Micronutrient Initiative CBMNH Quality Assurance Officer Job in Kakamega Kenya (KES 120K)

Terms of reference for CBMNH Quality Assurance Officer to support to MI’s Community - based Maternal and New-born Health and Nutrition program in Kakamega Kenya

Background and Rationale: The Micronutrient Initiative (MI), is a leading international not-for-profit organization which works to ensure that the world´s most vulnerable populations, especially women and children in developing countries are provided the vitamins and minerals they need to survive and thrive. 

MI seeks to improve the survival and health of women and their newborns by ensuring that their needs for essential vitamins and minerals are met during the reproductive years, and particularly during pregnancy and after birth. 

MI undertakes various interventions to achieve this goal including through the Community-based Maternal and Newborn Health and Nutrition (CBMNH) program. 

PRONTO, a program funded by the Micronutrient Initiative, is a project of the University of Washington in the Department of global health that provides low-cost, highly realistic obstetric and neonatal emergency simulation training for inter-professional teams in resource-limited settings around the world. 

The training promotes kind, dignified, and culturally appropriate care of women and babies through interactive training modules that facilitate group discussion and self-discovery. 

PRONTO assists local teams in the diagnosis of system barriers and in identifying achievable strategies to improve patient safety and birth outcomes. 

The aim of the MI CBMNH program, of which PRONTO is a part, is to strengthen the capacity of the health systems in at least three sub-Saharan African countries to ensure that many more pregnant mothers and newborns are reached with proven health and nutrition interventions. 

MI is accomplishing this objective by implementing a series of proof-of-concept projects in Kenya with high probability for effective replication across the continent and beyond. 

These are organized to demonstrate strategies which improve the utilization and coverage of effective packages of nutrition and health services by pregnant mothers who are not already adequately covered by facility-based services, thus the projects are integrating careful monitoring and rigorous process and impact evaluations.
 

In order to evaluate the success of the proof-of-concept project in Kenya, theLinda Afyaya Mama na Mtoto project in Kakamega County intends to recruit the services of a Data Quality Assurance Officer

Currently, the project requires quality assurance activities for the near miss data collection tool as well as commodity surveillance (stock management) and tracking utilization of both facility-based service and community based service.Project partners are predominantly monitoring project activities, and the QA role will supportthis through assuring data completeness and quality. 

The instruments for data collection and quality monitoring include, the Near Miss form, stock out assessments for essential goods, and monitoring volume for post-natal and antenatal care visits.

This position is therefore of paramount importance to success of the project. 
 

Overall Purpose / Broad Function: Responsible for ensuring efficient, valid, and comprehensive facility based data collection in intervention and control clinics, which entails continuousfacility visits to collect data and monitor quality. 

The post holder will be part of the field team and work closely with other field officers and partner organizations to facilitate strengthening of data collection, analysis and dissemination andwill report to PRONTO’s Project Coordinator in Kakamega.

Requirements for the CBMNH QA Officer
 

The CBMNH Quality Assurance Officer should have the following qualifications and experience:

• At a minimum, a Master’s degree from a recognized University  in Public Health, Nutrition,  or social sciences
• MUST have a clinical background preferably a clinical Officer or a nursing officer
• At least 3-5 years’ experience in supervision, monitoring and evaluation of maternal and child health services and familiarity with Ministry of Health MNH and nutrition policies and guidelines
• SHOULD have facilitation skills in MNH and Nutrition high impact interventions’ training
• Familiarity with data quality assessments at facility and community levels
• Competence in data analysis using statistical software will be an added advantage
• Familiarity with Standards Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R) and being a resident of Kakamega County will be an added advantage

Scope of work
 

Based in Kakamega, the Quality assurance Officer will:

1. Spend 75% of their time visiting facilities for data collection; 25% of their time in the Kakamega office updating program partners and Project Coordinator
2. Collect and validate data on facility utilization of ANC, Delivery and postnatal care services in implementation facilities.
3. Conduct Monthly essential MNH commodity surveillance and update the project on the status to inform stop-gap procurement.
4. In collaboration with MOH, lead in quarterly data quality assessments at facility and community levels in the project area.
5. Conduct sample birth observationsto determine quality of delivery care
6. Review and validate data used to determine incentives for CHWs, Birth companions and Health facilities.

Submit weekly reports to PRONTO’s Project Coordinator in Kakamega, which will then be shared with program partners

Reporting: The Assurance Officer will directly report to the Project Coordinator, PRONTO International
 

The internship period is estimated to be 15 months with a monthly remuneration of KES 120,000, plus other employment benefits as stipulated in the employee handbook.

Interested candidates are requested to fill in the application form on the link provided below after which, send their CVs only to jobs@uwkenya.org. 

To be considered for the position, do ensure to fill in the application form in the link provided below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Zx2GAIb78DPHPB9c26gsmZxUBKNuED73u0Hh0B6zXSM/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link
 

Please note that the above list of duties isn’t meant to be exhaustive and can change as guided by the Supervisor. 

Applications for this position are open up to close of business 30-September-2014.