ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:

Partners in Health (PIH) is a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. Through service delivery, training, advocacy and research, PH works globally to bring the benefits of modern science to those most in need and to serve as an antidote to despair. PIH has programs in Haiti, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kazakhstan and Boston.

PIH began working in Malawi in 2007, where today we support the Ministry of Health (MOH). Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU) has its headquarters in Neno District with operations across the country.

We therefore seek to recruit suitably qualified and experienced candidates for the following positions;

POSITION SUMMARY

The Social Medicine Coordinator is a front-line implementation role, working in collaboration with the Social Medicine Officer & Livelihoods Officer, providing direct field-level support to patients, households and communities. This ensures continuity of support for patients and households as they move between clinical settings and community life and strengthens the integration that is central to APZU’s social medicine approach.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient Social Support Service Delivery

• Conducts initial social screening conversations with patients at health facilities and during home visits using screening tools and report findings to the Social Welfare Officer for formal assessment and action planning.
• Accompanies vulnerable patients to health facility appointments, referral visits, and follow-up consultations to reduce transport and navigation barriers, in coordination with the Social Welfare Officer and clinical teams.
• Supports the distribution of food parcels, nutrition supplements, and other in-kind social support resources to eligible patients, maintaining accurate distribution records and obtaining required beneficiary acknowledgements.
• Coordinates patient transport logistics for enrolled patients, by working with the APZU operations team, motorbike ambulance drivers, and community transport mechanisms to facilitate timely travel to and from care.
• Conducts home visits for patients who have missed appointments, are on home-based care, or have been identified as socially vulnerable by clinical teams, and report observations and patient status to the Social Welfare Officer. Provides basic psychosocial support and active listening to patients and family members experiencing distress, while recognizing the limits of the coordinator’s scope and escalating complex cases to the Social Medicine Officer promptly.
• Develops Monthly Activity Plan

Livelihood and Community Resilience Service Delivery

• Supports the implementation of livelihood activities for APZU-identified vulnerable households, including agricultural inputs support (seeds, fertilizer, tools, Goats), kitchen gardens, and house renovations/ construction and support to small income-generating group activities, as directed by the Livelihood Officer
• Supports delivery of emergency social protection measures during shocks (floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, economic crises), such as cash transfers, food assistance, and temporary shelter support for disaster-affected patients and communities
• Promotes nutrition-sensitive social protection by collaborating with multi-sector nutrition programs and government nutrition departments to support prevention and management of malnutrition among vulnerable groups (children under 5, pregnant and lactating women, PLHIV).
• Assists the Livelihoods Officer in facilitating ELIYA (Economic Literacy and Income-Yielding Assets) sessions and other community economic empowerment or agricultural resilience training activities, including mobilizing participants, preparing materials, and supporting facilitation.
• Conducts community-level mapping activities to identify vulnerable households, particularly those that may benefit from livelihood support or social protection program linkages and share findings with the Livelihood Officer.
• Supports communities during disaster response and emergency social protection activities, including assisting in beneficiary identification, distribution of emergency supplies (food, non-food items), and post-distribution monitoring, under the direction of the Livelihood Officer.
• Mobilizes and maintains relationships with community volunteers, village health committees, community-based organizations, and traditional leadership structures (Traditional Authorities and Village Chief Committees) to support livelihood and social support program delivery at the grassroots level.
• Plans and coordinates school/college support program including verification, update data, fees payments and distribution of scholarly materials Plans and schedules home visits for identified vulnerable households in collaboration with Finance department

Program Linkages to Social Protection Programs/Services

• Assists patients and households to access government social protection programs, including supporting them to understand eligibility, complete registration processes, and navigate referral steps, under guidance from the Livelihood Officer.
• Facilitates linkages between patients and community-based social support services, including those offered by NGOs, churches, government social welfare offices, and community-based organizations, as mapped and maintained by the Social Medicine Officer.
• Supports community awareness activities on available social protection programs, patients’ rights to services, and how to access support, (during community meetings, facility health talks, and individual conversations).

Programs Collaboration and Social Medicine Awareness

• Works closely with APZU Community, Public and Environmental Health team to identify patients with social support needs during household visits, receive referrals, and ensure continuity of social support between community and facility levels.
• Participates in review meetings, community health forums, and facility health talks to contribute the social support and livelihood perspective, helping to raise awareness of social determinants of health among community-level health actors.
• Models and promotes APZU’s social medicine principles in all community and patient interactions, treating patients with dignity, understanding their social context, and recognizing the connection between poverty, social conditions, and health outcomes.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Data Management, Documentation & Reporting

• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records for all assigned cases, activities, and field visits using APZU Integrated Social Support registers, activity logbooks, distribution records, and any other documentation tools prescribed by the Social Medicine Officer.
• Submits weekly activity reports to both supervising Officers, summarizing patient social support activities, livelihood field activities, household visits, linkage outcomes, and any issues or observations from the field.
• Collects and reports patient and community feedback on social support and livelihood program activities to supervising Officers, contributing to program learning and quality improvement.
• Supports data collection activities for monitoring and evaluation, including household surveys, beneficiary interviews, and program assessments, assigned by the Social Medicine Manager or Officers.

