Senior Program Officer

Vacancy Announcement

Position: Senior Program Officer

Duty Station: Surkhet with frequent field visits

The Senior Program Officer will provide technical support for implementing the ‘Strengthening Maternal Neonatal Health Service in Partnership with Local Government’ (SMNHS) project activities in OHW-supported program districts, support district coordinator and Partner Organization (PO) staff to implement the SMNHS project namely with a focus on providing technical support to local government executives and health units, Health Facility Operation and Management Committee (HFOMC), MNH service providers and community health workers including the project staff. This position will involve close collaboration with teams in Kathmandu, Cluster, and District to ensure smooth coordination and effective delivery of program activities, ensuring compliance with national guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Population, its technical divisions, and OHW’s internal policies/guidelines.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical Support

• Take a lead role in building the capacity of DC and PO staff to implement governance-related activities, including Palika-level health planning and budgeting, HFOMC training, MSS training, BPP training, and their follow-up, as well as updating the Palika profile for evidence-based planning and budgeting.
• Support the process monitoring of the above-mentioned activities and ensure program quality through close coordination with the cluster and district teams, taking necessary actions for improvement.
• Conduct overall program monitoring at the district level and provide inputs to district teams, including PO and cluster staff, to drive continuous improvement of the SMNHS project.
• Assist the supervisor and cluster team in PO mobilization, as well as tracking, recording, and reporting activities.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Provide onsite and/or virtual support to the project team in the district, Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) service providers, and Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), with a focus on MNH service readiness to ensure the quality of services and capacity building in data collection, recording, reporting, and clinical skills
• Facilitate Health Facility Operations Management Committees (HFOMC) strengthening events
• Support to conduct the activities for capacity building of existing and new staff in the Partner Organization

Coordination and Strategic Inputs

• Coordinate, and represent in different types of meetings and sessions, ensuring that activities are progressing as planned, and share SMNHS project’s updates to stakeholders
• Provide inputs in the design and implementation process of innovative projects
• Assess and verify the specific need of birthing centers including equipment and structure, ROUSG service to ensure that the needs are accurate, and that the support are provided on time
• Prepare materials for training, workshops, or presentations as needed
• Support in progress tracking, and preparing reports specifically in compiling and/verifying data of activities conducted throughout the month, documenting any challenges or successes

Supervision and Monitoring 

• Conduct the supportive supervision and monitoring of program activities to provide constructive feedback and guidance to program staff, service providers, and partners to ensure that the program stays on track.
• Conduct the monitoring visits of the transition districts to determine if the outcomes achieved during the implementation phase are being sustained, to identify any emerging needs in maintaining the outcomes, and to provide the necessary support or guidance to ensure long-term success.

Responsible for all other related duties assigned by supervisor/management.

Job Specifications (minimum job requirements):

Academic qualifications and work experience:

• Master’s degree in Public Health, following Bachelor's in Nursing
• Minimum two years of experience in a related field (preferred experience in maternal, neonatal, and child health sector).

Skills and abilities

• Willingness to undertake regular field visits to rural and remote areas.
• Ability to coach and provide effective technical support.
• Strong understanding of Nepal's health service delivery system
• Comprehensive knowledge of maternal and newborn health-related guidelines and their implementation process
• Demonstrate experience in MS Office applications, statistical tools, and key systems such as DHIS-2 and eLMIS.
• High attention to detail with a focus on delivering quality technical outcomes.
• Excellent proficiency in both English and Nepali, with strong communication skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and experience working in a team in a multicultural environment.
• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.
• Ability to function as a self-starter with limited supervision.

WHAT WE VALUE

At OHW, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we understand the value of developing a team with different perspectives, educational backgrounds, and life experiences. We prioritize diversity within our team, and we welcome candidates from all gender identities, castes, religious practices, sexual orientations, and abilities – among many others. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for positions at OHW.

Application Procedures:

Interested candidates who meet the above requirements are requested to visit the link at https://forms.gle/azYUjq6mvDiBsVHDA and submit their application through the online portal by December 30, 2024.

OHW reserves the right to cancel, postpone or modify the whole recruitment process and reject any/all applications without specifying any reasons whatsoever.