Special Service Agreement to support (MPDSR) -(EMONC) - NO-C

The SSA Officer will provide technical assistance to strengthen Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), improve Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) referral systems, and enhance routine immunization programme performance in Eswatini. The role involves reviewing and updating national guidelines, supporting electronic system development, strengthening referral networks, and assessing immunization coverage to reduce maternal, newborn, and child morbidity and mortality.

Responsibilities

• Review and update the national MPDSR guideline including surveillance, notification, death review, data management, analysis, response, recommendation tracking, accountability, and feedback mechanisms.
• Develop or update tools, SOPs, reporting templates, and implementation guidance for the revised guideline.
• Support the design and institutionalization of an electronic MPDSR system aligned with national digital health architecture.
• Develop data-flow processes, user roles, data quality requirements, and procedures for data management and reporting.
• Pilot test the electronic MPDSR system and document lessons learned for scale-up.
• Review and strengthen the EmONC referral network and national database including mapping and classification of facilities.
• Develop referral guidelines and SOPs for maternal and newborn emergencies.
• Assess routine immunization programme performance and identify barriers to coverage and equity.
• Build capacity for routine immunization activities and vaccine preventable disease surveillance.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations and validation of findings and recommendations.
• Provide technical workshops, coaching, and mentorship to Ministry of Health and health facility teams.
• Document lessons learned, good practices, challenges, and recommendations for continued implementation.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in public health or relevant health-related field.
• University undergraduate degree in Medicine or related field.
• Specialized training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Health Systems, Epidemiology, Health Informatics, Health Policy (desirable).
• PhD in Medicine, Public health or related field (desirable).
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in maternal, newborn and child health and routine immunization programming.
• Demonstrated experience in MPDSR implementation and quality-of-care initiatives.
• Proven experience in digital health systems design and implementation.
• Experience conducting EmONC assessments and referral system strengthening.
• Familiarity with WHO standards, MPDSR guidelines, EmONC frameworks and EPI guidelines.
• Experience working with Ministries of Health and development partners.
• Experience in Southern Africa or similar settings (desirable).
• Prior working experience with WHO/UN agencies, international organizations (desirable).
• Sound knowledge and experience with national SRH and EPI programming.
• Excellent analytic and writing skills.
• Very good writing, presentation, documentation, and data analysis skills.
• Maturity and professional ability to handle sensitive information and uphold client confidentiality protocols.
• Basic IT skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Excellent command of MS-Office.
• Planning and organizing skills.
• Excellent knowledge of English.

Skills

• Maternal Health Programmes
• Newborn Health Programming
• Child Health Programming
• Routine Immunization Programming
• MPDSR Implementation
• Quality-of-Care Initiatives
• Digital Health Systems Design
• Digital Health Systems Implementation
• EmONC Assessments
• Referral system strengthening
• WHO Standards Familiarity
• MPDSR Guidelines Knowledge
• EmONC Frameworks Knowledge
• EPI Guidelines Knowledge
• Health Policy
• Health Informatics
• Epidemiology
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Health Systems
• National SRH Programming
• Data Analysis
• Report Writing
• Presentation Skills
• Documentation Skills
• Excel
• Word
• Power Point
• Windows MS Office
• Planning and Organization

Languages

English