Every Mother and Newborn Counts (EMNC) Coordinator

The Jalin project is USAID Indonesia’s flagship investment in maternal and newborn health. The “Every Mother and Newborn Counts” (EMNC) activity, as part of Jalin, is tasked with measurement of all maternal and newborn deaths in one district each of six different project provinces (North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Banten). Broadly, the EMNC Coordinator will support an Indonesian partner to list all maternal and newborn deaths occurring in the previous year in each district, and follow up of all maternal deaths and a sample of newborn deaths with an integrated verbal and social autopsy interview to describe the characteristics of those deaths. Support for analysis, and data use and impact at provincial and national levels is also part of the EMNC activity.

In addition to the activities at the six districts, the EMNC Coordinator will serve as Jalin’s lead to provide technical assistance to Indonesian agencies responsible for civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) and mortality surveillance for potential system improvements to ensure high coverage, completeness, and quality of data on maternal and neonatal mortality.  Vital Strategies (VS) is a member of the Jalin consortium, led by DAI. This position will be responsible for planned EMNC activities and seconded to the Jalin project office in Jakarta.

Position: Full-time based in Jakarta

Purpose of the position: The EMNC Coordinator will be Jalin’s focal point to ensure timely and technically sound implementation of the EMNC work plan. It represents an investment in local capacity strengthening for improvement of maternal and newborn mortality surveillance.

Position Summary: The EMNC Coordinator will ensure country activities are implemented per approved work plans, technical and operational protocols, and budgets. The EMNC Coordinator will also ensure that activities are continuously monitored, and roadblocks are identified and reported on in a timely manner.. S/he will also support progress reporting to DAI. The position will require frequent domestic travel to district data collection sites.

Details regarding the position:

·       Title: Jalin EMNC Coordinator

·       Duty station: Jalin project office in Jakarta

·       Reporting lines: The EMNC Coordinator will report to the MERLA Director with technical and operational supervision by the Vital Strategies Senior Program Officer based in Singapore.

Duties and responsibilities:

Primary duties and responsibilities:

·       EMNC inception and activity design

o   Assist in review and revision of EMNC data collection design and methodology documents, drawing from previous experiences;

o   Support process of obtaining Indonesian Ethics Committee approval

·       Have primary responsibility for logistical planning for EMNC activities

o   Significant collaboration with the Indonesian partner to establish feasible implementation work plans for data collection in all six districts. Plans should have clear targets, milestones, and budgets..

·       Support national, provincial, and district sensitization meetings to ensure local buy-in and support for successful implementation

o   Represent Jalin and the EMNC at national, provincial, and district-level stakeholder sensitization meetings

·       Work closely with the Indonesian partner organization to train data collectors on EMNC methods

o   Provide technical guidance and backstopping on training provided to data collectors;

o   Provide technical guidance to the district governments on improvements to the system for ongoing mortality surveillance in each of the target districts;

·       Provide supportive supervision and quality assurance throughout the implementation of the EMNC activity

o   Ensure EMNC activities are conducted in accordance with all regulatory requirements (GoI, USAID, DAI) and according to Jalin’s aims, objectives, approved work plans, budgets and protocols

o   Undertake regular quality assurance visits for data collection field sites, particularly those experiencing any delays, roadblocks, or difficulties in performing to standard

·       Facilitate data utilization in support of project goals

o   Assist in the identification of appropriate stakeholders to engage in data use and impact activities

o   Contribute to technical discussions at the national and subnational levels regarding the causal pathways of maternal and neonatal deaths;

o   Contribute to national, provincial, and district consultations on CRVS and routine reporting methods involving maternal and neonatal deaths;

o   Support the planning and implementation of data use and impact workshops and/or other related activities to be determined

·       Reporting and Monitoring:

o   Communicate regularly and report on initiative progress as required by the MERLA Director

o   Continuously monitor Initiative activities to identify and report all roadblocks to implementation

·       Other tasks and duties as dictated by developments as they arise in EMNC implementation and as determined by Jalin.

Secondary duties and responsibilities:

·       Assist as needed in procurement of equipment, materials and supplies required for EMNC data collection working with the Jalin procurement team, following all USAID and DAI regulations and processes.

·       Provide ongoing intelligence regarding potential opportunities to widen / improve the impact of EMNC activities in country

Proposed compensation: Commensurate with compensation for in-country staff with similar qualifications and experience.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required:

·       Post-graduate degree or certificate in relevant field from a recognized university

·       Field experience in any aspect of mortality surveillance or measurement a significant plus

·       Demonstrated experience as project officer or manager of public health projects, USAID project experience a plus

·       English language proficiency

·       Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (MS word, Excel, Outlook) and a statistical database such as SPSS, STATA, etc. 

·       Strong organizational and verbal and written communication skills

·       Willingness and ability to travel in country and internationally

Desirable:

·       Prior experience working with or in the CRVS

·       Prior experience in advocacy with the Ministry of Health, other ministries and provincial and district offices

Term of service: Initial contract will be for 12 months and may be extended, subject to satisfactory performance.

Applications must include:

·       Current Resume or CV (include telephone and email address)

·       Letter stating reason for interest and previous experiences relevant to position

·       Contact information for 3 references

·       Copies of diplomas or certificates should be available upon request

Interested and qualified applicants should send their CV and cover letter to  oazam@vitalstrategies.org not later than January 19, 2018, with the words “EMNC Coordinator” in the subject line.