MNCH-N Quality Improvement Officer

Job ID

2026-7695

Location

BI-Bujumbura

Category

Local

Employment Status

Full-Time

Background

The Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) program is saving lives and improving health by controlling the HIV pandemic and strengthening global health security to limit the spread of deadly disease outbreaks. RISE uses evidence-based practices from over 20 years of PEPFAR implementation to address critical HIV priorities along with global health security (GHS), maternal, newborn, and child health and Nutrition (MNCH-N), tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, data systems, supply chain and commodity management, and other cross-cutting areas.

In Burundi, Jhpiego is recruiting for 6 MNCH-N Quality Improvement Officers who will be based in the Kirundo, Muyinga, Cibitoke, Gitega, Cankuzo and Karusi (Communal level) to support delivery of high-quality MNCH-N services under the RISE MNCH-N project

The RISE-MNCH-N Quality Improvement Officer will provide hands-on technical support to health facilities and district teams to improve quality of maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition services, using systematic quality improvement approaches aligned with national standards.

Summary Scope of Work

The RISE MNCH-N Quality Improvement (QI) Officer is a field-based technical role responsible for driving continuous quality improvement of MNCH-N services at provincial, district, and health facility levels. The Officer translates national MNCH-N priorities and RISE strategic objectives into measurable improvements in service delivery performance across the continuum of care.

Working under the supervision of the Regional Team Lead Or MNCH-N Technical Advisors, the QI Officer serves as the operational link between national technical guidance and frontline implementation. The position ensures that MNCH-N strategies, standards, and global evidence-based practices are effectively operationalized through structured quality improvement methodologies, clinical mentorship, supportive supervision, service readiness strengthening, and data-driven decision-making.

The role is implementation-focused but strategically aligned — ensuring that national guidelines, Jhpiego quality standards, and RISE priorities are embedded in routine service delivery systems and translated into sustained improvements in maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition outcomes.

Reporting Structure

• Position Reports To: Regional Team Lead Or MNCH-N Technical Advisors
• Position Supervised: N/A
• Location: Commune of Cibitoke, Cankuzo, Muyinga, Kirundo, Gitega, Karusi

Responsibilities: All staff members of Jhpiego, regardless of the level of responsibilities are expected to

• Model organizational mission and values
• Participate in the business development process
• Contribute to the knowledge sharing and transfer process
• Make responsible decisions that result in both time and cost containment and clear accountability

Specific Duties and responsibilities

Strategic Alignment – Field Translation of National Priorities and global best practices

• Working closely with regional team leads, MNH and CH-N Technical Advisors, interpret and operationalize Ministry of Health MNCH-N policies, guidelines, and standards within supported districts and health facilities.
• Align facility and district-level MNCH-N interventions with RISE objectives, annual workplans, and Jhpiego quality standards.
• Ensure integrated implementation across the ANC–intrapartum–PNC–newborn–child health–nutrition continuum of care.
• Promote adherence to national clinical standards and globally recognized evidence-based practices.
• Identify systemic bottlenecks affecting service quality (e.g., readiness gaps, referral barriers, supply constraints) and provide structured feedback to the Regional Team Lead, MNH and CH-N Technical Advisors to inform adaptive management and strategic decision-making.

District-Level Quality Improvement Implementation

• Support District Health Teams in planning, prioritizing, and sequencing MNCH-N quality improvement activities.
• Establish and mentor functional facility QI teams to identify service delivery gaps and implement improvement actions.
• Facilitate district and facility-level QI meetings using standardized methodologies (e.g., Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and standards-based quality improvement approaches (SBQI/SBM-R)).
• Ensure QI action plans are developed, implemented, and monitored with clear, measurable indicators.
• Promote a culture of continuous quality improvement, accountability, and data-to-action at facility level.

