Community Engagement Officer at Arewa Health Trust Initiative (AHTI)

Arewa Health Trust Initiative is an indigenous non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing community health equity, strengthening health systems, and improving maternal and child health outcomes across Northern Nigeria. Through evidence-based interventions and strategic partnerships, we work to ensure sustainable access to quality healthcare for underserved populations

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Community Engagement Officer (100% LOE)

Location: Jigawa
Contract Duration: 18 Months (Fixed-term, July 2026 to December 2027
Project: GAVI-supported Routine Immunization (RI) and Primary Health Care (PHC) Integration Project

Project Overview

• Starting in July 2026, AHTI will implement an 18-month GAVI-supported initiative across 9 priority Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Jigawa State.
• The project focuses on reducing the number of zero-dose and under-immunized children through an innovative Performance-Based Financing (PBF) model executed alongside localized Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).

The Role

• We are seeking a community mobilization expert to serve as the Community Engagement Officer.
• You will be the primary link between AHTI’s state office, the 9 partner CBOs, and community leadership structures.
• Your focus will be on driving demand for routine immunization, managing the operational performance of the CBOs, and ensuring that Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) effectively reduce immunization dropout rates.

Key Responsibilities

• CBO Operational Management: Provide daily guidance and performance tracking for the 9 partner CBOs across the target LGAs to ensure mobilization targets are met.
• Demand Generation: Design and deploy localized, socio-culturally respectful behavioral change communication (BCC) strategies to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
• Retention and Follow-up: Monitor immunization dropout rates across communities and work with CBOs to deploy targeted tracking strategies for children who miss their follow-up vaccine doses.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong working relationships with Ward Development Committees (WDCs), traditional rulers, religious leaders, and women's groups to secure continuous project buy-in.
• Capacity Building: Organize and facilitate orientation and training sessions for CBO leadership and community volunteers on effective zero-dose mapping and engagement techniques.

Minimum Recruitment Standards

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Communications, Community Development, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in community mobilization, demand generation, or social behavior change communication, preferably for immunization or maternal and child health projects.
• Language Skills: Fluency in spoken and written Hausa is mandatory.
• Cultural Competence: Deep understanding of the socio-cultural, traditional, and religious dynamics of Jigawa State and Northern Nigeria.
• Skills: Strong interpersonal skills, excellent mediation and advocacy capabilities, and the ability to inspire local volunteer networks.

Application Closing Date
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should forward a tailored suitability statement and a comprehensive resume as a single MS Word document to: arewahealthrustinitiative@gmail.com using "Community Engagement Officer - Jigawa" as the subject of the mail.