Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) Technical Advisor at Jhpiego - John Hopkins University

Overview

• The Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) Technical Adviser will be responsible for providing technical leadership in strengthening the RMNCH quality service delivery for upcoming RMNCH awards in Nigeria (MSD for Mothers RICOM3 Project & BMGF GANC project). He/She will provide technical leadership and support for the State/LGA, General hospitals, primary health care and private health care level activities.
• This integrated RMNCH health project aims to contribute to reductions in maternal and child morbidity and mortality in target states, and to increase the capacity of health systems (public and private) to sustainably support quality health care services. The project will operate for an approximately 2-year period.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical expertise on high impact reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services that is sound, evidence-based and responsive to the needs of project states as identified.
• Provide advice on the integration of these services into established service delivery systems at different levels of care in the State.
• Collaborate with other stakeholders at the National and State level to apply lessons learned, innovations and quality methods to ensure evidence-based practices are translated to improved implementation of interventions in relation to the RICOM3 and GANC projects.
• Provide technical leadership to the building of local capacity using proven training approaches and quality improvement methodologies.
• Provide trainings (providers and training of trainers) as well as follow-up support and clinical mentoring as necessary for RMNCH.
• Support basic maternal health (MH) continuum of care (including antenatal through postpartum care, FP integration, birth planning and birth preparedness) at – public and private health facilities State sites.
• Provide technical support to key stakeholders including review of technical documents and provide input to relevant policies and strategies.
• Provide technical leadership in the development of strategies for increasing the percentage of pregnant women, including married adolescents, who deliver under the care of a skilled birth attendant leading to a reduction of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality.
• Supervise all Service Improvement Coordinators (SICs) and Quality Improvement Consultants (QICs) under the two projects (RICOM3 & GANC).
• Coordinate closely with other development partner programs in the State.
• Contribute to and coordinate with the program’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) team on activities to ensure that the program meets set targets in accordance with national and donor standards.
• Represent program at state level stakeholder meetings and technical working groups in relation to RMNCH and related technical areas

Management:

• Contribute to annual work planning, training plans and quarterly reports and other required technical reports.
• Provide technical leadership on the timely, accurate and appropriate reporting of program activities and results.
• Advocate and eensure quality program implementation consistent with MOH Nigerian Guidelines and strategic directions, global best practices including advice on relevant latest health developments & publications.
• Coordinate the evaluation of program progress against deliverables on a quarterly basis.
• With the consortium partners, Project Directors, SICs and QICs, oversee program design, implementation, quality assurance and monitoring of work plan.
• Coordinate with the other members of the technical team and partners to develop and implement feasible facility and community-based approaches.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Director which contribute to the achievement of program goals.

Required Qualifications
The RMNCH Technical Advisor must be a proven technical leader in the field of international RMNCH with some management experience in public health programs. S/he must be familiar with the reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) community in Nigeria. The RMNCH Technical Advisor must be intimately familiar with the context in Nigeria and have in-country experience with donor programs. Additional qualifications include:

• A Medical doctor or Experienced Nurse or Midwife or any other closely related health care professional; specialization in obstetrics and gynecology or Public Health and other health related courses (e.g. PhD, MPH, and MSc in international health, Social sciences or other relevant degree) will be an advantage.
• Minimum of 5-7 years working experience in the areas of RMNCH, Nutrition, and family planning.
• Previous experience working on an international donor funded project will be an added advantage.
• Familiarity with the FMOH, SMOH structures and functions especially as it relates to MNCH is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated expertise in working directly with host-country government officials and policy makers in maternal health.
• Experience working with host-country partners, organizations, and institutions.
• Strong skills in technical issues, design, implementation and monitoring of program components; e.g. services, training, quality improvement, advocacy and coordination.
• Demonstrated capacity to work with African experts and partners in developing technical materials and providing training to improve service delivery, advocacy and resource mobilization for expanding RMNCH.
• Strong verbal, listening, writing, and intrapersonal skills essential for effective coordination among several institutions and staff involved in a broad range of activities
• Strong ability to multi-task will be highly desirable.
• Fluent in English, (written and oral communication) and any local language.
• Willingness to travel throughout Nigeria as necessary