Job Title: Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) Specialist

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University. For 40 years and in over 155 countries, Jhpiego has worked to prevent the needless deaths of women and their families. Jhpiego works with health experts, governments and community leaders to provide high-quality health care for their people. Jhpiego develops strategies to help countries care for themselves by training competent health care workers, strengthening health systems and improving delivery of care. Jhpiego designs innovative, effective and low-cost health care solutions to ensure a level of care for women and their families. These practical, evidence-based interventions are breaking down barriers to high-quality health care for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

About USAID PMI Program:

This Uganda PMI flagship program aims to centrally support the scale up of malaria prevention, diagnosis, and treatment within districts facilities in accordance with National Malaria Control Strategic Plan. The program will operate over a five-year period in 43 districts in the Central (excluding Wakiso and Kampala), Mid-Western and West Nile regions. Responsibilities include providing leadership and technical guidance in the development and implementation of MIP activities at district facilities, promoting the uptake of intermittent prevention of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp), participating in district MIP technical advisory groups, and improving databases that monitor MIP achievements. 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.

Job Summary: The Malaria in Pregnancy (MIP) Specialist will offer technical and program oversight and direction in the areas of malaria in pregnancy for up the upcoming USAID Uganda Malaria Action Program for Districts Activity.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Offer technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of program activities in malaria in pregnancy at district level
• Actively promote WHO’s new recommendations on intermittent prevention of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) uptake and guidelines, as a core component of the WHO three-pronged approach
• Continue to support NMCP and District Health Management Teams to include male involvement in MIP to improve IPTp uptake. LLIN use and case management for pregnant women
• Assist in sustaining and improving existing databases that monitor achievements in MIP at district and contribute to regional and national level achievements
• Develop and implement a capacity building plan for local partners to apply MIP strategies for malaria prevention and treatment
• Offer leadership in creating demand for antenatal care services and MIP services through community approaches targeting pregnant women
• Guide the integration of MIP services with maternal, newborn and child health, FP/RH, HIV and TB, and nutrition
• Ensure use of reviewed evidence-based clinical training materials, job aids, and curricula, supervisory systems and other training materials for implementation of MIP in line with  the needs of USAID and the Government of Uganda
• Offer mentoring and capacity building at the individual and organizational level in MIP prevention and treatment
• Steer the “train the trainer” sessions, site strengthening, in-service and/or pre-service education, follow-up and supportive supervision to project-supported health facilities, as required by program activities
• Work with colleagues to develop a cadre of MIP champions who will facilitate links to other community-level health programs/services
• Coordinate assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across program sites as required by program activities
• Take lead in the formulation of approaches for scale up of MIP services in districts, including accessing hard-to-reach populations and integration of services
• Assist the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) to revitalize and coordinate MIP technical working groups at national and district levels. Actively participate in MIP technical advisory group meetings, and represent Jhpiego in professional forums by participating and presenting in pertinent meetings and conferences
• Analyze potential MIP strategies within the context of the program and explain these, as necessary, to policymakers, funding agencies, and/or program staff
• Work with health care providers, local authorities, community members and program team members to identify clinical, community-based service delivery issues that impede access to care
• Identify appropriate facility- and community-based strategies to address MIP service delivery gaps
• Identify clinical training needs and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs
• Formulate and test sustainable solutions to service delivery gaps, utilizing cross-cutting approaches such as performance and quality improvement and in-service training/pre-service education
• Advocate with national, regional, district and community-level health institutions to raise awareness about their role in improving health outcomes in MIP
• Guide DHMTs, professional associations, other district stakeholders in the use of evidenced-based standards for competency in MIP
• Mobilize national level clinical/technical expertise to resolve clinical issues that  affect local public policy or program design
• Collaborate with all local stakeholders and implementing partners, especially the Ministry of Health and other implementing partners, in order to ensure that all activities conform to the national requirements and regulations
• Conduct regular reporting to the senior malaria advisor , and program and technical staff, 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 MIP
• Lead in development and submission of abstracts, papers and presentations to  journals and conferences
• Contribute to annual work planning and preparation of donor reports
• Contribute to maintaining excellent relationships with USAID and in-country stakeholders and develop rapid responses to USAID/DC and Mission requests
• Work closely with the Technical Team on setting program 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 maternal, newborn and child health
• Significantly contribute to development of the project strategic plan, work plan, and program monitoring, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, USAID and other stakeholders
• Ensure timely implementation of all program inputs related to maternal, newborn 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, relevant ministries of health
• Manage the data collection, analysis and development of conclusions and recommendations to further strengthen program implementation
• Ensure availability of resources/facilitate the procurement of equipment and supplies required for project implementation
• Coordinate and monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of short-term consultants as required

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 

• The applicant should preferably hold a good medical degree (doctor or nursing) or Master’s in Public Health
• A minimum of seven years’ experience applying malaria in pregnancy programs;
• At least 5 years’ experience in managing $10M per year in donor-funded projects and in the design and implementation of overseas health projects; preferably in the East and Southern Africa;
• Qualifications as a “master trainer”; experience training health workers on clinical aspects related to family planning/reproductive health
• Past experience building capacity at individual and organizational levels
• Skill in at least two or more of the following technical areas: strengthening service delivery programs, training, pre-service education, performance and quality improvement, monitoring and evaluation
• Significant experience with a mix of practical technical skills in malaria necessary for strengthening malaria service delivery at the regional, national, clinical and community-level
• Possess the ability to liaise with senior MOH officials and dignitaries, executives of NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, the for-profit business community, and senior members of the donor community;
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of Ugandan healthcare system, particularly the public health system, experience living and working in Uganda preferred
• Strong oral and written communication and presentations skills in English
• Strong skills in word processing and Excel spread sheets
• Good knowledge and understanding of USAID or other USG administrative, management and reporting procedures and systems
• Excellent track record managing a project team composed of several technical experts and fostering team work
• Ability to coach, mentor and develop technical capacity in national programs and technical staff in the areas
• Excellent written, presentation, communication and organizational skills in English
• Ability to travel up to 50% time
• Ugandan nationals strongly encouraged to apply

How to Apply for the job: 

All candidates who are interested in working with the NGO sector with Jhpiego in the aforementioned capacity should Apply Online by clicking the web link below.

Click Here

  JOBS