Jhpiego seeks a Technical Advisor for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) to provide technical and program oversight and direction in the area of maternal and child health for an upcoming USAID integrated health project in Zimbabwe. This project aims to improve maternal and child health status in targeted areas through a combined maternal and child health and family planning activity. The project will operate over a five-year period.
The Technical Advisor will be responsible for providing leadership and technical guidance in the development and implementation of maternal and child health activities under the leadership of the Jhpiego Technical Director. This position will ensure the technical and methodological soundness of activities and, in collaboration with the project team and partners, support the design of service delivery strategies, based on sound and current scientific evidence.
This position is contingent upon award from USAID. Zimbabwean nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities:
- Provide assistance, mentoring and capacity building in specific areas of expertise including, but not limited to:
- Maternal and newborn health including essential and basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care
- Antenatal care
- Postnatal care
- Malaria in pregnancy
- Quality improvement
- Strengthening referral systems
- Refine service delivery strategies for integrating MNCH with FP/RH, malaria, and HIV services
- Develop/adapt evidence-based clinical capacity building materials, job aids, and curricula, supervisory systems and other training materials needed for implementation of the project to meet the needs of USAID and the Government of Zimbabwe
- Develop trainers in MNCH and FP
- Coordinate assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across project-supported sites as required by project activities
- Actively participate in all technical working group meetings, and represent Jhpiego in professional forums by participating and presenting in pertinent meetings and conferences, as well as technical working groups
- Work with health care providers, local authorities, community members and project team members to identify clinical, community-based service delivery issues that impede access to care and identify appropriate facility- and community-based strategies to address MNCH service delivery gaps
- Identify clinical training needs and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs
- Work with Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care (MOHCC), professional associations, other national stakeholders in the revision/development of evidenced-based standards for competency in MNCH
- Conduct regular reporting to the Technical Director of successes, challenges and lessons learned in implementation related to areas of technical expertise
- Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for MNCH
- Contribute to the development of business proposals, technical reports and publications as they relate to MNCH
- Author and co-author abstracts and presentations for journals and conferences
- Document successes, lessons learned and challenges in implementation as well as reports of project activities and results to the program and donor, including routine quarterly and annual reports and other reporting requirements as requested
- Maintain excellent relationships with USAID and in-country stakeholders and develop rapid responses to USAID/DC and Mission requests
- Work closely with the Technical Director on setting project priorities and directions, and responding to requests for support from local counterparts.
- Work with M&E staff to design, implement a plan to track data/results related to MNCH
- Provide technical leadership to the development the project strategic plan, work plan, and program monitoring, in close collaboration with MOHCC, USAID, and other stakeholders
- Ensure timely implementation of all program inputs related to maternal and child health including planning and implementing assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across program sites, in close coordination and collaboration with USAID and MOHCC
- Assist in the preparation of donor reports and project reports
- Contribute to ensuring availability of resources/facilitate the procurement of equipment and supplies required for project implementation
Required Qualifications:
- A medical degree (doctor or nursing) or Master’s in Public Health
- 5+ years’ experience working on a large, multi-partner, multi-year international health sector development project that have implemented successful activities in MNCH; preferably in Zimbabwe
- Experience training health workers on clinical aspects related to MNCH
- Skill in at least two or more of the following technical areas: strengthening service delivery programs, training, pre-service education, performance and quality improvement
- Experience with a mix of practical technical skills necessary for strengthening MNCH service delivery at the regional, national, clinical and community-level
- Proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and professional relationships with USAID, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector
- Previous experience working in Zimbabwe with intimate understanding of local health system and MNCH gaps and opportunities, and solid relationships at government agencies
- Knowledge of USAID programs, regulations, compliance and reporting requirements
- Experience in research to practice—identifying and adapting best practices to specific project contexts
- Excellent skills in facilitation, team building, and coordination
- Excellent verbal, written interpersonal and presentation skills in English
- Ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in regional and national programs and technical staff
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Ability to travel nationally 50% of time
More Information
- Job City Harare