1. Maternal Health Advisor
Employment Opportunity – Maternal Health Advisor
Why Choose IntraHealth
At IntraHealth, we are a global team of creative, committed humanitarians on a mission. We are advocates, technologists, health workers, and communicators. Program officers, finance experts, and technical leaders. We are passionate and diverse. And we’re united in our belief that everyone everywhere should have the health care they need to thrive. That’s why we work every day to improve the performance of health workers around the world and strengthen the systems in which they work.
For almost 40 years in over 100 countries, IntraHealth has partnered with local communities to make sure health workers are present where they’re needed most, ready to do the job, connected to the technology they need, and safe to do their very best work. Our programs are designed with a deep understanding of, and appreciation for, the context of human rights, gender equality and discrimination, economic empowerment, and changing populations. The longstanding relationships we’ve built with government agencies, private-sector partners, and members of civil society make our efforts stronger and more effective.
About the project
The MSSFPO Activity is a five-year global cooperative agreement with USAID which aims to increase the capacity of host country institutions and local organizations to strengthen surgical safety within maternal health (MH) and family planning (FP) programs by promoting evidence-based approaches and testing new innovations. In Rwanda, MSSFPO will support the Government of Rwanda (GOR) to accelerate reductions in maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity by increasing the capacity of the Rwandan health system to introduce, deliver, scale-up, and sustain the use of evidence-based, high-quality interventions for the provision of safe emergency surgical obstetric services, including Caesarian delivery (CD) and hysterectomy, difficult removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs, IUDs and contraceptive hormonal implants), and task shifting for permanent methods (PM, vasectomy and tubal ligation). MSSFPO will collaborate closely with the USAID/Rwanda-funded Ingobyi Activity (led by IntraHealth) to leverage and align project platforms and activities.
Summary of role
The Maternal Health Advisor will work under the direct supervision of the Technical Director/DCOP to design and implement activities to strengthen safe obstetric surgical care provision, availability and quality of LARCs and PMs and systems for developing health care workers to provide these services. The Maternal Health Advisor will work in partnership with the Ministry of Health, aligning all project efforts to the costed National Surgical, Obstetrics, and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP, 2018-2024), national MNCH quality of care standards and other relevant national strategies and guidelines. S/he will coordinate and consult with other stakeholders, including the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), academic institutions, district representatives, civil society organizations, medical professional associations, and existing development partners and projects to ensure the relevance and utility of project activities. S/he will also ensure that gender, youth, and social inclusion (GYSI) are embedded into project interventions.
Key functions
The Maternal Health Advisor is responsible for the following functions:
Capacity building:
- Provide technical expertise and guidance in the development/updating of national policies, strategies, protocols, and guidelines related to safe surgical obstetric care as well as long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception;
- Lead the assessment of training and service delivery needs in provision of safe obstetric surgical care (specifically caesarean delivery and peripartum hysterectomy – surgical as well as anesthetic needs) at facility level, and in the design and implementation of appropriate, evidence-based interventions to meet them;
- Lead the assessment of training, service delivery and mobilization/outreach needs in provision of long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception (surgical as well as anesthetic needs), at both facility and community level, and in the design and implementation of appropriate, evidence-based interventions to meet them;
- Assist in the development and implementation of national and project-relevant training programs, including materials, curricula, and assessment tools;
- Serve as lead or co-trainer with colleagues from MOH and/or other organizations;
- Identify opportunities for systematizing and institutionalizing capacity building efforts, whether in the in-service or pre-deployment setting, and design and implement activities to support these processes’
- Contribute to building of local capacity through mentoring of counterparts at the MOH and other stakeholder groups;
- Support identification of equipment needs for provision of safe obstetric surgical care and long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception, and advise on specifications for any necessary procurement;
- Conduct facilitative supervision to health facilities and communities where the MSSFPO activity is being implemented and follow up as necessary on supervision findings
Leadership
- Ensure that MSSFPO project strategies are based on sound technical content and are sustainable; and
- Lead strategic and annual planning processes in coordination with MSSFPO and Ingobyi Activity teams, as well as colleagues from the MOH and RBC.
