Community Engagement and Referral Specialist

ABOUT JHPIEGO

Jhpiego is an international non-profit health organisation affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. The organisation works with governments, health workers and communities to improve healthcare services for women, newborns, children and families.

JOB DETAILS

Position: Community Engagement and Referral Specialist

Job ID: 2026-7976

Location: Nigeria – Assigned Project Location

Employment Type: Full-Time

Position Category: Local

Working Arrangement: Approximately 85% Field-Based

Application Deadline: Not Specified

JOB SUMMARY

The Community Engagement and Referral Specialist will strengthen community participation and effective referral pathways for pregnant women, newborns and children under five within supported project locations.

The successful candidate will build relationships with community leaders, community health workers, health facilities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to improve access to integrated maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, immunisation, malaria, HIV and tuberculosis services.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement community mobilisation strategies to increase awareness and use of health services.
• Promote antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care, immunisation, nutrition and malaria services.
• Build relationships with women’s groups, youth groups, religious leaders and other community influencers.
• Work with Ward Development Committees and other community governance structures.
• Identify cultural, social, financial and geographical barriers affecting access to healthcare.
• Develop and maintain referral networks involving primary healthcare centres, hospitals and specialised clinics.
• Strengthen community-to-facility and facility-to-facility referral linkages.
• Train community health workers on referral protocols, documentation and follow-up procedures.
• Monitor referral completion rates and identify bottlenecks affecting access to care.
• Build relationships with nurses, midwives, doctors, community health extension workers and facility managers.
• Advocate for improved access to integrated health services at community and Local Government Area levels.
• Participate in relevant health-sector working groups and coordination forums.
• Collaborate with community-based, faith-based and civil society organisations.
• Facilitate inclusive multi-stakeholder meetings at community level.
• Support training, coaching and mentoring for community health workers and healthcare providers.
• Develop and support community health education activities.
• Collect and analyse information on community engagement, referrals and health-service utilisation.
• Prepare reports covering programme indicators, activities, referrals and community outcomes.
• Maintain accurate records of community meetings, mobilisation activities and training sessions.
• Contribute to project workplans, monitoring processes, reports and presentations.
• Coordinate and supervise community-engagement sub-awards where required.
• Perform other related duties assigned by the supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, Midwifery, Community Health or a related discipline.
• A Master’s degree is preferred.
• Minimum of eight to ten years of experience implementing community-based health programmes in Nigeria.
• Experience in maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, immunisation, malaria, HIV or tuberculosis programming.
• Demonstrated experience working with community health workers and community leaders.
• Experience strengthening community health systems and referral pathways.
• Strong understanding of health-service access challenges in Nigeria.
• Experience collecting, analysing and reporting programme data.
• Experience working on United States Government-funded projects is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel extensively within assigned communities, including remote locations.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Strong community mobilisation and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Good understanding of community and facility referral systems.
• Strong training, facilitation and mentoring abilities.
• Good data collection, analysis and reporting skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and within a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in English and the local language of the assigned location.
• Ability to work effectively in remote and difficult-to-access communities.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates should apply through the official Jhpiego recruitment portal using the application link provided above.

Applicants must combine the following into one document for upload:

• Cover letter.
• Current CV or résumé.
• Professional references.

Applications should be submitted as early as possible because no closing date has been published.

Jhpiego does not request payment from candidates during recruitment. Official recruitment communication will come from an email address ending in @jhpiego.org