Introduction

The Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) is a field station of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and is part of the Mahidol-Oxford Research Unit (MORU) supported by the Wellcome Trust, UK. The main objective of SMRU is to provide quality health care to the marginalized populations living on both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border in the Mae Sot area, Tak province. This is achieved by the dual activities of research and humanitarian services, with an emphasis on maternal-child health and infectious diseases.

SMRU is based in Mae Sot where the main laboratories are based and received samples from sites along the Thai-Myanmar border. 

Job title:             PE Assistant

Location:            Mae Sot

Probation:          SMRU can terminate employment at 3 months if performance inadequate

Report to:           Head of PE Department

Tasks/Responsibilities:

The Public Engagement Assistant, reporting directly to the head of PE department, will be responsible for supporting, monitoring and evaluating community engagement strategy for SMRU and Borderland Health Foundation (BHF). The post holder will be responsible for planning, training and facilitating and manage the PE team to reach out to key communities, as we seek to inform them about our work, consult with them over their direction and collaborate with them on new researches and humanitarian projects. With close supervision from the PE officer, engage with a range of different stakeholders groups with interest and relationship with health related programs. The objective of the Public Engagement Department is promote a wider community awareness and understanding of health programs and the research and scientific processes that support them.

• Plan and support delivery of engagement activities, including creating and organize events.
• Support researchers on activities to engage with the community where researches are taking place.
• Assist in identification, develop and maintain partnerships with relevant internal and external organizations, participate in local and national public engagement networks as deemed necessary.
• Supports the PE officer to develop and manage community engagement activities, ensuring that they are appropriate to each setting, and report back to the PE officer.
• Overseeing the design of tools to be used for community engagement activities, feeding back to PE officer and team for tools improvement.
• Support the community engagement team for all translations in relevance local languages, ensuring that messages are appropriately and correctly translated, and completion in timely manner.
• Supports the PE officer in prepare applications for funding to support individual community engagement project.
• Support SMRU’s media personnel by engaging the community through social medial and other platforms.
• Support the PE officer to organize, facilitate and design training and workshops for the community engagement team as part of capacity building and better performances.
• Participate in budget planning for community engagement related activities that are deemed necessary.
• Able to represent the PE department and BHF in conferences to promote SMRU and BHF’s community engagement activities.
• Ensure community engagement activities compliance with SMRU’s policies and procedures e.g. health and safety, security and data protection.
• Other activities related to SMRU’s community engagement or within the department as assigned by PE officer.

Position requirement and skills:

• Educated to degree level of equivalent in related field.
• Significant relevant experience in community engagement.
• Experience in strategic thinking and of initiating, managing and delivering long-term projects effectively.
• Experience in delivering community engagement activities with various levels of education setting.
• Understanding of the need for and benefits of community engagement with research and knowledge of effective community engagement practice.
• Experience of training and facilitating workshop.
• Ability in evaluating the effectiveness of community engagement activities and reporting to relevance parties.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to build productive relationship and partnerships within and beyond the organization including liaise and maintain relationship with partner organizations and IOs, GOs, NGOs, and skills in influencing and negotiation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Thai, including fluency in local ethnics’ languages, e.g. Karen and Burmese.
• Highly self-motivated, capable of working independently as well as initiating collaborations and working as part of a multi-cultural team.
• Knowledge about and skill of digital marketing, graphic design and other social medial-related software is an asset.
• Good understanding of the complex situation prevailing on the Thai-Myanmar border.

How to apply:

Applications must be sent to SMRU/HR Department 68/30 Bantung Road, Mae Sot, Tak 63110 or email to smru-hr@shoklo-unit.com

Dead line for application: 30^th January 2022

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be notified for the interview process.