Coordination
- Actively participate in relevant national maternal health policy and strategy discussions as appropriate;
- Work closely with Ingobyi staff as well as other USG-funded partners, as relevant, to ensure program efforts are complementary and non-duplicative;
- Coordinate with Ingobyi Activity’s maternal health team, the national MNCH Technical Working Group (TWG) and Safe Motherhood sub-TWG at national level to ensure project activities are managed effectively as per the NSOAP, national quality of care guidelines and other national frameworks, as appropriate;
- Coordinate project-led procurement and distribution of required maternal health equipment and supplies to health facilities, in collaboration with MOH/RBC and district hospitals in Ingobyi-supported districts; and
- Participate in the national Safe Motherhood TWG, share project learnings and incorporate group feedback into future activities.
Monitoring and reporting
- In partnership with the Ingobyi MEL team, work with the MOH to facilitate data collection for all MSSFPO-related indicators in the Performance Monitoring Plan; analyze data, develop conclusions, promote recommendations, follow-up on performance issues and document results;
- Document and report progress on project activities with regard to safe obstetric surgical care and long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception to national and district leadership and other stakeholders; and
- Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, developing indicators, benchmarking, analysis of lessons learned, and reporting in a timely manner to the donor and to other audiences as requested.
Duration: Life of the project with possibility of renewal subject to performance and availability of funding.
Requirements
The ideal candidate is expected to meet and or possess the following qualifications and requirements.
Education and training
- Medical degree and specialization in obstetrics and gynecology is required;
- Additional MPH training preferred.
- Candidates must have a valid license issued by Rwanda Medical and Dental Council.
Experience and skills
- At least 8 years of experience in maternal health service delivery, including experience in labor/delivery and family planning service delivery, including LARCs and PMs;
- At least 4 years of experience as a trainer in maternal health in Rwanda or the region, trainer in surgical skills preferred – excellent classroom and clinical training skills including participatory and experiential methods;
- Current knowledge of high-impact practices in the fields of safe obstetric surgical care and long-acting reversible and permanent methods of contraception;
- Sound understanding of current policy developments related to maternal health;
- Extensive experience in developing, implementing and evaluating maternal health policies, procedures and tools in Rwanda or similar contexts;
- Hands on skills in rapid assessment techniques, knowledge and skills in designing, planning, implementing and monitoring facility and community-based maternal health interventions;
- Excellent interpersonal skills, strong organizational skills and an ability to work effectively in multicultural environment;
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English and Kinyarwanda – French language skills would be added advantage;
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, including MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint
- Strong skills in teamwork and networking;
- Solid skills in documentation and report writing; and
- Ability to travel frequently within the country.
WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Willingness and ability to travel within and outside of Kigali, and to work independently with all stakeholders
- Willingness to accept additional responsibilities
- Willingness to work overtime as required
COMPETENCIES:
Managing Performance: Ability to plan and design practices, processes and procedures that allow for effective management of people, resources and processes to optimize overall organizational performance. Managing for performance includes the ability to delegate and encourage growth and leadership across the team(s) as part of maximizing performance and productivity.
Strategic Thinking: Applies organizational knowledge to identify and maintain focus on key success factors for IntraHealth while recognizing, anticipating and resolving organizational challenges. Ability to develop organization- and industry-specific expertise and apply sound decision-making processes to reach productive resolutions that translates strategy into actionable business plans.
Effective Communication (Oral & Written): Understands effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, explain complex technical concepts in simple, clear language appropriate to the audience; and receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors
Risk Management: Knowledge of processes, tools and techniques for assessing and controlling the organization’s exposure to risks of various kinds; ability to apply this knowledge appropriately to diverse situations.
Innovation: Develops new, better or significantly different ideas, methods, solutions or initiatives within assigned role that result in improvement of IntraHealth’ s performance and meeting objectives, results and global commitments.
Accountability: Holds self and others accountable for all work activities, research and personal actions and decisions; follows through on commitments and focuses on those activities that have the greatest impact on meeting measurable high-quality results for IntraHealth’ s success. Exercises ethical practices, respectful words and behaviors, and equitable treatment of others in all activities.
Summary of Benefits
IntraHealth International, Inc. is a great place to work and prides itself on its comprehensive benefits package. We offer competitive salaries and a dynamic inclusive work environment which supports health workers so they can improve the lives of people throughout the world.
IntraHealth International is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. This is also to include inquiry about, disclosing, or discussing their compensation or the compensation of other applicants or employees.
