shared best practices and participation in advocacy platforms.
• Coordinate policy engagement efforts of CSOs with WHO, UN, USG, and other agencies at national and provincial levels to support the delivery of the project’s objectives.
• Contribute to the monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including the compilation of lessons learned, success stories/stories of change for dissemination, and linkage of CCSEs to global HIV and TB networks to ensure shared best practices.

Management

• Oversee the implementation of small grant contracts for CCSE programs.
• Build and manage partnerships with other HIV and TB networks, ensuring that the project objectives contribute to the global agenda,
• Assist the project team with routine and periodic reports, work plans, budgets, and inputs to technical documents.
• Contribute to the monitoring, evaluation, and learning, including the compilation of lessons learned, success stories/stories of change for dissemination, and linkage of CCSEs to global HIV and TB networks to ensure shared best practices.
• Identify and coordinate appropriate Short-Term Technical Assistance (STTA) support for community engagement across project countries.
• Perform other duties as requested by the Project Director

Requirements

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor and a minimum of 7 years of professional experience in a relevant field such as public policy, community engagement and development, environmental or conservation management, international relations, media coordination or related field. Or an Advanced degree with 3 years’ experience.
• Proven track record in project management within the health and social welfare sector, community engagement, and CSO partnership, including experience in engaging with health (and HIV) focused CSOs and local communities across Africa.
• Experience and confidence working and negotiating with communities, CSO partners, and relevant stakeholders at all levels, such as TAG, AFROCAB, PATA, GNP Plus, TAC, PLWA country based CSOs, etc.
• Understanding of the role and relationship of CSOs in policy advocacy
• Comprehensive understanding and insights of inclusive conservation and gender-balanced and human rights-based approaches preferred.
• Proven track record and experience in policy advocacy and sustainability targets.
• Relevant experience leading strategic design and managing multi-country programs

Required Skills and Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal, networking, communication, and diplomacy skills, “can do” attitude, systematic approach, team player.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience in training on advocacy, community organizing, media, and/or communications activities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills- Proficient in project management tools and software.
• Attention to detail, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, both local and international.
• Experience in working with community groups.
• Good organizing/planning, managing technical activities, and analytical and practical problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to work independently, handle a variety of concurrent activities, rank priorities, organize work efficiently, and deliver assignments in a timely manner, often under time constraints.
• Good presentation and report-writing skills.
• Professional, results-oriented, prospect-focused, strategic, and intuitive.
• Experience liaising with international officials and donor organizations.
• Excellent written and spoken English skills. Knowledge of an additional language/s, preferably French and/or Portuguese is an advantage.