SSA: Risk Communication and Community Engagement (WHE)

(Special Service Agreement, for initial period of 5 months)

Purpose of the Post:

To provide technical assistance on Risk Communication to the Ministry of Health to support the risk communication and community engagement pillar.

Duration:

Planned Start date: 01/12/2022

Planned End date:  30/04/2023

Description of Duties:

Under the supervision of the Communication Team Leader in the Country Office and in collaboration with the technical team of the WHE, the SSA holder will be responsible for delivering the following:

The SSA holder is assigned to:

• Support the risk communication and community engagement pillar in the WHO Country Office, including outbreak preparedness and response communication. 
• Provide risk communication assessments and recommendations to the Ministry of Health and the Centre for Communication and Education for Health (CCEH).
• Support risk communication training including preparation of training materials, SOPs for provincial taskforce team and establish RC ground network for disseminating of information to community.
• Support community engagement with community leaders, district and provincial levels to strengthen risk communication activities and to reach hard-to-reach communities.
• Conduct social listening and media monitoring of traditional and social media in the framework of WHO Infodemic Management guidelines and provide daily media updates to relevant units in the WHO Country Office and MoH.
• Promote and support the collaboration between CCEH, ministries, mass organisations and international organisations on risk communication.
• Support developing key messages to strengthen the COVID-19 response and to enhance public understanding.
• Support developing social media strategies and contents for CCEH.
• Provide capacity building for CCEH to integrate a systematic approach for behavioural and social insights analysis and data triangulation through formative research and community assessment tools through working together with relevant national counterparts.
• Support CCEH with developing Information, education and communication materials and providing translation as required.

Output 1: Support with the Ministry of Health and the Centre for Communication and Education for Health (CCEH) to effectively implementation of risk communication, community engagement and social mobilization plans, activities, monitoring and evaluation.

Deliverables:

• Facilitate ensuring effective coordination and contact with the CCEH and the WHO Country Office.
• Support developing, pre-test and disseminate risk communication and community engagement messages and IEC materials and assess relevance and impact on key target audiences.
• Oversee and guide the design and implementation of KAPB surveys, focus group discussions and other feedback mechanisms from community engagement activities, and generate critical data to guide/inform RCCE activities and products.
• Utilise research findings to develop risk communication strategies for social and behavioural change.
• Develop human interest and personalised social media contents informed by social media analysis.
• Support conducting activities with CCEH and mass organization targeted at improving knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 among communities
• Provide recommendation on strategies to reach the vulnerable communities like ethnic groups, illiterate and people with limited access to information.
• Contribute to the development of training and capacity building packages and organization of training/ToT/orientation activities for target audiences to be determined in accordance with the WHO Country Office and CCEH Risk Communication and Community Engagement Plan of Action for 2022-2023.
• Contribute to the development of RCCE plans, proposals and other relevant documents such as technical and monitoring reports

Qualifications required:

• Essential: University degree related to Social Science, Communications, Journalism, Public Relations or related field of public health from a recognized university
• Desirable: Master of related social science

Essential: A minimum of one year of work experience in communication.

Desirable: Experience in working with international organizations and/or public sector

                   Experience in risk communication or public health will be an advantage.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

• Excellent knowledge on Risk Communication
• Good knowledge of public health concepts
• Excellent writing skills in English and Lao
• Excellent knowledge on social media and content development
• High competence on knowledge sharing and capacity building
• Proficiency in standard MS Office applications including MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint are essential.

Language requirements:

Proficient English and Lao (speaking, reading and writing) is essential.

Competencies

• Communication in a credible and effective way
• Overall attitudes at work
• Producing results
• Teamwork

Other skills (e.g. IT):  Proficiency in standard MS Office applications.

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit applications and curriculum vitae in the English language with a subject "SSA Risk Communication and Community Engagement (WHE)"  to the following Email address: wplaohr@who.int by 2 November  2022 at 17:00.