Technical Lead: Maternal and Newborn Health, Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services (MNHRH/FP) at Jhpiego - John Hopkins University

Reports To: Deputy Chief of Party
Supervisees: TBD

Overview

• Jhpiego seeks a Technical Lead: Maternal and Newborn Health, Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services (MNRH/FP) for an anticipated, five-year, USAID-funded reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) program in Nigeria.
• The Technical Lead: MNRH/FP will provide technical and program oversight and direction for project activities focused on improving access and availability of primary health care services at facility and community levels, as well as integrating services.
• The program will focus its support for service delivery in six intervention areas: family planning, malaria, routine immunization, nutrition, maternal/newborn health, and treatment of pneumonia/diarrhea.
• Responsibilities include providing leadership and technical guidance in the development and implementation of RMNCH health activities under the leadership of the HP Leadership, the jhpiego Country Director and Jhpiego home office Technical Directors, and utilizing and contributing to cross-cutting approaches, as well as annual phasing in of activities.
• 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 will be based in Abuja, Nigeria.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical oversight and strategic direction on maternal and newborn health, and reproductive health/family planning, and ensures appropriate support, for the implementation of program activities focused on improving access to quality services.
• Participates in relevant federal-level TWGs and contributes to IHP support to the FMOH and in IHP states for updating RMNCH and quality policies based on global, national, and HP state needs, and supports adoption and adaptation of relevant national policies in IHP states to achieve program goals.
• Supports awareness of and use of global RMNCH metrics frameworks to prioritize meaningful service delivery and health outcome indicators (e.g., WHO Quality Equity Dignity MNCH monitoring framework).
• Develops new / reviews evidence-based clinical training materials, job aids, curricula, supervisory systems, and other training materials needed for program implementation.
• Supports IHP states to design and implement quality improvement work to improve quality of services including provision of mentoring and capacity building (clinical and QI) at state, LGA, and facility levels (PHCs and hospitals).
• Coordinates assessments and supports IHP states to strengthen training, site strengthening, follow-up, supervision, and capacity building across program sites.
• Leads the formulation of approaches for quality improvement and scale up of RMNCH services.
• Analyses potential strategies to improve access to and quality of services within the context of the program anti explains these, as necessary, to policymakers, funding agencies, and program staff,
• Works with healthcare providers, local authorities, community members, and program team members to identify service delivery issues that impede access to and quality of care.
• Identifies appropriate facility- and community-based strategies to address RMNCH health system and service delivery gaps.
• Formulates and tests sustainable solutions to service delivery gaps, utilizing cross-cutting approaches such as performance and quality improvement and in-service training / pre-service education.
• Guides FMOH, professional associations, and other national stakeholders in the revision/development of evidence-based standards for competency in RMNCH.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Masters - minimum) in public health, health administration, international health or a related field. Clinical degree preferred (Physician, Advanced Practice Nurse, and Midwife).
• A minimum of 10 years of experience with large, multi-year international health sector development programs that have implemented successful activities in areas such as reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health.
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with USAID missions, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, PVOs, the private sector and other donors.
• Demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, organizational, team-building and representational skills.
• Management, training or clinical background in reproductive, maternal, newborn and/or child health.
• Expertise in research to practice-identifying best practices and adapting them to project realities.
• Previous experience working in West Africa, Nigeria strongly preferred, with intimate understanding of local health system and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health gaps and opportunities, and solid relationships at government agencies.
• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform.
• Proficiency in word processing, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Excel.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Ability to travel nationally and internationally up to 30%.
• Nigerian nationals strongly encouraged to apply.