Program Planning & Operational Management

• Conducts initial social screening conversations with patients at health facilities and during home visits using screening tools and report findings to the Social Welfare Officer for formal assessment and action planning.
• Accompanies vulnerable patients to health facility appointments, referral visits, and follow-up consultations to reduce transport and navigation barriers, in coordination with the Social Welfare Officer and clinical teams.
• Supports the distribution of food parcels, nutrition supplements, and other in-kind social support resources to eligible patients, maintaining accurate distribution records and obtaining required beneficiary acknowledgements.
• Coordinates patient transport logistics for enrolled patients, by working with the APZU operations team, motorbike ambulance drivers, and community transport mechanisms to facilitate timely travel to and from care.
• Conducts home visits for patients who have missed appointments, are on home-based care, or have been identified as socially vulnerable by clinical teams, and report observations and patient status to the Social Welfare Officer. Provides basic psychosocial support and active listening to patients and family members experiencing distress, while recognizing the limits of the coordinator’s scope and escalating complex cases to the Social Medicine Officer promptly.
• Develops Monthly Activity Plan
• Supports the implementation of livelihood activities for APZU-identified vulnerable households, including agricultural inputs support (seeds, fertilizer, tools, Goats), kitchen gardens, and house renovations/ construction and support to small income-generating group activities, as directed by the Livelihood Officer
• Supports delivery of emergency social protection measures during shocks (floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, economic crises), such as cash transfers, food assistance, and temporary shelter support for disaster-affected patients and communities
• Promotes nutrition-sensitive social protection by collaborating with multi-sector nutrition programs and government nutrition departments to support prevention and management of malnutrition among vulnerable groups (children under 5, pregnant and lactating women, PLHIV).
• Assists the Livelihoods Officer in facilitating ELIYA (Economic Literacy and Income-Yielding Assets) sessions and other community economic empowerment or agricultural resilience training activities, including mobilizing participants, preparing materials, and supporting facilitation.
• Conducts community-level mapping activities to identify vulnerable households, particularly those that may benefit from livelihood support or social protection program linkages and share findings with the Livelihood Officer.
• Supports communities during disaster response and emergency social protection activities, including assisting in beneficiary identification, distribution of emergency supplies (food, non-food items), and post-distribution monitoring, under the direction of the Livelihood Officer.
• Mobilizes and maintains relationships with community volunteers, village health committees, community-based organizations, and traditional leadership structures (Traditional Authorities and Village Chief Committees) to support livelihood and social support program delivery at the grassroots level.
• Plans and coordinates school/college support program including verification, update data, fees payments and distribution of scholarly materials Plans and schedules home visits for identified vulnerable households in collaboration with Finance department
• Assists patients and households to access government social protection programs, including supporting them to understand eligibility, complete registration processes, and navigate referral steps, under guidance from the Livelihood Officer.
• Facilitates linkages between patients and community-based social support services, including those offered by NGOs, churches, government social welfare offices, and community-based organizations, as mapped and maintained by the Social Medicine Officer.
• Supports community awareness activities on available social protection programs, patients’ rights to services, and how to access support, (during community meetings, facility health talks, and individual conversations).
• Works closely with APZU Community, Public and Environmental Health team to identify patients with social support needs during household visits, receive referrals, and ensure continuity of social support between community and facility levels.
• Participates in review meetings, community health forums, and facility health talks to contribute the social support and livelihood perspective, helping to raise awareness of social determinants of health among community-level health actors.
• Models and promotes APZU’s social medicine principles in all community and patient interactions, treating patients with dignity, understanding their social context, and recognizing the connection between poverty, social conditions, and health outcomes.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date records for all assigned cases, activities, and field visits using APZU Integrated Social Support registers, activity logbooks, distribution records, and any other documentation tools prescribed by the Social Medicine Officer.
• Submits weekly activity reports to both supervising Officers, summarizing patient social support activities, livelihood field activities, household visits, linkage outcomes, and any issues or observations from the field.
• Collects and reports patient and community feedback on social support and livelihood program activities to supervising Officers, contributing to program learning and quality improvement.
• Supports data collection activities for monitoring and evaluation, including household surveys, beneficiary interviews, and program assessments, assigned by the Social Medicine Manager or Officers.