Surge Midwife

Role Purpose

• The Surge Midwife will be assigned to a specific health facility in Tahtay Adiabo Woreda and will provide direct reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services in accordance with national guidelines and approved clinical protocols.
• The position holder will provide health education and direct services on maternal and child health, family planning, safe motherhood, antenatal care, delivery, postnatal care and essential newborn care; provide iron and folic acid supplementation and tetanus vaccination; identify high-risk mothers; facilitate referral; and counsel on family planning and exclusive breastfeeding.
• The position holder will provide technical assistance and capacity building to health extension workers and health workers linked to the assigned health facility.
• The position holder will promote and deliver basic preventive healthcare services through the assigned health facility, with emphasis on public health emergency management and prevention of maternal and newborn deaths.
• The position holder will maintain complete day-to-day documentation of services provided using national HMIS registers and tools, compile weekly and monthly reports, and submit them through the assigned health centre to the Asgede Woreda Health Office as part of the government reporting system (HMIS/DHIS2), with copies shared through Concern reporting lines.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Support and Facilitation

• Improve basic preventive healthcare through the assigned health facility in line with public health emergency management, with emphasis on prevention of maternal and newborn deaths.
• Conduct and support family health services as part of primary healthcare.
• Provide antenatal care, postnatal care, delivery and essential newborn care.
• Provide maternal nutrition counselling and breastfeeding support, including iron and folic acid supplementation for pregnant women.
• Provide iron supplementation, tetanus vaccination, family planning counselling and contraceptive services.
• Strengthen early referral mechanisms for obstetric complications and other maternal and child health conditions.
• Ensure that referral cases are stabilised, documented and linked to the nearest appropriate higher-level facility, based on ambulance availability and severity of illness.
• Strengthen linkages and coordination between the assigned health facility, surrounding communities and the Asgede Woreda Health Office.
• Train and support health workers and health extension workers to provide quality maternal, newborn and child health services.
• Train and support community-based volunteers, where applicable, and health workers in implementation of relevant community components linked to the assigned health facility.
• Conduct planning and awareness creation on family planning, available contraceptive methods, nutrition and preventive healthcare issues.
• Establish effective communication and close working relationships with the Concern Woreda Team Leader, assigned health centre management and staff, programme participants and the Asgede Woreda Health Office.

Planning, Reporting and Accountability

• Prepare weekly and monthly progress reports and other required documentation in line with the national HMIS, for submission through the assigned health centre to the Asgede Woreda Health Office and to the Concern Woreda Team Leader.
• Ensure weekly and monthly narrative and statistical reports are prepared using standard national HMIS registers, tally sheets and reporting formats, so that all services delivered are captured in the government reporting system (HMIS/DHIS2) and no parallel reporting system is created.
• Ensure that programme participants and stakeholders have clear and appropriate information about available services and activities.
• At all times, adhere to Concern policies and guidelines.
• Support induction and awareness on gender, protection, accountability, HIV/AIDS and equality for relevant staff.
• Ensure proper documentation of good practices, success stories, challenges and lessons for learning and sharing.
• Follow relevant Concern and national protocols and guidelines.
• Participate in weekly and monthly compilation and reporting of health, maternal, newborn and nutrition service data through the health centre HMIS, including weekly PHEM reporting of notifiable conditions and notification of maternal and perinatal deaths through the MPDSR system, as required.
• Prepare weekly and monthly reports on activities completed, problems identified and proposed solutions for the immediate supervisors and programme management, as required, ensuring figures are consistent with data reported to the Woreda Health Office through HMIS.
• Ensure timely requests for medicines, supplies and other items necessary for service delivery, in collaboration with health centre management and the Concern Woreda Team Leader.

Additional Duties

Perform other duties assigned by the line managers for accomplishment of programme objectives.

 

Emergency response

Concern is committed to responding to emergencies efficiently and effectively in order to help affected people meet their basic needs, alleviate suffering and maintain their dignity. To this end, when emergencies strike and the Ethiopia Programme is to respond, all staff are required to actively participate in the response, regardless of location and contribute to the efforts aimed at achieving the humanitarian objective of the organization.

Gender Equality

• Demonstrate understanding of Concern Ethiopia’s Gender Equality Strategy
• Contribute to ensuring that Concern Ethiopia is a place where men and women are treated equally and with  dignity and respect

Demonstrate gender equality awareness and gender sensitivity and an ability to integrate a gender equality perspective into tasks and activities.

Accountability

In line with Concern’s commitments under the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS): 

• actively promote meaningful community participation and consultation at all stages of the project cycle (planning, implementation, M&E);
• work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that the Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) is functional and accessible, that feedback and complaints are welcomed and addressed;

work with relevant colleagues  to ensure that information about CRM, safeguarding and expected staff behavior is disseminated among programme participants and communities.

Safeguarding

• Able to seek appropriate advice and report concerns, and feel confident that they have been understood.
• Understands local safeguarding structures and arrangements.
• Practises in a manner that seeks to reduce the risk of abuse, harm or neglect.
• Identifies and refers to appropriate services any other associated persons including carers, family members and children at risk.

Able to document safeguarding concerns, and maintain appropriate record-keeping, recording the wishes and views of the adult or child at risk, differentiating between fact and opinion

Person Specification

Essential knowledge, skills and experience

• BSc Degree in Midwifery with 2-3 years relevant experience, or Diploma in Midwifery with five years of relevant experience.
• Proven clinical experience in midwifery, including antenatal, delivery, postnatal and essential newborn care.
• Knowledge of emergency health and nutrition interventions, including infant and young child feeding interventions.
• Good communication and report-writing skills, including familiarity with national HMIS/DHIS2 registers and reporting tools.
• Good negotiation skills with government and other agencies.
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written English.
• Proficiency in Tigrigna language is mandatory.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with sensitivity to cultural diversity.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Ability to understand and respect the cultural, religious and political environment and work diplomatically with staff and local authorities.
• Experience in providing training, mentoring and capacity building for health workers.

Competencies

• Knowledge of Participatory Approaches
• Ability to work with teams at distance and good team player
• Capacity Building skills
• Ability to plan own work, set priorities, complete work under pressure or when faced with competing demands and report
• Analytical skills

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Computer proficiency

Important information:

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct with three Associated Policies: the Programme Participant Protection Policy, the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These policies are intended to protect programme participants from exploitation and clarify the responsibilities and expected standards of behaviour of Concern staff, consultants, visitors and partner organisations. Any candidate offered employment with Concern Worldwide will be required to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to the employment contract. Concern is committed to safeguarding and protecting adults and children in its work; employment may therefore be subject to appropriate vetting checks, including criminal background checks.

During the job application process, applicants will provide personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities for personal data seriously and is committed to complying with relevant data-protection legislation.

What we offer

• A competitive salary and benefit package
• Excellent medical benefits (100% cover including dependents)
• 20 days annual leave
• 26 weeks (paid) maternity leave, 18 weeks (unpaid) parental leave