Clinical Mentorship, Service Readiness & Capacity Strengthening

• Conduct routine facility readiness and quality assessments covering infrastructure, equipment, staffing, infection prevention and control (IPC), cold chain systems, and commodity availability.
• Provide structured on-site mentorship and coaching to healthcare providers on MNCH-N clinical practices, including emergency obstetric and newborn care.
• Support implementation of Low-Dose, High-Frequency (LDHF) training and simulation-based learning approaches.
• Build capacity of health providers, implementing partners (if applicable), and relevant community structures on MNCH-N models, standards, and quality improvement approaches.

Strengthening MNCH-N Service Delivery Across the Continuum

• Strengthening quality of antenatal care (ANC), intrapartum care, postnatal care (PNC), essential newborn care, and follow-up services.
• Support child health interventions including IMNCI, growth monitoring, nutrition screening, and management of common childhood illnesses.
• Strengthen nutrition interventions including IYCF counseling, MUAC screening, and referral and follow-up for SAM/MAM cases.
• Support quality improvement of routine immunization services, including zero-dose identification, defaulter tracing, and integration with child health and nutrition services.
• Support monitoring of cold chain functionality during supervision visits.

Community–Facility Linkages and Referral Systems

• Strengthen coordination between community health workers (CHWs), health facilities, and district authorities to ensure continuity of care.
• Support functional referral and counter-referral systems using standardized tools and feedback mechanisms.
• Facilitate community and facility feedback mechanisms to improve service responsiveness and accountability.

Data Use, Monitoring, and Documentation

• Support use of HMIS/DHIS2, facility registers, and supervision tools to monitor MNCH-N service quality and performance.
• Participate in routine data review meetings at facility and district levels to identify gaps and track improvement trends.
• Use routine data to inform QI priorities and adaptive actions.
• Prepare regular technical updates and quality reports (monthly, semiannual, annual) for the Regional Team Lead.
• Document and disseminate best practices, innovations, challenges, and lessons learned related to quality improvement.

• Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Midwifery, Medicine, Public Health, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4–6 years of progressive experience in MNCH-N service delivery, clinical mentorship, and/or quality improvement within health facilities or district health systems.
• Demonstrated practical experience across the MNCH-N continuum of care, including ANC, intrapartum care, PNC, essential newborn care, IMNCI, nutrition, and routine immunization services.
• Proven experience working with government health facilities and District Health Teams within the public health system.
• Experience in donor-funded (DoS) programs is an asset.
• Having worked in, or possessing strong contextual knowledge of the commune(s) of application is a strong asset.

Core Competencies

• Strong understanding of MNCH-N service delivery, quality improvement principles and service performance monitoring.
• Ability to translate national standards into practical, facility-level implementation.
• Strong coaching and mentorship skills with adult learning approaches.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to identify systemic bottlenecks.
• Ability to work independently in decentralized, field-based settings with minimal supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal, coordination, and communication skills.
• High level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability for results.

Technical Skills

• Strong technical knowledge of MNCH-N national and global guidelines, including ANC, intrapartum care, PNC, essential newborn care, IMNCI, nutrition, and routine immunization (EPI).
• Practical experience applying Quality Improvement (QI) methodologies, including QI cycles, PDSA, standards-based quality improvement (SBQI/SBM-R), and use of supervision checklists.
• Ability to conduct facility readiness and quality assessments, including evaluation of service organization, infection prevention and control (IPC), staffing, equipment, and commodity availability.
• Hands-on experience in clinical mentorship and supportive supervision for healthcare providers at health center and district hospital levels.
• Experience supporting integration of services across the MNCH-N continuum of care, including immunization, nutrition, child health, and community-facility linkages.
• Ability to analyze and use routine service data (registers, dashboards) to identify quality gaps and support data-driven quality improvement.
• Knowledge of referral and counter-referral systems, including collaboration with community health workers and district health teams.
• Experience working within government health systems and applying Ministry of Health standards and tools.
• Strong documentation and reporting skills, including preparation of supervision reports, QI action plans, and technical updates for management.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken French and Kirundi is required.
• Working knowledge of English is an asset.