Job Opportunity: Newborn and Child 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. And the longstanding relationships we have built with government agencies, private-sector partners, and members of civil society make our efforts stronger and more effective. Join us and together we can make lasting changes in global health—for all of us.
The USAID Ingobyi Activity is a five-year cooperative agreement to improve the quality of reproductive, Maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) and malaria services, in a sustainable manner with the goal of reducing neonatal, child, and maternal mortality in Rwanda. The Ingobyi Activity builds upon the tremendous gains Rwanda has made in the health sector as well as previous USAID investments in the health sector to provide a healthier, more productive future for all Rwandans. Ingobyi works to improve the availability, quality, and utilization of RMNCH and malaria services with resilience and sustainability.
SUMMARY OF ROLE
IntraHealth International seeks to recruit a newborn and child health advisor who will provide technical and program support in newborn and child health services for the USAID-funded Ingobyi Activity. The newborn and child health advisor will be based in Kigali and will coordinate all newborn and child health activities along the continuum of care from facility to community in all supported districts. The position will report directly to the senior RMNCH specialist.
Responsibilities include:
1. Planning and implementation of newborn and child health activities
- Work closely with the technical team, especially the senior RMCNH specialist, to plan, implement, and scale-up high impact interventions for newborn and child health at both facility and community levels. This will include the following: essential newborn care (ENC) including essential care for every baby (ECEB), essential care for small babies (ECSB) and helping baby breathe (HBB) – 2nd edition, postnatal care, care for small and sick babies including Kangaroo mother care, pediatric emergencies (ETAT+), integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI), and community-based maternal and newborn health (CBMNH), among others.
- Work closely with the technical teams, especially the senior RMCNH specialist, to integrate quality standards in newborn and child health interventions and lead measurement of related quality indicators.
- Support zonal newborn and child health specialists to implement newborn and child health interventions based on the latest evidence.
- Support implementation of mentorship activities with professional association mentors and with district-based mentors. The incumbent will be expected to support mentorship and supportive supervision of newborn and child health activities in all 20 districts.
- Support health care provider efforts to implement quality of care for newborn and child health services.
- Work with the technical team, especially the infection prevention and control (IPC) team, to ensure IPC measures are well understood and applied in neonatology and pediatrics in all supported facilities. The incumbent will play a key role in preventing infections in neonatology and pediatrics.
- Work closely with Ingobyi community health specialists to improve the delivery of newborn health services in the community as part of community-based maternal and newborn health (CBMNH) service package offered by community health workers.
- Contribute to the development of high-level technical content for newborn and child health at the central level. This may include training materials and the development of new guidelines/protocols.
- Organize and implement relevant training activities in supported districts including training on neonatal protocols and ETAT+, and ensuring that ETAT standards are applied in pediatric emergencies.
- Support documentation, and rollout of best practices and lessons learned.
- Ensure that newborn and child health activities are executed according to plan/schedule and in an integrated manner across the RMNCH continuum.
2. Reporting, learning, and documentation
- Document newborn and child health activities and assist with the identification of best practices.
- Share experiences or best practices in newborn and child health services to inform the design of Ingobyi’s subsequent workplans.
- Coordinate with Ingobyi Activity’s MEL team to ensure that the project meets expected deliverables in newborn and child health in accordance with the MEL framework.
- Support program data analysis and interpretation, and use findings to plan interventions accordingly.
- Prepare and submit reports on newborn and child health activities and submit to supervisor on a quarterly basis or upon request, in a timely manner.
3. Representation in technical meetings/discussions
- Represent Ingobyi Activity in newborn and child health technical working groups as needed.
- Participate in technical meetings with MOH/RBC and other partner meetings as may be requested from time to time.
- Present updates on newborn and child health in internal quarterly technical meetings or as may be requested by the supervisor.
- Actively participate in technical sessions to develop clinical guidelines and other strategic documents.
4. Supervision
- Supervise newborn and child health zonal specialists
- Support learning and professional development for direct reports
5. Requirements
- A degree in medicine and master’s in public health will be required
- Candidates with masters in pediatrics will be preferred.
- Candidates must have a valid license issued by Rwanda National Council of Nurses and Midwives, Rwanda Allied Health Professions Council, or Rwanda Medical and Dental Council.
- Must have experience as a trainer in one or more of the high impact interventions for newborn and child health, including: essential newborn care (ENC), essential care for every baby (ECEB), essential care for small babies (ECSB), and helping baby breathe (HBB) – 2nd edition, postnatal care, care for small and sick babies including Kangaroo mother care, pediatric emergencies (ETAT+), integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI), and community-based maternal and newborn health (CBMNH).
- At least 5 years of professional experience working in newborn and child health services in Rwandan settings is desired.
- Must have hands-on knowledge and skills in designing, planning, implementing, and monitoring of facility and community-based programs for promoting newborn and child health services.
- Must have a sound understanding of current policy developments related to newborn and child health at the facility and community level.
- Previous experience with USAID funded projects will be an added advantage.
- Must be familiar with Microsoft Office package and internet navigation.
- Strong skills in teamwork and networking.
- Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English, French, and Kinyarwanda.
- Solid skills in documentation and report writing will be required.
- Ability to travel nationally frequently.
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 roles 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 November 19, 2020
