ABOUT CRS

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identify is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as part of our staff and as partner’s people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and commitment to serving those in need. Since 2000 CRS Zambia has been implementing a number of programmes to support vulnerable communities in Zambian. Recent programming areas include nutrition, agriculture, food security, HIV/AIDS, WASH, financial inclusion, and early child development.

INTRODUCTION

CRS will be implementing the 3-year Mayi & Mwana II Project in target districts to improve antenatal and postnatal health services in health facilities, improve health seeking practices by women and improve coordination among district and provincial teams within the MoH, thereby reducing the incidence of maternal and newborn mortality in target districts. Mayi & Mwana will continue addressing barriers to positive health outcomes for mothers and newborns in Petauke, Lusangazi, Sinda, Chipangali and Katete districts in Eastern Province utilizing a district health system strengthening approach to improve timely access to high quality care for pregnant women and newborns. CRS has tailored the program to specific community needs and will address supply and demand barriers to women’s access to quality emergency obstetric and newborn care.

JOB SUMMARY

The candidate will assist the Project Director in coordinating, mentoring and monitoring facility mentors within the targeted districts.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Engage and strengthen partnerships relevant to the maternal and child health project, applying appropriate partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Provide coaching and mentoring of staff and guide individual development plans.
• Ensure supervisees (District Project Officers) have clear targets and performance metrics and meet agreed upon deliverables.
• When delegated by the Project Director, represent the organization with donors, INGO working groups, relevant local partners and relevant local government and community actors for maternal and child health programming area.
• Work with District Project Officers and other stakeholders in identifying capacity and technical assistance gaps within targeted health facilities and create systematic plans to address these gaps.
• Develop health facility assessments to determine areas for capacity building and quality improvement and work with district teams in the administration of these assessments and remedial action plans.
• Liaise with resource partners to ensure SoWs are developed and contracts are prepared to facilitate technical service delivery.
• Manage consulting contracts and deliverables with resource partners.
• Work with the project team in the preparation of monthly and quarterly reports and lessons learned and disseminate results to stakeholders.
• Supervise project staff in the preparation and presentation of project successes to both local and international MNCH conferences.
• Facilitate frequent field monitoring of Mayi and Mwana staff.
• Ensure District staff, facility focal point staff and volunteers have the most recent MNCH resources to facility activities within targeted catchment areas.
• Assist facility focal point staff in applying tools to assess the capacity of existing MNCH volunteers and needs for training, mentorship, and supportive supervision.
• Work closely with resource partners to strengthen the provision of EmONC in facilities through training of midwives/healthcare providers and ongoing mentorship and supportive supervision to sustain quality of care.
• Support mentors in the use of tele mentoring platforms such as ECHO to provide ongoing mentoring, supportive supervision and training
• Execute other tasks as assigned by the Project Director

CANDIDATE PROFILE

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture whilst teasing out granular detail, and ability to make sound judgement.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English and relevant local dialect appropriate for the setting
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Proactive, resourceful, and results-oriented

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Prior experience in maternal or child health programming at a similar level or above
• Degree in Nursing, Public health or equivalent
• Midwifery background is preferred.
• Masters Degree in the following: Public Health, Nursing/Midwifery Sciences, Health Systems Strengthening or equivalent.
• Minimum of seven years of work experience in MNCH programming with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, with minimum of three years of working on programming interventions.
• Demonstrate application of technical principles and concepts in MNCH program coordination
• General knowledge of other related disciplines to support proper cross-sectoral approaches.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation, and training applying adult learning principles and practices with special focus on critical Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health curricula.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.
• Experience and skills in networking and relations with donors, peer organizations, and faith-based and civil society partners. Understanding of partnership principles.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

REQUIRED LANGUAGES

• Strong English skills (preferred).
• Knowledge of local (Zambian) languages is an added advantage.

TRAVEL REQUIRED:

• The job entails up to 60% of travel

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (SKAS)

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with ability to make sound judgment and decisions and offer innovative solutions.
• Strong relationship management abilities
• Ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally.
• Good presentation and facilitation skills
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented

AGENCY-WIDE COMPETENCES (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfil his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardshi
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

No direct supervision responsibilities

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal: Head of Programs, Project Director, Project Assistant Officers, Other District Coordinators, MEAL Manager, MEAL Coordinator and FANSER teams in Eastern Province

External:    District Health Offices, Health Facility Staff, Community leaders, Midwives Association of Zambia.

SAFEGUARDING Disclaimer Clause:

This job description is not an exhaustive list of skills, effort, duties and responsibilities associated with the position. CRS’ recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Important Note: By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.