The Community Access Associate works with PMAC team to plan, implement and monitor innovative Community Interventions that increase awareness of and access to women’s reproductive health care in the intervention area. S/he is responsible for providing strategic inputs and direction on project/intervention planning and implementation in selected intervention area including: community access, values clarification and attitude transformation, and work on community challenges/issues. S/he will work closely with Community Engagement/PMAC team on implementing community programs and activities. This position collaborates with partner NGOs/CBOs to help build capacity, effectively execute programs, and to advance Ipas’s vision to improve community efforts related to sexual and reproductive health rights and family planning.  Additionally, the Community Access Associate will assist in design, development, and distribution of relevant Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)/Social Behaviour Change (SBC) and training materials.

• Provide technical support to FR team in coordinating with community women through LHWs and IRMNCH district Coordinator during formative research phase
• Assist PMAC team in continued coordination with public sector stakeholders in the target areas throughout the implementation phase (depending on the final prototypes)
• Assist Community Engagement Advisor in providing technical support to User Centred Design partners in coordinating with relevant community groups in defining and testing prototypes
• Document learnings from UCD exercises for organizational learning and sharing
• Participate/Assist in implementation of the finalized prototypes/interventions in communities with implementation partner
• Documenting best practices from the interventions with relevant communities and other stakeholders including Pharmacies (depending on the final prototypes)
• Assist in development of timelines, budgets, and work plans in collaboration with PMAC team for community access interventions
• Develop and implement strategies to build synergies between community intermidiaires (LHWs) and Community Based Organizations
• Collaborate/liaison with IRMNCH/MNCH program, Department of Health (DOH), Population Welfare Departments (PWD) and partners at provincial/district level/field to implement, supervise, support and document community engagement startegies/interventions
• Assist in Mapping of Community Based and other Civil Society Organizations and develop startegies to engage them to promote women’s SRHR
• Assist in the design and implementation of country-level Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) strategies to support local partnerships and activities
• Monitors and conducts oversight of local partnerships and other Ipas-supported initiatives on safe uterine evacuation (UE) care  /postabortion care (PAC) and Family Planning in the community
• Active participation during evaluation phase to check the impact of intervention implemented in selected area
• Oversees contracts and partnerships related to Community Access projects and outside consultants; develops partnership guidelines, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), and contract documents to be used in selection and retention of country level partners
• Represents Ipas at local community stakeholder forums as necessary and appropriate
• Perform other duties as assigned by Supervisor

• Bachelors degree in related field including (not limited to)population studies, public health or gender studies
• 5+ years’ relevant experience in the Public Health field, especially sexual and reproductive health, including project management experience
• Must possess the ability to work with different community populations including adolescents and women’s groups
• Must be able to negotiate and communicate with community, state and private organizations’ leaderships
• Must have working knowledge of conceptualizing, implementing and monitoring community initiatives
• Willingness to travel and work additional hours when required
• Experience working with reproductive health projects, a plus
• Knowledge and experience in community mobilization, capacity building and training of community groups
• Experience in monitoring and mentoring community/communication initiatives in the field
• Working knowledge of community entry strategies

Preferred skills

• Proposal and report writing skills
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work under strict project deadlines and milestones
• Attention to detail
• Drive for results
• Good computer skills