Training Supervision and Quality (TSQ) Specialist

Position Reports To: Program Manager, Impact Malaria

Position Supervises: Technical Advisor(s)

Location: Far North and North (Maroua), Cameroon

Context:

The Training, Supervision and Quality (TSQ) Specialist will provide technical and programmatic support in the area of quality assurance as part of the USAID-funded Impact Malaria project. The five-year Impact Malaria project has an overarching goal to reduce mortality and morbidity due to malaria, and move Cameroon towards pre-elimination by expanding and improving the quality of malaria case management and prevention at the public health facility and at the community level through training, formative supervision, strengthening of Cameroon’s health systems and coordination of activities at the central, regional and district levels of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP).

The TSQ Specialist will be part of a team of three to four members, including one (1) NMCP staff member, and will have the primary responsibility of providing oversight, supportive supervision, coaching, and mentoring to local NMCP staff and health providers both in health facilities and in the communities, to ensure compliance with national case management (CM) and malaria in pregnancy (MIP) policies and guidelines. The TSQ Specialist will also be responsible for providing support to the project’s technical and programmatic staff in the development and implementation of capacity building activities with a focus on the technical and methodological soundness of activities and, in collaboration with the project team and partners, support the design of service delivery strategies and quality assurance systems and procedures, based on sound and current scientific evidence.

Responsibilities:

• Support assessments, capacity building, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy development and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) across project sites, as required by CM and MIP program activities;
• Provide technical assistance to the NMCP/Ministry of Health (MOH) for the development, adaptation and use of evidence-based clinical training materials, job aids, curricula, supervisory tools and other training materials for CM and MIP interventions;
• Contribute to the development of NMCP work plans to ensure effective planning and integration of CM and MIP interventions and the inclusion of scale-up approaches at the district level, including accessing hard-to-reach populations;
• Organize workshops, training sessions, and technical meetings in collaboration with the NMCP and local partners and stakeholders;
• Collaborate with the project M&E team to develop and sustain databases that monitor key MIP and CM indicators at district-level and contribute to district- and regional level achievements;
• Provide technical support to the NMCP to interpret and use CM and MIP programmatic data for decision making;
• Document and maintain an inventory of successful tools and approaches for MIP including development and submission of abstracts, papers and presentations to journals and conferences in line with project collaboration, learning and adaptation plan;
• Conduct regular reporting to the Impact Malaria Program Manager and technical staff, as well as the local NMCP office, of successes, challenges and lessons learned in implementation of CM and MIP activities;
• Work collaboratively with program team members to ensure necessary program planning, development, resource availability, and management activities function smoothly and efficiently;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Program Manager.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Clinical degree in nursing or medicine;
• At least six (6) years of experience in CM and/or MIP program implementation;
• Skilled in writing technical and programmatic documents, such as training materials and reports;
• Understanding of public health and development approaches particularly in the Cameroonian context. Familiarity with Cameroon’s health system, key stakeholders and relevant government policies/strategies;
• Understanding of monitoring and evaluation of programs, and skilled in use of data for decision-making and program management;
• Work planning and budgeting experience; experience with USG donors preferred;
• Excellent presentation skills and verbal and written communication skills;
• Proven leadership skills, as well as skills in facilitation, team building and coordination;
• Demonstrated self-management (i.e. motivation, dealing with pressure, adaptability) and the ability to project a professional, consistent image of confidence, integrity and competence;
• Ability to travel nationally;
• Highly proficient in English, fluent in French.