United States of America: Senior Technical Advisor - Maternal Health


The newly adopted Strategic Development Goals (SDG) and the unfinished Millennium Development Goals (MDG) agenda requires countries to rapidly accelerate progress towards reducing maternal and newborn morbidity. The maternal and newborn professional communities have been successful in identifying health interventions that work; the next challenge is to implement these at scale to accelerate progress and measure these gains. MSH is looking for an outstanding professional who can lead initiatives to scale up maternal and newborn health interventions in order to accelerate change and to work to find solutions around the lack of real-time accurate data for decision making at all levels of the health system.


This position will serve as a key technical resource to the Health Programs Group (HPG) integrated maternal and newborn health programing initiative within HPG under the guidance of the technical lead for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH). S/he is expected to actively support HPG and MSH to focus on emerging issues around inequity, respectful care, non-communicable diseases, improved data capture and analysis and quality of health interventions at scale at different levels of the health system. S/he will develop strategies for strengthening maternal health programs in health organizations in the public and private sectors in developing countries in particular to improve private sector engagement in providing maternal and newborn health interventions as countries take on more of a purchaser than provider role. S/he will work closely with MSH’s Pharmaceutical and Health Technologies (PHT) group to support MSH initiatives in maternal and newborn health technologies and medicines.


Specific Responsibilities


  • Establish and build MSH’s niche in maternal and newborn health.

  • Analyze all MNCH programs across MSH and distill approaches to addressing issues of integration, quality and scale.

  • Document impact of maternal health interventions and capture and share innovations being developed by project teams.

  • Provide technical assistance to MSH global and bilateral projects in the area of maternal health programs with particular emphasis on data capture, analysis and lesson learned.

  • Provide technical inputs into proposals and be active in positioning with donors through thought leadership, event planning, presentations, blogs and representing MSH at technical meetings.

  • Build and maintain strong relationships with key players among US Government (USG) and non-USG donors and partners.

  • Identify potential strategic partners and funders, keeping in mind diversification of MSH’s portfolio.

  • Identify and attend events and represent MSH at policy/advocacy/communication forums as speaker/presenter

  • Contribute to the global public health knowledge base by preparing case studies and technical briefs, and leading efforts to ensure MSH is published in peer reviewed journals in areas related to MNCH.

  • Work with the Performance, Learning and Impact (PLI) to review and provide guidance on standard indicators for Maternal Health and ensure that project performance monitoring plans are in line with latest thinking in the technical area and also on maternal health implementation research.

  • Develop and implement implementation research with country based projects in coordination with MSH’s PLI Unit.

  • Communicate concepts of maternal health through a variety of mechanisms, including the MSH website, fact sheets, publications, and blogs.

Job Requirements


  • Recognized as a maternal health expert in a maternal health programing or research role.

  • Advanced degree in public health field and 7 years’ of relevant experience.

  • Experience working in an academic institution, private sector or donor preferred in the field of maternal health.

Preferred Qualifications:


  • Demonstrated experience in health systems strengthening with emergency obstetric care planning and implementation.

  • Experience in operations, implementation or other types of research.

  • Two year overseas work experience in a developing country.

  • Published in peer review journals.

  • Epidemiology or data management skills.

  • 1-2 years of program development experience.

Skills and Abilities:


  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

  • Fluency in English,

  • Proficiency in French, Spanish and/or Portuguese preferred.

  • Proven ability to build strong relationships, work well as part of a team, and incorporate views of other disciplines into his or her work.

  • Demonstrated organizational, managerial and supervisory, skills and abilities; sound judgment; high ethical standards; flexible and able to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.

  • Demonstrated capacity to work in a variety of cultural settings, complex environment and fragile states.

  • Demonstrated computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Skills in statistical programs (SPSS, EPI info, etc.) are an added advantage.

  • Willingness and ability to travel to countries in which MSH works up to 50% time as required.

Management Sciences for Health is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status.


Apply Here


PI92209948





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