Learn more about IntraHealth Careers @: http://www.intrahealth.org/section/careers
Learn more about “Who We Are” @: http://www.intrahealth.org/section/about-us1
Please apply by June 30, 2021. Shortlisting and interviews will be done on rolling basis until the position is filled. Only applicants fulfilling the above requirements will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within two weeks from the submission, consider your application unsuccessful.
Click here to read more & apply
2. Consultancy Opportunity-Maternal Health Consultant
BACKGROUND
MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics (MSSFPO) seeks to sustainably support the Government of Rwanda (GOR) in strengthening surgical safety within maternal health (MH) and voluntary family planning (FP) programs, by promoting evidence-based approaches and testing new innovations. MSSFPO will work with the Ministry of Health of Rwanda (MOH), as well as other Rwandan institutions, including civil society, faith-based, and community-based organizations (CSOs, FBOs, and CBOs), professional associations and other stakeholders. MSSFPO will advance the Results Framework described in Figure 1, adapted from the overall Results Framework guiding the MOMENTUM suite of projects. MSSFPO is led by EngenderHealth with a consortium of core and resource partners, including IntraHealth International.
In Rwanda, MSSFPO specifically seeks to support the GOR to accelerate reductions in maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity by increasing the capacity of the Rwandan health system to introduce, deliver, scale-up, and sustain the use of evidence-based, high-quality interventions for the provision of safe emergency surgical obstetric services, including CD and hysterectomy, difficult removal of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), and task shifting for permanent methods (PM). MSSFPO will collaborate closely with the USAID-funded Ingobyi Activity (led by IntraHealth) to leverage and align project platforms and activities. MSSFPO initially plans to work at the national level and in Ingobyi-supported districts, while concurrently engaging with national level actors to support an enabling environment for the scale-up of effective interventions, testing of promising practices, and consistent monitoring and review of essential indicators. MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics (MSSFPO) is a new activity that is part of the USAID-funded MOMENTUM suite of awards. IntraHealth is a sub partner on MSSPO and is planning to lead implementation of MSSFPO work in Rwanda.
As part of the start-up phase of the project in Rwanda, IntraHealth International is seeking a consultant to support a rapid assessment and context mapping of focus areas with national stakeholders as well as in selected Ingobyi project districts. The process will engage a broad range of stakeholders in the rapid co-creation of locally-owned strategies to inform the workplan for an anticipated 4 year investment by MSSFPO in Rwanda.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The consultant is responsible for the following activities:
- Meeting with the MSSFPO team to discuss the scope of work and other expectations for the assignment;
- Developing the necessary methodologies and tools for conducting the rapid assessment and context mapping (details below);
- Conducting the rapid assessment and context mapping;
- Analyzing assessment/mapping findings;
- Developing a report, PowerPoint, and other materials to document as well as support utilization of the findings;
- Planning the co-creation workshops – includes identification and invitation of participants;
- Supporting implementation of the co-creation workshop as a subject matter expert and presenter;
- Supporting preparation of co-creation workshop report; and
- Supporting development of the year one and two work plan, including development of proposed indicators for monitoring progress.
Rapid assessment and context mapping details:
The start-up phase in Rwanda will include a rapid assessment and context mapping, enabling MSSFPO to develop a nuanced understanding of the current context in several focus areas. These focus areas include strengthening provision of safe cesarean sections and peripartum hysterectomies; and expanding availability of LARC/PMs (including removal services).
Through the rapid assessment and mapping, consisting of a desk review complemented by key informant interviews (KIIs), MSSFPO will examine the status of each of the following key programmatic areas, and identify interventions (and related level of impact) that have previously been implemented focusing on the following areas, among others:
- Referral systems from the community and peripheral health facilities for emergency surgical obstetric care
- National strategies, policies, curricula, standards and guidelines for provision of safe emergency obstetric surgery
- National strategies, policies, curricula, standards and guidelines for provision of safe surgical FP services, including difficult removal of LARCs
- In-service trainer confidence/competencies in providing training in safe obstetric surgical care, related anesthesia support, LARCs (including removals) and PMs
- Provider confidence/competencies in providing safe obstetric surgical care, related anesthesia support, LARCs (including removals) and PMs
- Continuing education for medical providers, including those in rural settings, for continuing professional development (CBD) and ongoing skills-building
- Pre-service education programs in safe obstetric surgery, including LARCs and PMs, for clinical staff
- Formal and continuing education for anesthetists who support safe obstetric surgery
- Status of equipment, supplies and medications required to support delivery of safe obstetric surgical care (including anesthesia support), LARCs and PMs according to national (or international) guidelines
- Practices and guidelines for task shifting for provision of LARCs/PMs, as well as caesarean section and hysterectomy, as relevant
- National M&E frameworks in safe surgery and FP/RMNCH+N integration, and availability of routine data through HMIS to monitor progress
- Surgical team readiness to provide care safely in time of COVID-19, including IPC implementation
- Integration of Gender Youth and Social Inclusion (GYSI) into provision of safe surgical services as well as LARCs and PMs
- Integration of GBV screening and referral within target MNCH/FP services
The mapping process will be conducted concurrently with the above-referenced rapid assessment to document current donor/other stakeholder-supported efforts related to strengthening safe obstetric surgical care and availability of LARCs/PMs. The key interventions, priorities, relevant program documents, and timelines of relevant current projects and initiatives acting in areas relevant will be collected and mapped to identify gaps/opportunities for intervention.
