Maternal Child Health Specialist at TSHIP

REPORTS TO: Senior Maternal and Child Health Advisor
LOCATION: Bauchi, Nigeria

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Maternal and Child Health Specialist will provide technical support to increase access and improve quality of child and maternal health services.  This will result in increased immunization coverage of children, increased access of women to antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, and family planning services.  (S)he will work with logistics advisor, zonal coordinators and Routine Immunization Specialist to ensure that the health facilities and all service delivery points have adequate commodities and equipment to ensure high quality services. (S)he will also ensure that community-based services are fully coordinated with the facility-based services. (S)he will ensure that all these interventions ultimately improve the public health infrastructure for continued high quality services. This includes providing technical assistance to LGAs for capacity building.  The specialist with work in close collaboration with their counterpart in Sokoto.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

•     Implement strategies to increase access and improve quality of maternal, child health services in the State, in collaboration with SMOH;
•     Work with the BACATMA and BSPHCDA to implement systematic capacity building of the staff.  This will include, training of trainers, developing and reviewing tools;
•     Participates in the initial LGA assessment and community mobilization inventory and other baseline data gathering;
•     Provide technical support to the zonal teams, identify problem areas, gaps or other issues that require immediate attention and initiate corrective actions;
•     Participates in all aspects of the life of the project; works with colleagues and counterparts to ensure project success;
•     As a member of the Project’s senior management team, contribute to the strategic direction of the Project, and represent the Project at meetings and conferences as necessary; and
•     Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

•     Medically qualified and with Masters in Public Health, Nutrition, Maternal Child health or a similar degree required.
•     At least five years’ work experience in maternal, child, and reproductive health or similar works
•     Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and theories of public health, especially in the areas of maternal, newborn and child health.
•     Demonstrated ability to be both a team player and to lead teams and to organize multiple and simultaneous sets of activities.
•     Computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access; ability to produce accurate reports and data on activities.
•     Excellent communication skills in local languages (Hausa, Fulfulde) and English; ability to give clear instructions; good English writing skills an asset.
•     Willingness and ability to travel extensively in the field, under at times suboptimal conditions.