The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a global call to action to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure peace and prosperity for all. UN support to Malawi aligns with these goals through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023-2028, which complements Malawi’s national development priorities as outlined in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) IV for 2019-2023. The UNSDCF represents UN Malawi’s commitment to addressing national challenges through a system-wide response. 

UN investments under the Cooperation Framework focus on three main pillars:

1. Peace, Inclusion, and Effective Institutions
2. Population Management and Inclusive Human Development
3. Inclusive and Resilient Growth

The UN Joint Programme on “Health Systems Strengthening for Equitable Health Outcomes” (UNJP-HSS) is part of this framework, supporting the pillars of population management, inclusive human development, and inclusive and resilient growth. The programme is coordinated by three UN agencies—UNICEF, UNFPA, and WHO—with UNICEF as the technical lead.

Introduction:

Despite recent improvements, Malawi faces significant challenges in health outcomes. The UNJP-HSS, funded by the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, aims to improve health and survival rates for the most vulnerable populations in Malawi. Health care resources are disproportionately allocated to tertiary facilities and services. Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires a cost-effective equity-focused Essential Health Package (EHP) that leaves no-one behind prioritizing      primary and preventive care, improves quality, and strengthens health systems.

Programme Focus:

• Reaching the poorest and most vulnerable with cost-effective primary and community-based health services.
• Improving quality of care to ensure better life-saving outcomes and increased demand.
• Establishing effective district governance and accountability for service delivery and outcomes to optimize resource use.

Key Objectives:

• Increase the provision and uptake of quality, cost-effective, life-saving primary healthcare (PHC) services.
• Improve equitable resourcing and district management of services.
• Strengthen government accountability and citizen participation in health service delivery at the district level.

The UNJP-HSS will emphasize the 4 Ps (People, Product, Place, and Policy), leveraging the comparative advantages of participating UN agencies. The Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) will coordinate the programme, providing technical support to ensure the availability and accessibility of quality integrated Sexual Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health (SRMNCAH) services at primary care and community levels, aiming to achieve good health by 2025 for women including those pregnant, children, and adolescents.

How can you make a difference?

SCOPE OF WORK/OBJECTIVES

• Build the capacity of DHO for evidence-based planning, budgeting, supervision, and monitoring of District Integrated Plans with a focus on PHC and SRMNCAH.
• Enhance the capacity of the DHO to implement and monitor SRMNCAH-specific interventions, ensuring alignment with national health policies and guidelines.
• Support integration of community-based and facility-based systems and coordination with other sectors at the district.
• Strengthen DHO capacities for conducting monthly and quarterly meetings, performance reviews, and follow-up on action points.
• Facilitate the development and/or operationalization of multi-year Strategic Plans for SRMNCAH services at the district level, promoting sustainability and long-term impact.
• Assist DHO in conducting integrated supportive supervision to improve PHC and SRMNCAH intervention quality.
• Collaborate with UNJP technical teams and DHO to strengthen institutional capacities and enhance SRMNCAH service delivery at both facility and community levels and referral pathways.
• Maintain collaborative relationships with implementing partners, government counterparts, and civil society organizations.
• Develop and implement capacity-building workshops for the DHO on advanced SRMNCAH topics, including maternal and neonatal health, family planning, and adoslescent health.
• Support the implementation of Quality of Care standards and Quality Improvement initiatives.
•  Support capacity building of human resources for health, including training and mentorship, focusing on PHC and SRMNCAH service delivery and documentation.
• Coordinate and support the functionality of a robust supply chain management system to ensure continuous availability of SRMNCAH commodities and reduce stockouts.
• Support DHO to generate, analyze and use data from HMIS/DHIS2 platform for programme planning, monitoring and decision-making.
• Coordinate the strengthening of community-based health systems to create demand, drive accountability and ensure the provision of essential PHC and SRMNCAH services.
• Facilitate the planning and implementation of joint field missions for UNJP programme performance monitoring and reviews

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Academic Qualification:

• Master’s degree in medicine, nursing, midwifery, epidemiology or statistics, public health, or International Health, Health Policy and Management and M&E from an accredited/recognized institute.

Work Experience: Essential:

• At least five (5) years related experience in Primary Health Care (PHC) and Sexual, Reproductive Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adoslecent Healthcare (SRMNCAH) service delivery.
• Experience working with government agencies, local authorities, international organizations, NGOs, and communities in implementing PHC and SRMNCAH service delivery.
• A minimum of 2 years of experience working or collaborating with either the UN and/or NGOs.
• Extensive experience in evidence-based planning.

Desirable:

• Prior working experience at field level with MOH, other UN agencies, DHOs, NGOs.
• Familiarity with Health System Strengthening initiatives in Malawi or similar countries in the region is an advantage

Technical Skills, Knowledge, and Strength Areas:

Required

• Strong coordination and collaborative abilities within the health sector and across other sectors.
• Strong sense of team spirit and diplomacy.
• Good interpersonal skills, ability to build and maintain partnerships across government and NGOs, ability to work in multicultural settings and culturally sensitive communities.
• Ability to work under stressful conditions and a flexible approach in undertaking the assignment within a rapidly changing environment.
• Essential knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, working knowledge of online data collection applications, and statistical analysis packages (SPSS, Stata, etc.).
• Commitment to UNICEF’s values and guiding principles.

Languages:

• Fluency in English – both excellent written and verbal skills are required.
• Chichewa – verbal skills is an asset.

Please refer to the attached full Terms of Reference  Terms of Reference_UNJP District Coordination Consultants.pdf for more details on the consultancy and requirements.

Advertised: 11 Sep 2024 South Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 22 Sep 2024 South Africa Standard Time