Overview
The Health Officer (Maternal, Newborn and Child Health) will lead and coordinate initiatives to strengthen emergency obstetric and newborn care (EMONC) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) services, and improve the delivery of quality MNCH services in urban settings.
Key Responsibilities
- Contribute to strategic planning for MNCH strategies, ensuring EMONC and NICU strengthening, urban MNCH and equity for young mothers are reflected in programme priorities.
- Draft concept notes, project documents and budget lines for NICU/EMONC and urban MNCH initiatives.
- Lead rapid assessments and situational analysis to identify gaps in NICU capacity, urban service coverage and barriers faced by young mothers and the urban poor.
- Identify programme risks and propose mitigation measures; embed sustainability and government ownership in programme design.
- Develop workplans, timelines and resource requirements for EMONC, NICU and urban MNCH interventions; track implementation against milestones.
- Establish and maintain indicators and monitoring frameworks for clinical quality, service coverage and equity; ensure timely data collection and use for adaptive management.
- Prepare regular technical and financial progress reports for UNICEF management, donors and partners; ensure deliverables meet quality standards and contractual obligations.
- Support supervision, performance reviews and corrective actions for programme staff and implementing partners to ensure delivery of agreed results.
- Provide hands‑on technical guidance on EMONC, neonatal intensive care, infection prevention and control, and respectful maternity care; adapt clinical protocols to local contexts.
- Design and deliver training curricula, on‑the‑job mentoring and clinical coaching for NICU teams, midwives and frontline health workers.
- Lead quality assurance activities including clinical audits, standard operating procedures, equipment maintenance plans and referral pathway strengthening.
- Advise on essential neonatal equipment, consumables and maintenance needs; coordinate with supply and operations teams to ensure timely availability.
- Develop and maintain monitoring frameworks and contribute to regular progress reports and donor deliverables.
- Document lessons learned and best practices; support dissemination through workshops and knowledge products.
- Contribute to evidence generation by supporting operational research or programme evaluations as required.
Required Experience
- Minimum 2 years of progressively responsible experience in maternal, newborn and child health programming, health facility management or health system strengthening.
- Experience liaising with government health authorities, professional bodies and development partners.
- Prior experience in capacity building, clinical mentoring and quality improvement is essential.
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is desirable.
- Demonstrated experience working on urban health interventions and with vulnerable populations is desirable.
Qualifications
Medical doctor or hold a bachelor’s degree in public health, hospital management, epidemiology or related discipline. Having a master’s degree is an advantage.
