Educator (Full-Time)

Background
ATTA Breastmilk Community is hiring an Educator to support implementation of the four-year LASUHUMU (LActation SUpport and HUman Milk Banks in Uganda) research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The LASUHUMU project is led by the University of Bergen and implemented in collaboration with its Ugandan partners: Elgon Centre for Health Research and
Innovation (ELCHRI), Born on the Edge, Ministry of Health, and ATTA Breastmilk Community. The LASUHUMU project addresses the challenge of poor postnatal nutrition among very preterm and very low birthweight infants through enhanced lactation support and the establishment of human milk banks. Using a sequential stepped-wedge trial across three Ugandan public hospitals, the project will evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of this intervention model. The findings will generate evidence to inform policy, sustainable implementation, and scale-up of human milk banking and lactation support services in Uganda and similar settings.

Position Description
ATTA Breastmilk Community seeks to recruit a suitably qualified and motivated individual to serve as a full-time Educator for the LASUHUMU Project. The Educator will play a key role in promoting awareness, building capacity, and delivering education on breastfeeding, lactation support, donor human milk, and human milk banking among mothers, families, healthcare providers, and community stakeholders. The Educator will work closely with the team and a videographer to develop audio-visual training tools for implementing sites, as well as audio-visual awareness campaigns for use in the community. They will also collaborate closely with the project implementation team to ensure consistent delivery of evidence-based educational interventions.

Key Roles and Responsibilities
The Educator’s responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Develop and deliver educational sessions on breastfeeding, lactation support, donor human milk, and human milk banking to mothers, caregivers, healthcare workers, and community members.
2. Provide individual and group education to mothers of preterm and very low birthweight infants to promote optimal infant feeding practices.
3. Support community awareness activities aimed at increasing community understanding, acceptance and uptake of donor human milk and human milk banking services.
4. Develop, adapt, and utilise appropriate educational materials, job aids, and information, education and communication (IEC) resources consistent with project guidelines, including audio-visual training tools and community awareness content in collaboration with the project videographer.
5. Collaborate with healthcare providers at participating hospitals to strengthen breastfeeding counselling and lactation support services.
6. Participate in training sessions, mentorship activities, and community engagement events organized under the project.

Person Specifications

• Candidates must hold a Diploma in Nursing, Midwifery, Nutrition, Public Health, Health Education, Community Health, or another relevant health-related field.
• At least two years of experience in health education, breastfeeding counselling, maternal and newborn health, nutrition, or community health promotion is essential.
• Previous experience in delivering community or facility-based health education programmes is essential.
• Knowledge of breastfeeding, lactation management, newborn nutrition, and maternal-child health is highly desirable.
• Previous experience working with mothers of newborns or preterm infants is an added advantage.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English and relevant local languages.
• Basic skills in digital content creation, photography, video, or social media communication are an added advantage.
• Certificate of training in Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), Breastfeeding Counselling,
  Lactation Management, or related training is an added advantage.
• Certificate of training in Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is desirable.

Key Competencies

• Strong teaching, facilitation, and counselling skills.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to adapt messaging to different audiences.
• Ability to develop and deliver engaging, evidence-based health education and behaviour change communication
• Strong teamwork skills and ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary healthcare and community teams.
• Experience of ability to contribute to development of IEC materials and audiovisual health education content is an advantage.
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with ability to manage multiple field and training activities.
• Professionalism, integrity, and strict adherence to confidentiality.
• Ability to engage effectively with mothers, families, healthcare workers, and community leaders.
• Accountability, reliability, and attention to detail in delivering programme activities.
• Willingness and ability to travel to project implementation sites as required.
• Commitment to improving newborn health through evidence-based education, lactation support, and community engagement.

Place of Work
The successful candidate will primarily be based at ELCHRI and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) with travel to other participating project implementation sites in Uganda as required.