OUCRU Indonesia

Public & Community Engagement Manager

Position: Public & Community Engagement (PCE) Manager

Employer: Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Indonesia (OUCRU Indonesia)

Based in: Jakarta, Indonesia

Reports to: Head of Public and Community Engagement (OUCRU Programme) and Head of Clinical Infectious Disease Research Programme (OUCRU Indonesia)

Contract Type/Period: Full time contract, starting from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026

Level of Effort: 1.0 FTE

As of September 2022, the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Indonesia (OUCRU Indonesia) operates in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia after having been known as the Eijkman Oxford Clinical Research Unit (EOCRU) since 2008. OUCRU Indonesia is part of the Africa Asia Programme Vietnam, sponsored by Wellcome, and governed by the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health at the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. OUCRU in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal, along with their many local and international partners, conduct biomedical, clinical, and epidemiological research on infections impacting the health of people living in Southeast Asia and beyond.

To support its research activities, OUCRU Indonesia, based in Jakarta, has opened a position for Public & Community Engagement Manager.

Job Description

The Public & Community Engagement (PCE) Manager will play a key leadership role within OUCRU Indonesia, contributing to the strategic and operational delivery of the unit’s patient and public involvement and engagement activities. Working under the guidance of the Head of Public and Community Engagement at OUCRU Vietnam and Head of Clinical Infectious Disease Research Programme at OUCRU Indonesia, the postholder will co-develop and implement an effective, measurable engagement strategy aligned with OUCRU Indonesia’s research goals. This role will involve identifying and fostering partnerships, supporting researchers in embedding engagement in their projects, and leading the development and delivery of innovative PCE initiatives.

The PCE Manager will be responsible for line-managing a team of engagement practitioners, overseeing project delivery, managing communications and content, and ensuring robust evaluation and reporting processes are in place. They will also manage the local PCE budget and represent the engagement work of OUCRU Indonesia at national and regional events. The Manager will be part of a regional PCE leadership team and this position is integral to shaping the regional PCE agenda and contributing to OUCRU’s wider engagement objectives across Southeast Asia.

There is also scope within this role to undertake evaluation and research activities related to public and community engagement. The postholder will contribute to generating and disseminating evidence on the impact of engagement, and on best practice in the field, both within the OUCRU network and across the wider global health research community

Roles and Responsibilities

  1. Strategic Leadership and Programme Development
  • Develop and implement an effective and measurable local PCE strategy aligned with OUCRU Indonesia’s research priorities and the overarching OUCRU PCE strategy.
  • Contribute to the strategic planning of OUCRU’s regional PCE programme across Southeast Asia.
  • Identify opportunities to initiate new engagement activities with research communities and the wider public.
  • Establish and maintain partnerships with academic institutions, community-based organisations, and societal stakeholders to enhance engagement reach and relevance.
  • Participate actively in the OUCRU Indonesia Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) and contribute to the broader PCE leadership team across all OUCRU sites.
  • Ensure engagement strategies embed principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), addressing barriers to participation and reflecting community needs.

2.  Team Management

Line-manage a team of engagement practitioners to deliver the OUCRU Indonesia PCE programme. This will be supported by the Head of Public Engagement at OUCRU-VN and Head of Clinical Infectious Disease Research Programme at OUCRU Indonesia Responsibilities include:

  • Provide leadership and day-to-day management of the PCE team, including supervision, performance management, and professional development.
  • Foster a collaborative and supportive team environment that encourages innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
  • Set clear goals and expectations for team members, conduct regular appraisals, and ensure alignment with the overall strategic objectives of the OUCRU Indonesia PCE programme.
  • Support staff wellbeing and champion an inclusive and respectful workplace culture.
  • Recruit, induct and train new PCE staff as required by research projects.

3. Support for Researchers and Capacity Building

  • Design, implement, and evaluate engagement activities that support and enrich OUCRU Indonesia research projects.
  • Build the capacity of OUCRU Indonesia researchers to integrate PCE into their research through mentorship, training workshops, and resource development.
  • Support researchers in co-designing engagement activities with communities and facilitate opportunities for their direct interaction with public audiences.
  • There will be requirement to travel to research sites to set up and support research engagement activities.

4. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

  • Work with the PCE Head and MEL Lead to co-develop and implement MEL frameworks to systematically assess the impact and quality of engagement activities.
  • Employ both qualitative and quantitative methods to gather stakeholder feedback that drive reflection and improvement.
  • Ensure that under-served groups are included and their voices amplified.
  • Ensure that learning from evaluation activities informs future strategic and operational decisions.
  • Where possible report engagement activities in peer-reviewed academic papers, and also ensure that results are disseminated to research communities.

5. Financial Management, Reporting, and Fundraising

  • Manage the local PCE budget in coordination with the Head of Public Engagement at OUCRU.
  • Produce regular progress reports and updates for OUCRU Indonesia Directors, line managers, and the Head of Public Engagement.
  • Lead the preparation of annual and end-of-project reports in English.
  • Collaborate with research teams to identify funding opportunities and to apply for grants to scale engagement activities, and to contribute to research grant applications to ensure PCE is embedded in OUCRU’s research

6. External Representation and Stakeholder Engagement

  • Represent OUCRU engagement work at external meetings, conferences, and public events, promoting the organisation’s engagement values.
  • Engage in national, regional and international PCE networks to share best practices, learn from peers, and contribute to wider dialogues on community engagement in global health research.
  • Under guidance from Head of PCE, to develop relationships with PCE main stakeholders including but not limited to: Wellcome, NIHR, MESH and NDM Tropical Medicine & Global Health

Qualifications

The candidate selection criteria included the following qualifications:

  • Has more than 5 years of experience working in public engagement, community development, communications, including with international development and health organizations, research or related organizations.
  • An educational background and/or working experience in biomedical/health research and/or science communication will be advantageous.
  • Has experience of working directly with communities.
  • Has experience managing junior staff.
  • Strong project management background and ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
  • Strong community engagement and good advocacy skills.
  • Proven ability to work directly with diverse community groups in both urban and remote areas.
  • Experience developing participatory engagement methods and inclusive engagement strategies.
  • High cultural sensitivity, with field-based experience across remote areas.
  • Excellent verbal and writing skills in English and Indonesian.
  • Availability to travel domestically and internationally.
  • Immediate availability for the role.

Please apply by 19 June at the latest by sending an application to info.id@oucru.org or via LinkedIn. While we may not be able to respond to every application, we are going to contact shortlisted candidates about next steps in the recruitment process.

For any questions regarding this vacancy, please contact our HR Manager Reza Elbas.

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