IAPHL Community Manager

Job Description

The International Association of Public Health Logisticians (IAPHL) is a community of practice that believes that knowledgeable and empowered public health supply chain professionals are key to robust health systems and improved outcomes. Established in 2007, IAPHL promotes professionalization, good practice, and innovation. The association supports logisticians worldwide by providing a platform for career development, learning, and mutual support. Members come from over 150 countries, a variety of professional backgrounds, and represent all levels of the supply chain.
IAPHL is hosted by JSI Research & Training Institute (JSI), a nonprofit organization, with oversight from a multi-stakeholder Governing Council composed of representatives from the larger public health supply chain community, including international agencies, donors and industry leaders. An independent secretariat manages day-to-day operations.
IAPHL seeks a part-time Community Manager for IAPHL (50%) who is fluently bilingual in English and French, preferably based in Africa. The right person for this job is passionate, innovative, creative and confident, with experience working in public health. The Community Manager will work closely with the Executive Director on the daily operations and overall strategy of the IAPHL and other government bodies and stakeholders to lead an engaging community experience for over 8,000 members across the world.

Role Objective

The Community Manager is responsible for supporting a wide range of IAPHL activities with the main objective of driving member engagement, knowledge management and empowering members to reinforce community culture and learning. Key activities within this role include managing the digital presence of IAPHL, engaging internal and external stakeholders including IAPHL members, country chapters and governing bodies, coordinating and facilitating webinars, magazine production, monthly newsletter, and preparation for and presence at relevant conferences. The Manager will contribute to leading and sustaining a vibrant community of practice that fosters a culture of sharing, learning, collaboration, and innovation. This role involves a combination of execution of plans alongside creative, big-picture thinking to try and test ways to enhance engagement, knowledge exchange, and professional development for public health supply chain professionals.

The preference is for this position to be based in Africa. We will consider applicants who are able to work in any countries where JSI R&T is currently registered to do business (Burkina Faso, Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe).

• RESPONSIBILITIES

Member Engagement

Contribute to the development and execution of a community engagement strategy, drawing on interactions with members to represent and their needs and perspectives

• Manage the production of the community’s programmatic and community learning activities, including office hours, moderated discussions, community calls, webinars, events, workshops, and other engagements and offerings
• Encourage innovation by supporting the development and sharing of new ideas and best practices
• Engage with practitioners and identifying opportunities to promote the community and grow membership by making connections, sharing resources, and otherwise providing value
• Coordinate and liaise with the country chapters, including coordination and documentation, and encouraging active participation
• Develop, test and document innovative solutions to increase IAPHL member engagement, such as video or blog series, moderated discussions, and scholarship/mentorship opportunities
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluating the community performance (data collection, analysis, packaging findings) and preparing and delivering progress updates to key stakeholders, such as donors and governing bodies, including an annual members survey

Drive and maintain digital community experience within an online community platform

• Onboard new members and deliver high-quality, tailored member experiences, through such activities as:
• Approving and welcome new members in coordination with the Executive Director
• Responding to individual queries from the IAPHL email address and listserv
• Posting messages on behalf of the IAPHL team to the listserv and responding adequately to emerging questions.
• Monitor community discussions to foster engagement and identify needs, topics, people, and organizations of interest
• Identify emerging issues and respond to questions (related to both IT support and topical subjects)
• Recognize and celebrate members’ achievements and contributions to foster motivation and engagement
• Address and resolve conflicts within the community to maintain a respectful, collaborative, and supportive atmosphere

Facilitate and foster meaningful connections across community members

• Build relationships with and between community members; document insights and contribute to maintaining member database (CRM)
• Connect members to resources and subject matter experts; facilitate peer mentoring and coaching to build members’ skills and confidence

Communications

• Develop and execute on an overall communications plan that balances promotion of public health supply chain updates and learning, community member achievements and spotlights, and IAPHL news and offerings
• Develop, manage, and implement the IAPHL social media plan and content calendar, in coordination with the JSI communications team — developing content for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, keeping IAPHL relevant and in the global conversation
• Create, produce, and manage high-quality content for the IAPHL website via Wordpress — this includes adding documents to the resource library, adding news items, drafting blogs, updating member spotlights, and keeping the website current
• Write, edit, and format digital print content, such as blogs, reports, case studies, and other promotional resources to feature IAPHL
• Produce high-quality multimedia assets, and curating existing content for specific audiences across relevant channels
• Drive outreach efforts via the website, social presence, and key platforms, forums, and groups (such as LinkedIn and WhatsApp or Telegram groups)
• Maintain and adapt the IAPHL communications kit to the key audiences and personas
• Stay up to date with the digital communications and social media best practices and technologies

Maintain and manage the overall external presence of the IAPHL project

• Support IAPHL’s media strategy and development of promotional materials at international conferences
• Manage and conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation of project knowledge efforts, using Google Analytics, surveys, and other tools
• Maintain and adapt the IAPHL communications kit to the key audiences and personas

• QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to work in both French and English (required) preferably based in Africa.
• Enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic demeanor with strong attention to detail
• Excellent writing skills
• Strong networker and facilitator
• Familiarity with digital communications and tools used for community management, building, and engagement, along with a curiosity about new technology tools — and ability to quickly become proficient in their use
• Strong interest in building audiences, personal relationships, and connecting people and ideas
• Quick study with a deep interest in public health logistics and supply chain topics, and the broader international public health ecosystem
• Excellent interpersonal, cross-cultural, and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse types of people
• Analytical skills to measure community impact and contribute to data-driven decision making
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines
• Ability to work remotely and manage time effectively

Desired Experience

• Experience engaging people and growing online audiences
• Confidence with networking outreach and fostering relationships across many stakeholder groups, including technical experts and donors, and adapting to new audiences
• Experience participating in or facilitating learning, practitioner, or customer communities — including email discussion groups
• Familiarity with user experience design, design thinking, or human centered design; graphic design and web development experience a plus
• Familiarity with WordPress, email list management apps, Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Google Apps, and database platforms such as Coda, Airtable, or Notion
• Experience managing an editorial/content calendar and producing high-quality content
• Familiarity with community maturity models
• Familiarity with social learning theory and its application in professional communities

Salary commensurate with experience.

Interested candidates should submit their resumes and cover letters online by 08/15/2024.

About the Organization

We are more than 3,000 public health care and health systems consultants and researchers driven by a passion to improve health services and outcomes for all. Our fundamental goal is to ensure that all individuals can live their best and healthiest life, regardless of age or circumstances.

In pursuit of our goal, we provide innovative management consulting and technical assistance incorporating a broad range of skills. Founded in 1978, we collaborate with government agencies, the private sector, and local nonprofit and civil society organizations to identify and implement solutions to public health challenges. These partnerships improve the quality, accessibility, and equity of health systems and lead to better health outcomes.

We work within communities and rely on local staff to ground our approach in a deep understanding of those who will benefit. While we promote using best practices and sharing solutions, we tailor strategies to each situation and seek creative options to meet clients’ needs.