Volunteer and Education Coordinator

Job Title

The Volunteer & Education Coordinator plays a pivotal role in the strategic implementation and management of initiatives aimed at cultivating and enhancing the competencies of healthcare professionals and teams in South Africa to deliver safe and high-quality comprehensive cleft care. This role includes various responsibilities, including the coordination of educational programs, volunteer engagement and placement, as well as collaborative efforts with both OS programs and the national healthcare system. The Coordinator will be instrumental in fostering a sustainable transformation of the cleft surgical landscape in South Africa, ensuring that healthcare providers are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to address the complexities of cleft care effectively. Through these efforts, the national health system will be fortified, leading to an enhanced capacity for delivering quality patient care across the region. The ultimate goal is to create a robust network of cleft-competent professionals dedicated to improving health outcomes for individuals affected by cleft conditions.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships and work across departments to mature the volunteer and trainee experience through recruitment, development and credentialing, retention, evaluation, recognition, and giving to Operation Smile.
• Ensure that all OSSA volunteer information is kept regularly updated and correct on the Global Volunteer Management System (GVMS), ensuring the confidentiality of volunteer and trainee information on the database is protected.
• Assume responsibly for delivering a positive and rewarding volunteer and trainee experience within the boundaries of the OS Medical Global Standards and OS Volunteer Credentialling Policies.
• Proactively develop personal knowledge and skills of volunteer and trainee management through regular training, independent study and application of learning.
• Grow and develop the number of volunteer educators in South Africa and manage and support their deployment both locally and internationally.
• Support OSSA and Operation Smile Sub-Saharan Africa program activities through volunteer recruitment and deployment, educator and trainee development according to prescribed OSI competency pathways.

Volunteer, Trainee and Educator Engagement & Communication

• Provide appropriate and timely updates on Operation Smile programmes and education activities with volunteers and trainees via email, WhatsApp, phone calls and in-person.
• Nurture strong and loyal relationships with volunteers, educators and trainees without compromising organizational confidentiality.
• Aim to always deliver an exceptional volunteer experience without compromising or questioning Operation Smile's Global Medical Standards.
• Work closely with the Program Manager and Program Coordinator to identify suitable educators to support the implementation of training pathways.
• Familiarize the Program Manager and Program Coordinator with the volunteer network and volunteer management processes as needed.

Volunteer Credentialing & Database Management

• Acquire and maintain documents required for the credentialing of volunteers and hospital partner staff, under Operation Smile's Global Standards of Care, ensuring a professional, thoughtful experience for volunteers.
• Coordinate with the Regional Volunteer Manager for Sub-Saharan African and OSI Volunteer Management team to facilitate ongoing volunteer credentialing.
• Ensure information of South Africa volunteers is regularly correctly uploaded and updated on OSI's Global Volunteer Management System.

Volunteer Recruitment

• Regularly evaluate the South Africa volunteer pool to determine where growth and development is required to meet local and regional volunteer needs according to OS Global Medical Standards.
• Evaluate new volunteer applications and determine their suitability for credentialing in line with OSI Volunteer Credentialling Policies. Maintain regular communication with new volunteers to ensure they are kept updated on the credentialling process.
• Actively recruit, through various methods, new volunteers as necessary and deemed appropriate.

Volunteer Recognition

• Create and execute recognition and engagement opportunities for volunteers throughout the year.

Surgical Program Placement

• Assume responsibility for team compositions (team comp) for every OSSA short-term surgical programme, in strict adherence with Operation Smile's Global Medical Standards.
• Communicate updates and changes to the team comp to the SSA Regional Volunteer Coordinator in a timely manner in accordance with agreed communication protocols. Ensure necessary approvals for any changes are secured.
• Communicate surgical program and education opportunities (local and international), adhering to timelines and other identified stipulations (i.e. volunteer experience level, etc.).
• Take responsibility for all SA volunteer, educator and trainee logistics for local and international surgical programs and education initiatives, including flights, visa instruction support and other items as needed such as visas, vaccinations, and TML documents including translation, notarization and other country specific requirements.

Education Programs

• Assume responsibility for the execution of OSSA's education activities as per the annual activity plan.
• Support the Program Manager to identify and prioritize key training needs across various disciplines, including surgery, pediatrics, nursing, anesthesia, biomed, speech, nutrition and allied health specialties, ensuring that all aspects of cleft care are addressed.
• Establish clear training pathways that guide the professional development of healthcare providers, from foundational skills to advanced specialized competencies.

AHA Life Support trainings

• In line with Operation Smile Medical Global Standards, ensure all existing and new volunteers and competent cleft teams at hospital partners, have the necessary BLS and PALS certifications and collaborate with the Program Manager and Program Coordinator to ensure that they have opportunities to complete their bi-annual training for re-certificaton.
• As part of this coordinate dates, availability, appointments with outside providers, payments, delivery of manuals, sharing ecards, following up when there are issues, attendance lists with all details, constant communication ensuring no one forgets a training session and sharing pre-test links to ensure everyone passes.
• Coordinate all inhouse AHA trainings (BLS and PALS), assuming full responsibility for managing the scheduling of trainings, availability of educators and participants, venues, training equipment and consumables.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all AHA training activities between OSI and OSSA.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Management

• Resolve issues with volunteers, educators and trainees as necessary, and in a timely and professional manner.
• Provide exemplary model of professionalism.
• Engage the Operation Smile South Africa Medical Council, with the support the Executive Director and Program Manager.

Activity Planning and Implementation

• Support in developing a 1-3-year strategic plans for South Africa's volunteer and trainee engagement, working closely with each department for the implementation thereof.
• Work with the SSA Volunteer Management team to assess and adapt volunteer related processes and systems for continuous improvement.

Communication and Collaboration

• Provide support and maintain communication with the Program Manager, Program Coordinators and local partners during the planning, execution and follow-up phases of each short-term surgical program and non-surgical program.
• Communicate regularly with Executive Director, Program Manager, Program Coordinator, Regional Medical Officer and OSI Volunteer Management team to facilitate well-structured volunteer and trainee engagement and ensure necessary visibility and updates regarding volunteer activities.

Business Operations

• Prepare annual volunteer & education budgets and manage budgeted expenditure.
• Support the coordination of special events for volunteers including social events or conferences as needed.
• Execute, plan, and attend volunteer and education activities when appropriate/needed.
• Provide statistical and qualitative reports of relevant data to Executive Director and SSA Regional VM and other Operation Smile personnel on an on-going and as-needed basis.
• Other duties as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or Higher certificate/diploma.
• Proven experience in managing multi-facetedd programs/operations within a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• The ideal candidate must have a strong administrative background with clinical experience an advantage.
• Proficient computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Driver's license.

Characteristics/Skills Required

• Ability to quickly come up to speed, retain and apply information consistently, and work independently with strong attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to problem-solve and think critically.
• Excellent oral and written English communication skills required.
• Second language proficiency is desirable.
• Ability to work off hours (on call), responding to calls or e-mails early in the morning, late at night or on weekends.
• Willingness to travel within South Africa as needed, including weekdays and weekends.
• Must have excellent organization and time management skills and be able to prioritize requests efficiently and effectively.
• Ability to work in high pressurized environment and cope with multiple, competing tasks and demands in a calm and efficient manner.
• Approachable personality with ability to interact confidently with others and communicate needs appropriately.
• Must be a motivated individual with proven ability to lead, coordinate, and facilitate projects and teams.
• Must be able to handle issues with diplomacy, tact and cultural sensitivity.
• Desire and ability to learn and stay current on international regulations that could potentially impact Operation Smile's shipping function.