Maternal and Child Health Program Officer

Job Details

Function

The MCH Program Officer will be responsible for TB/HIV services delivery related to maternal and child health. This will include services related to prevention of mother to child transmission, early identification of infants at risk of HIV and supporting provision of cervical cancer screening to all women living with HIV. In addition, they will support monitoring, reporting and use of MCH data. The MCH program officer will support Kavango East, West and Zambezi regions in the north.

Responsibilities:

• Project Management, Coordination, and Support
  • Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of TB/HIV services within MCH platforms, with a strong emphasis on cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV.
  • Support the integration and scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services, including early infant diagnosis and follow-up of HIV-exposed infants.
  • Provide technical support to health facilities to ensure timely identification and management of HIV in pregnant and breastfeeding women and their infants.
  • Facilitate training, mentorship, and supportive supervision of healthcare workers delivering MCH/TB/HIV services.
  • Monitor and support the implementation of cervical cancer screening programs, ensuring alignment with national guidelines and timely follow-up of identified cases.
  • Participate in the introduction and phased rollout of HPV based DNA testing amongst Women Living with HIV (WLHIV).
  • Provide support to the health care providers on the introduction of HPV DNA based testing services in selected facilities.
  • Strengthen the collection, analysis, and use of MCH program data for decision-making, reporting, and quality improvement.
  • Collaborate with district health teams and implementing partners to ensure effective service delivery and integration.
• Project Administration and Supervision .
  • Support the draft and finalization of annual work plans.
  • Track budgets versus implementation of all project activities in your region
  • Ensure accurate and timely reporting of all assigned project activities per donor and IHN regulations, standards, and established schedules.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with the Prime Recipient and other key stakeholders.
• Monitoring and Evaluation
  • Work closely with the M&E to ensure that accurate data/ progress to targets is compiled and reported before deadlines on weekly/ monthly/ quarterly as agreed with the Prime Recipient (PHN)
  • Work closely with M&E team and Nurses to support DQA.
  • Assist the facilities team in data use.
  • Provide TA for health care facilities in the management and procurement of supplies and commodities to address issues of stock-outs.
  • Identify barriers to project implementation and work with staff and stakeholders to address barriers and ensure program objectives are met using performance improvement approaches.

Profile

Educational:

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science, or any other related field of the same NQA level.

Preferred Experience/Added Advantage:

• Diploma in Administration/Monitoring and Evaluation / Information Technology or related fields will be an advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of 3 years progressive experience implementing HIV and TB programs in Maternal and Child Health at facility and community levels Registered with HPCNA
• Training in HIV care including Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment
• In-depth understanding of maternal, newborn, and child health, especially HIV prevention, PMTCT, and TB/HIV integration.
• Knowledge of cervical cancer screening protocols, particularly for women living with HIV.
• Experience in supporting the rollout of HIV clinical programs at facility or district level.
• Skills in planning, coordination, and monitoring of health interventions.
• Experience in capacity building of health care providers in the implementation of MCH programs in HIV and TB care.

Knowledge and Skill:

• Excellent understanding of Government structures especially the Ministry of Health and Social Services
• Good knowledge of community structures and ability to work with religious and community leaders.
• Strong technical and programmatic skills and experience across a range of TB and HIV programmatic issues and topics.
• Knowledge of updated guidelines for screening and treatment of CxCa in line with the 90-70-90 CxCa global elimination strategy
• In-depth understanding of donor expectations for program results, outcomes, impact, and reporting.