MSH is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job requirements. MSH will take affirmative action to ensure that qualified applicants are employed and that employees are treated without regard to their race, age, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran and disability status. In compliance with U.S. Department of Labor Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, MSH has developed and maintains an affirmative action program and plan.

MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB:
                    
The RMNH Technical officer will provide the overall technical support, and coordination for the RMNH and midwifery activities including education, services, and regulation. She will follow program policy on the implementation of RMNCH programs to improve the quality of RMNH and midwifery services through the implementation of mentorship program focusing on HIVA, RMC, and early breastfeeding core competencies at the national and facility levels, and coordinating for piloting new strategies, especially at the facility level. In collaboration with the Technical Manager for RMNH and QI, she will provide technical support and coordination to the field support and implementation team, to promote an integrated approach to RMNH and midwifery program services. The Officer will work with counterparts and other stakeholders to identify the areas of the country for priority project attention, to assemble and/or adapt RMNH and midwifery program resources (i.e., human resources, training materials, and management tools for health workers, local area monitoring guides, etc.) according to norms and internationally recognized best practices, that will then be used by Provincial Teams to address the performance problems of facilities. 

Technical:

• Support the design and implementation of activities to strengthen and scale up integrated health facility services, increasing access to and the quality of family planning, maternal and newborn health services.  
• Ensure the provision of technical support and mentorship by the relevant Technical officer to their central and provincial counterparts in the areas of RMNH and accreditation. 
• Support and coordinate the technical assistance for the development of a streamlined quality improvement tool in collaboration with the Afghanistan Nurses and Midwives Council, and other relevant professional associations. 
• Provide support to the Senior team for Provincial Technical Assistance, in ensuring smooth collaboration between provincial officers and the Kabul-based Technical team to facilitate the implementation of the Targeted Support Teams, and the technical assistance to BPHS contractors, and private sector service providers.  
• Assist project manager in mobilizing the necessary technical assistance from relevant International Technical Advisors to develop a program to strengthen the quality of emergency care at secondary and tertiary level for reproductive, maternal and newborn health services. 
• With project manager, assist the BPHS/EPHS service provider NGOs in assessing its needs for and targeting technical assistance for integrating proven high impact interventions for RMNH in the routine BPHS/EPHS service delivery.  
• Facilitate and support adequate and timely planning of and reporting on project  
• Supervise RMNH related activities of the clinical mentors of HIAV targeted provinces  
• In coordination with the central RMNCH Technical Manager, support the implementation of the Group ANC & PNC and AIM PPH & PE/E Safety Bundles in targeted provinces.
• Coordinate with the Provincial technical team and NGO in organizing capacity-building workshops and activities for the TSTs on quality improvement processes and all HIVA activities  at the HFs.
• Coordinate and collaborate training and telementoring sessions of the TST teams on core competencies in mentoring, clinical capacity building, respectful care, etc...
• Take an active part in the establishment of the skills lab at the provincial levels and ensure that all skill labs are functional and LDHF session conducted regularly at in and report the data.
• Collaborate with the RMNCH Technical Manager and other team members to fully align enhanced RMNCH program activities into the Project’s strategic objectives.
• Assist in adequate and timely reporting of the progress of activities. This will include careful documentation and sharing of lessons learned.
•  Collaborate in the rapid assessment of the targeted HFs at the provincial levels. 
• Provide technical support for identifying gaps, facilitating root cause analysis with the provincial technical team, and developing an improvement plan.
•     Provide technical support to the CMs for the follow-up mentoring and coaching visits in the provision of thematic services to improve the quality of healthcare and increase access to quality RMNH and midwifery services in the targeted health facilities and community.
•     Disseminate and ensure appropriate implementation of QI standards and procedures.
•     Produce and submit timely monthly and event reports.
•     Initiate and prepare success stories from project implementation.
•     Other duties as assigned by the RMNCH Technical Manager.
•     Carryout additional responsibilities as may be needed or assigned

REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION:      MD Degree, Nursing or Midwifery.     
REQUIRED MINIMUM Experience:     6 years of experience managing health programs with a focus on RMNCH

KNOWLEDGE    AND SKILLS:    
•    Experience in clinical service training, and mentorship. 
•    Strong knowledge of RMNH and the midwifery program’s different aspects including education, and services. 
•    Ability to coordinate project teams, initiate and organize work, establish priorities in a time-sensitive environment, and meet deadlines with attention to detail and quality.  
•    Familiarity with the health system and standards for provision of primary and secondary health care services (BPHS and EPHS) in Afghanistan.
•    Maintains a strong knowledge of the detail within the function. Will become involved in day to day issues that impact critical deadlines and deliverables. 
•    Familiarity with the structure, systems and policies of the health sector in Afghanistan and proven capacity of close collaboration with the partners for health a central and provincial level.  
•    Proven technical knowledge in reproductive health and/or child health, in integrated health services delivery and in assuring quality of care.  
•    Proven mentorship skills in RMNH are preferred  
•    Demonstrated ability to lead, guide and inspire a team of public health professionals.  
•    Demonstrated ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with donors, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators, and staff at all levels of the organization.  
•    Must be an effective public speaker; able to present to small groups as well as larger audiences that could include donors, UN agencies, private sector partners and/or other partners.  
•    Able to travel to provinces, as the security situation allows.

Contacts & Relationships:

•    Employees at this level develop and maintain an extensive range of important contacts with top internal and very senior external officials for the purpose of obtaining or verifying information which is not otherwise available.

Complexity and Decision-Making:

•    Variable situations requiring analytical, interpretive, evaluative and/or constructive thinking to determine innovative optimal solutions.  Identifies and selects solutions through the application of acquired experience and is guided by precedent. Uses judgment within broadly defined policies and practices.  Jobholder will act as advisor and coach to mentor junior members on the team.  Decisions impact broad work group schedules and/or the allocation of time and resources.
COMPETENCIES:      
Excellent written and oral communication skills both in local languages ( Dari & Pashto) and English. 
Excellent interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff. 
Ability and willingness to travel to HIVA focus provinces as required.

Interested candidates should apply through the below link and submit an application form for positions they are suitably qualified for.

https://msh.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Afghanistan-Kabul/Reproductive--Maternal--Newborn-and-Child-Health--RMNCH--Technical-officer_R4731?locationCountry=db69b722446c11de98360015c5e6daf6

Please click the employment opportunities tab and select Afghanistan from the list of countries. A list of positions will appear, please select those you wish to apply for. Candidates who do not apply through the above-mentioned link will not be considered for the shortlist. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Management Sciences for Health is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental handicap.