DELIVERABLES
The consultant is responsible for the following deliverables in alignment with the responsibilities above:
- Inception report outlining key tasks, methods, timeline and key milestones to be achieved in the course of the assignment;
- Rapid assessment and mapping plan (including interview guides and search parameters), and obtain relevant approvals at the national and regional levels;
- Comprehensive list of documents, references, and data sources, including: existing programs, surveys, and research reports; assessments, evaluations, and existing data from USAID projects; routine data sources including census and HMIS/DHIS2; and guidelines, policies, strategies, and other framework documents issued by the government;
- Summary of desk review findings, mapping, key informant interviews into a user-friendly document with a) high-level answers to the questions noted above; b) key recommended activities within the USAID/Rwanda priority areas; c) any activities outside the scope of work proposed by USAID/Rwanda that are identified as urgent priorities by MOH and development partners; and d) visualizations summarizing the relevant trends in knowledge, demand, and service availability/use/outcomes relevant to the identified focus areas;
- Co-creation workshop agenda and stakeholder list;
- Co-creation workshop presentations, including PowerPoint slides on the desk review, mapping, and key informant interviews, draft priority interventions and associated key activities and learning questions within the MSSFPO technical areas and Mission-identified priorities;
- Draft of work plan sections, including, but not limited to, technical approach, interventions, outcomes, as well as monitoring, evaluation and leaning; and
- Co-creation workshop report.
LEVEL OF EFFORT AND TIMELINE
The estimated level of effort is 50 days during the period of July through September 30, 2021.
LOCATION
Preparation of assessment/mapping instruments, desk review of existing documents and relevant literature, analysis and documentation of findings, preparations for co-creation workshop and support for workplan development can all be completed remotely. Field work in selected sites will be required for implementation of the assessment and mapping tools.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
It is envisaged that the consultant selected to implement this assignment will have the requisite combination of skills, expertise and experience to carry out the Rapid Assessment and Context Mapping, as follows:
- Medical degree with solid clinical background and understanding of safe surgery, FP/MNCH integration, and LARCs and PMs;
- Additional MPH training preferred;
- In-depth knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research / evaluation method;
- At least ten (10) years of experience in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public health programs, and / or the design and conduct of public health research projects;
- Familiar with conducting Gender Youth and Social Inclusion assessments and GBV assessments;
- Good writing and synthesis skills;
- Strong knowledge of methods of collecting and analyzing data and presenting results and facilitating stakeholder workshops with high level national level staff and partners;
- Good understanding of Rwandan health system;
- Knowledge of local cultures and languages and the social context of Rwanda;
- Strong preference for a person of origin and resident in Rwanda; and
- Fluency in French required, and proficiency in English
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications must be sent to the Chief of Party via email: ingobyiprocurement@intrahealth.org with “Maternal Health Consultant” in the subject line and specifying the desired area of work. Deadline for submission of applications is Friday, June 18, 2021 at 6.00 p.m.
The application file should include:
- motivation letter and updated CVs;
- professional references with full names, phone number and email address;
- technical proposal (3 pages maximum) including applicant understanding of intended scope of work;
- Consultancy fees-daily rates and biodata form; and
- At least 3 referrals/certificates from previous similar work.
IntraHealth International is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, and requires affirmative action to ensure equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and consultancies.
Only applicants fulfilling the above requirements will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within one week from the submission deadline, consider your application unsuccessful.
