Technical Officer Community Linkages

CHS recently received a five-year award from USAID. The USAID-funded TB ReSET (Resilient Systems for Enhanced and Sustainable Innovations to End TB) project is a 5-year cooperative agreement aimed at strengthening Kenya’s tuberculosis (TB) control efforts. The activity was awarded in May 2024, and seeks to reduce TB incidence and Mortality by increasing the detection of all forms of TB, improving TB treatment outcomes, enhancing TB prevention among high-risk populations, and building the capacity and sustainability of the national and county-level TB programs. This is a national mechanism with in-depth support for 16 deep focus counties.

This project is led by Centre for Health Solutions-Kenya (CHS), with four sub-recipients; Respiratory Society of Kenya (RESOK), Stop TB Partnership-Kenya, EPCON and Management Sciences for Health (MSH). Through these strategic partnerships and collaboration with the Ministry of Health at national and county levels, the project will play a critical role in the country’s strategy to make progress towards the global End TB goals.

CHS is therefore currently sourcing for a high calibre, self-motivated and dynamic individual with high integrity to fill the following position:

Technical Officer Community Linkages: CHS/HR/ TBReSET/TOCL/002/2024

Overall Job Function

Reporting to the Health System Strengthening Advisor, the Technical Officer-Community Linkages will be engaged in strengthening TB activities in the primary health care settings. H/She will be responsible for effective the development of community linkages through the engagement of CBOs, CSOs within 16 deep-focus counties. H/She will work together with the project staff to ensure coaching and mentorship to support the teams to examine and use TB data for plan-do-study-act cycles: The staff will compile accurate timely reports of the

implementation. The staff will be key in the documentation and reporting of the progress report of the TBReSET project.

Key Responsibilities

1. Support Community engagement for TB within the TBReSET 16 deep-focus counties.
2. In collaboration with CHMTs, develop and execute annual, biannual, and monthly work plans to ensure that TB activities at the community level are captured, project targets are met, and standards met.
3. Identify and develop innovative strategies for the optimal, effective, and efficient implementation of TB program linkages related to CHP work implemented by CHS.
4. Identify and develop ways of leveraging the important role of community-based TB services to strengthen links between primary care facilities and the community
5. Lead the co-creation of culturally appropriate TB patient information packages for community-based education on TB.
6. Organize the mapping of all community actors to facilitate a structured technical assistance approach for capacity building of community actors.
7. Build the capacity of the CHPs through community meetings, education, awareness, and other events to identify suspected TB cases and refer them to health facilities for further assessment.
8. Responsible for developing project tools, training packages, and materials for Quality Improvement (QI) in CHP programs.
9. Participate in delivering training and continuous mentorship for community health focal persons, CHAs, and CHPs in the 16 deep focus counties.
10. Work with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to improve the competency and capability of CHPs. This includes strengthening quality training programs and advocating for quality TB services at the community level.
11. Support the training of CHPs in the 16 deep-focus counties in the basic and technical modules, especially the TB module.
12. Coordinate the engagement of TB Champions alongside CHPs. This involves linking those initiated on treatment to community-based directly observed treatment (DOTS) support, patient support groups, home-based drug delivery for stable patients, and community follow-up for those likely to interrupt treatment.
13. Utilize existing community-led monitoring tools, such as I-Monitor and One-Impact, to understand barriers and enablers to TB services. This includes addressing human rights, gender, stigma, and access to social protection.
14. Establish the linking of Community Health Assistants (CHAs) to county-level Technical Working Groups (TWGs). This ensures meaningful engagement of community actors in various TB activities at the sub-national level.
15. Ensure CHPs have access to and are trained in using data collection tools at the community level, such as e-CHIS, I-Monitor, TBU lite, and One-Impact
16. Support the establishment of primary care networks in all the sub-counties in the 16 deep focus counties and the inclusion of TB data in eCHIS.
17. Support the sensitization and enrollment of TB patients on the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) in the 16 deep-focus counties
18. Carry out supervision and follow-up of implementation sites to ensure that all project activities are conducted as planned and that project priorities are on track. This includes overseeing service delivery through eCHIS and TiBU-lite, as well as ensuring that community data quality is achieved.
19. Establish mechanisms for identifying and communicating emerging issues and opportunities from field visits to project staff, county and national governments.
20. Participate in research design, data collection, analysis, and report writing as required by the TBReSET project and the organization. This is done to strengthen CHP’s involvement in TB services.
21. Work with relevant stakeholders to establish a performance monitoring system for tracking priority QI indicators. This system should demonstrate process and outcome improvements.
22. Prepare and submit the monthly work plan and budget plan to the Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Advisor for conducting program activities.

Professional requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Community Health, Sociology or any other relevant field. Master’s degree is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 10 years’ working experience, designing, managing, implementing, and overseeing community health systems strengthening initiatives with at least five (5) years at senior supervisory level with Ministry of Health and donor-funded programs including the US government PEPFAR programs
• Solid understanding Kenya’s devolved health systems both national and county systems
• Good understanding of Kenya’s community health and primary health care (PHC) agenda and the role of PHC in achieving universal health coverage
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills, capacity building skills, communication and interpersonal skills, and providing technical assistance
• Ability to cultivate, develop, and maintain good relationships with the county government and staff, colleagues and partners
• Experience in knowledge management, specifically in the area of public health/ healthcare.
• Good facilitation and writing skills
• Outstanding levels of integrity

How to apply

Interested and qualified applicants are invited to email their application letter and detailed CV as one document with contact details to vacancies@chskenya.org clearly quoting the position you are applying and reference number as Technical Officer Community Linkages: CHS/HR/TBReSET/TOCL/002/2024 by June 26, 2024.