The Supporting Access for Adolescents to Integrated Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) Services (Safire) Programme aims to increase access to safe abortion within existing legal frameworks by linking girls to acceptable services, including self-use of medical abortion in Kenya and Nigeria. Options Consultancy Services is the consortium lead for the programme, working in partnership with consortium members and local civil society organisations (CSOs). Taking a Human Centred Design approach, the programme will:

• Ensure adolescent girls can access quality medical abortion (MA) services, including through referral networks and support CSOs.
• Foster and support a community-based movement to shift social norms and build girls’ agency, though mobilising both ICT platforms and interpersonal networks.
• Build the capacity of local organisations to reduce unsafe abortion rates.

The programme, which started in 2018 and will run until early 2022, uses in-depth research and analysis to generate insights into girls’ pathways to unsafe abortion and access to contraceptives. A Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system, including tools for routine and periodic monitoring, has been developed.

Options seeks a Community Engagement Manager (CEM) to be responsible for delivering the community engagement workstream of the Safire programme country in Kenya. This workstream aims to ensure that adolescent girls find friendly, safe, and supportive entry points to discuss their ASRH needs in their own communities.

The Community Engagement Manager (CEM) is responsible for delivering the community engagement workstream of the Safire programme country in Kenya. This workstream aims to ensure that adolescent girls find friendly, safe, and supportive entry points to discuss their ASRH needs in their own communities, where stigma around SRH issues will have been reduced because of Safire activities.

The community engagement approach includes a range of activities undertaken by CSOs to support community awareness raising on ASRH issues and provides direct opportunities for girls to connect with other young people who can provide them with appropriate information and guide them on how to access quality services. Key to the delivery of this workstream is strengthening the capacity of local CSO partners so they can become more independent and active local actors in the ASRH space. .

Summary purpose and objective of role

• Oversight and management of CSO performance, with particular attention to Kiambu County: Ensuring CSO workplans and activities are aligned to the delivery of Safire’s community engagement strategy, and that selected interventions are delivered by CSOs following programme technical protocols. This will include overseeing the development and delivery of CSO workplans and oversight of day to day implementation
• Work collaboratively with the Safire MEL team: Conducting monthly monitoring site visits to CSO programme locations in Kiambu, ensuring CSO outputs and results are accurately tracked and reported, ensuring all products and reports produced by implementing partners are of high quality and follow relevant programme guidelines and protocols.
• Coordination and collaboration: By actively engaging with consortium partners to ensure the integrated delivery of programme workstreams at county and country level and under the supervision of the Country Lead, actively participate and represent the programme in relevant county level meetings that are aligned to the Safire Programme thematic focus and priorities and explore potential new partnerships to enhance local ownership and ecosystem diversification.

To succeed in this role, you will have:

• Substantial expertise working at the community level in the health and development sector in Kenya (with beneficiaries and civil society organisations)
• Experience in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights and social and behaviour change, familiar with navigating sensitive community issues for young people.
• Experience in programming aiming to reduce unsafe abortion.
• Experience in managing sub-contractors, suppliers, and/or civil society implementing partners.
• Experience in strengthening institutional capacity.
• Experience of engagement with private sector providers.

• Options is an equal opportunities employer
• Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and post holders to share this commitment.
• We seek people who are pro-choice, energetic and enthusiastic about Options’ vision.