Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Officer

Overview

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Jhpiego develops innovations to enhance the capacity of health care workers, strengthening health systems and improve delivery of care towards improving the health and well-being. Jhpiego has been collaborating with the Government of Malawi and various partners in implementing a wide range of interventions in maternal, newborn and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care and treatment, since 1999.

Jhpiego is seeking highly qualified Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Officers to support the delivery of high‑impact Maternal and Newborn Health interventions in Malawi.

The MNH Officers will provide technical coordination and oversight of MNH interventions in the assigned district(s), ensuring integrated and high-quality service delivery. The role includes supporting research aimed at generating evidence on the feasibility, acceptability, and cost of comprehensive, context-appropriate, and woman-centered care packages for pre-eclampsia (PE) and maternal anemia. Responsibilities include data collection, stakeholder engagement, and adherence to ethical and quality standards within Malawi’s health system context.

The MNH Officers will be based in various districts across Malawi and will report directly to the Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Advisor.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership and program implementation

• Collaborate with the MNH Advisor to plan and implement scale-up strategies for high-impact maternal and newborn interventions at facility level, including Emergency Obstetric Care.
• Lead and oversee day-to-day execution of MNH activities in the districts, ensuring alignment with MCGL project objectives, donor requirements, and national health priorities.
• Develop and execute technical implementation plans, work plans, and monitoring frameworks in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, donors, and stakeholders.
• Coordinate implementation of high-impact MNH interventions, including ANC, facility readiness for labor and delivery, newborn care, and postnatal care.
• Introduce innovative approaches to improve quality of care across the continuum of care.
• Strengthen referral linkages and feedback loops between community, primary, and referral health facilities.
• Support demand generation and procurement of MNH commodities at district level.
• Assist finance staff in reviewing and reconciling payment documentation from trainers, program staff, and consultants

Study protocol and participant management

• Ensure compliance with internal and external standards, including SOPs, ICH-GCP, REC guidelines, and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare study reports and manage protocol deviations while maintaining accurate research records.
• Draft and review informed consent forms and other REC submission materials.
• Support data interpretation, analysis, and visualization; contribute to presentations, reports, and manuscripts.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Follow approved study protocols and ethical guidelines, including obtaining informed consent.
• Support monitoring visits and resolve data quality issues.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Work closely with the MOH and the relevant national authorities and key stakeholders to improve quality of care
• Coordinate closely with other relevant projects to identify synergies for improving MNH quality of care

Communication and Coordination

• Contribute to documentation of outcomes, success stories, and lessons learned; contribute to scientific publications and conference abstracts.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing across teams, regions, and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate with communications staff to support implementation of communication strategies and ensure effective communication and documentation of lessons and best practices from MNH programs.
• Organise and participate in study team meetings to plan and evaluate study activities, ensuring alignment with SUPREME goals.Liaise with study teams to procure project supplies and maintain adequate stock levels.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Nursing, or Midwifery (Advanced degree such as MPH, MD, or Nursing is an advantage).
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in MNH interventions and research, preferably in Malawi or similar low-resource settings.
• Experience working with government health structures, health facilities, and local partners.
• Strong familiarity with ICH-GCP guidelines, clinical trial regulations, and protocol management

Core skills and competencies

• Technical Skills:
• Proficiency in conducting and supporting protocol-driven research.
• Deep technical knowledge of evidence-based MNH interventions across the continuum of care (including antenatal care, skilled delivery, postnatal care, emergency obstetric and new-born care, child health, and integrated child illness management).
• Data Management:
• Strong skills in qualitative and quantitative data collection and use of electronic data capture tools.
• Attention to detail in maintaining accurate data,

• Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with clinical, research, and community partners.
• Project Management: Strong organisational abilities to manage multiple responsibilities and meet study timelines.
• Team Collaboration: Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team, maintaining effective relationships
• Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Professional proficiency Chichewa or Tumbuka s highly desirable.

Preferred Qualifications

All staff irrespective of their position are expected to comply with and follow Jhpiego operational procedures and policies, and codes of conduct.

                                       Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

                                                                     Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

Applicants must submit a single document for upload, including a cover letter, resume, and references.

                       For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to tough international child safeguarding standards.

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

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• Recruiters will never ask for a fee during any stage of the recruitment process.
• All active jobs are advertised directly on our careers page.
• Official Jhpiego emails will always arrive from a @Jhpiego.org email address.

Please report any suspicious communications to Info@jhpiego.org

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