Integrated PHC Advisor - Nigeria IHP at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role:

Nigeria Integrated Health Program is an integrated health program with an expanded effort with the Government of Nigeria (GON) to identify and support rapid scale-up of proven interventions through improvement of service delivery and strengthening of health systems. It will focus its support for service delivery in six intervention areas: family planning, malaria, routine immunization, nutrition, maternal/new born health, and treatment of childhood pneumonia/diarrhea. It has a strong emphasis on monitoring, evaluation and learning.  

This program will work closely with state-level government officials to support established state-level Health and Development Plans, build capacity, and promote ownership of interventions, systems, and results. Specific interventions will need to be tailored to local contexts and will be fully developed at state and Local Government Area (LGA) levels. Through agreements with individual states, the program’s potential breadth is the entire country with an emphasis on the north. 

 Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

• With the State Technical Director and field staff, provide technical assistance for implementing integrated primary health care services as per the PHCOUR, including integrated RMNCH + N and malaria at the state, the Local Government Health Authority (LGHA), the facility and community levels in IHP supported states (areas, LGHAs); 
• Provide ongoing technical assistance and capacity building to relevant state level MDAs and technical working groups such as with the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA), the LGHA, Ward Development Committees (WDCs), local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and PHCs to implement State strategies and plans that guide IRMNCH+N and malaria such as the PHCUOR, MSP, PHC revitalization, OIRIS, and the State Malaria Operational Plan and rapidly scale-up integrated delivery of quality, high-impact  IRMNCH +NM services; 
• Contribute to building the capacity of MTOTs, TOTs, relevant SPHCDA, LGHA and relevant HRH structures to use proven and sustainable skill building and learning approaches and quality improvement methodologies for the delivery of high-impact IRMNCH +N and malaria interventions at the community level and in public and private facilities; 
• Work with relevant government technical staff, implementing partners and technical working groups providing expert contributions to adapt federal guidelines, tools and procedures for State implementation of quality integrated primary healthcare service delivery at scale; 
• Provide technical support to the SPHCDA, LGHA and facilities in strengthening the relevant structures and systems required to strengthen quality improvement processes, in line with the national Quality of Care Strategy for MNCH, including routine integrated supportive supervision (ISS), establishing and maintaining effective Quality Improvement Teams, and development and implementation of quality improvement plans focused on measurable improvement aims, critical quality gaps and regular monitoring and analysis of key performance indicators at the community and facility levels including the private sector; 
• Mentor during skill building efforts for health workers and relevant community-based structures in support of integrated service delivery, quality improvement, use of data for decision making and other skills required for effectively managing the reliable delivery of quality high impact, integrated RMNCH+N and malaria services at PHC and community level; 
• In consultation with local stakeholders, help to prioritize meaningful RMNCH+N+M indicators (e.g. quality of care process and outcome measures) aligned with State and Federal monitoring guidance and tailored to the specific needs of SMOH, LGHA, PHC and community health workers. 
• Analyze data needs and availability for provision of quality RMNCH+N+M care (e.g. point of care clinical decision-making) and for monitoring of prioritized performance indicators; address identified gaps, including content and quality of routine HMIS data (e.g. PHC registers, patient forms) and skills of SMOH, LGHA and health workers to calculate, visualize and interpret key performance indicators (e.g. as part of a dashboard.) 
• Contribute to the development/review of SPHCDA/SMOH program strategies, annual workplans and budgets. 
• Support timely, complete and accurate recording and reporting of PHC facility-based and outreach services and program progress including performance monitoring using approved program monitoring and reporting tools and prioritized performance indicators; 
• As appropriate, collaborate with local Professional Associations to support clinical capacity-building and mentoring of providers (e.g. CHEWS, midwives, nurses.) Professional associations may include but not be limited to PAN, NISON, SOGON, NANNM, XX. 
• Support collaboration with BREAKTHROUGH ACTION and seamless alignment of social and behavior change with service delivery, using the circle of care, especially at PHC and community level. 
• For malaria, collaborate with the counterparts from the U.S. Presidential Malaria Initiative (PMI), the Walter Reed Military’s HIV Research Program (MHRP), State Malaria Elimination Program (SMEP), state-level malaria counterparts, and other entities working in malaria prevention and control; 
• Support advocacy efforts related to integrated delivery of RMNCH +NM with State Ministry of Health and SPHCDA for adoption of new evidence-based RMNCH+nutrition and malaria best practices at health facilities and the community; 
• Contribute to IHP continuous learning and adaptation (CLA) and the development of knowledge management products related to IRMNCH + N and malaria and apply lessons learned to improve the program design and implementation in IHP supported states. 
• Contribute to IHP routine reporting, success stories and publications. 
• Reports directly to State Technical Director 

 Required Qualifications:

• MBBS/MD or nursing or midwifery degree plus a masters’ degree in public health, nursing or a related field or an advanced post graduate degree in a related field is essential; 
• At least eight (8) years relevant experience in one or more of technical areas: Family planning, maternal health, newborn health, child health, nutrition and malaria; 
• Experience in integrated PHC service delivery at health facilities and community; 
• Experience implementing programs at the primary health care level is an advantage; 
• Familiarity with performance indicators in at least 2 technical areas 
• Familiarity with applying quality improvement methodologies to improve quality of primary services, including identifying and overcoming critical gaps and monitoring performance indicators to guide continuous improvement 
• Familiarity with Nigerian public and private sector health systems at the state, LGHA and community levels is highly desirable; 
• Knowledge of local culture and a deep understanding of the social, political and ethical issues surrounding the delivery of RMNCH +NM services; 
• High degree of proficiency in written and spoken English communication. Ability to speak Hausa; 
• Demonstrated experience managing stakeholders and building capacity at sub-national levels; 
• Demonstrated knowledge and proficiency delivering relevant IRMNCH +NM training packages and supporting retention of health worker competencies (e.g. through mentoring, supervision); 
• Ability to function/work independently as well as part of a team; 
• Well-developed computer skills; 
• Ability to travel within IHP focal state at least 50% time.