Wild4Life health program Programme Officer

Position: Programme Officer – Community, M&E and HSS strengthening
Reporting to: Programs Director
Supervises: Field officer and program interns

Objective: To lead the implementation, monitoring, support and supervision of the community program activities, quality improvement and other support requirements of the Wild4Life (W4LIFE) Health program.
Location: Based in Lupane covering Binga, Lupane and Hwange districts
Duration: 12 months with possibility of extension subject to performance and availability of funding.

Background
The Wild4Life health program, under Pangaea Zimbabwe, focuses on improving the quality of primary healthcare services in hard-to-reach and remote areas through resilient health systems. The program builds capacity for health facilities and communities to improve health outcomes among rural populations through integrated mentorship targeting multidisciplinary facility teams, community health workers, and health centre committees. It also conducts integrates outreaches to hard-to reach areas, implements differentiated service delivery models, and applies continuous quality improvement tools and techniques. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) including data quality are essential for achieving program results and ensuring the information generated is used to
continuously improve the program performance.

Expected Deliverables
The Program Officer will be responsible for the timely attainment of the following deliverables for Wild4Life, and responsibilities are subject to change upon changing the scope of the program:

Community health interventions and activities

• Lead community health interventions encompassing village health workers, health centre committees, community ART Refill Groups and adolescents support groups working closely with and supported by field officers and interns.
• Work with and supervise field officers and program interns to mentor, train and support Village health workers to ensure health related duties carried out in the community are well documented, reported and patients are referred for services to the clinic.
• Support field officers and program interns in VHW infield mentoring and collection of data from the field for program management
• Support field officer and program intern in establishing and supervision of HIV positive adolescent support groups and mother baby-pair support groups.
• Coordinating adolescents and children support group activities ensuring children have access to Viral load testing and enhanced adherence counselling is instituted where needed.
• Lead mental health friendship bench model and related activities for the project enhancing program quality and documenting case studies and stories.
• Working with field officers and interns to rolling out the DSD models in the district and offering support supervision of CARG groups and ensuring the quality of care remains high for patients who have opted for the model.
• Organising and mobilising communities for community dialogues and GNT sessions around health-related matters.
• Train and support health centre committees to enhance their effectiveness, support and role in facility infrastructure maintenance and improvements, including community engagement.
• Conduct DQAs and upload data into the W4L Database and triangulate data between data bases used by MOHCC and PZ/W4L.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and learning

• Work with Clinical ME Officer to support the development and tracking of key performance indicators for existing and new projects.
• Participate in data abstraction, data validation and quality audits and upload into the W4L database.
• Compile activity, monthly, quarterly and annual reports for the community programs feeding into the wide W4L program reports to donors and key stakeholders.
• Document and disseminate best practices, case studies and success stories from the program for internal (PZ newsletter) and external distribution.
• Package, prepare and share program learnings (abstracts) and innovations with stakeholders and funders to enhance program visibility and impact.

Fundraising, resources management and program representation

• Engage in fundraising activities and proposal writing with PZ and W4L team to secure additional resources for program expansion and sustainability.
• Formulate budgets for VHW food hamper incentives, refreshments for support groups, and work-related training.
• Participate in stakeholder meetings within and outside the districts as required.
• Represent PZ and Wild4Life program in forums as an organization representative.
• Any other duties as assigned by the programs manager and Program Director

Qualifications and Skills
The Programme Officer should possess the following expertise:

• A minimum Degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Development studies, Nursing, or equivalent.
• A master’s degree in the above areas is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5 years working experience and 2 years at program officer level.
• Excellent computer skills, including proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral communication, and writing skills, with experience working as part of a team.
• A good understanding of the M&E systems used by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, such as DHIS2, HER, EPMS, and LMIS is an added advantage.
• Experience working with communities and diverse stakeholders in the NGO sector is a prerequisite.
• A clean class 4 driver’s license and able to drive in rural terrain.

Interested and suitably qualifying candidates can submit their applications and CV to recruitment@pangaeazw.org not later than Thursday 22 August 2024.