Project Officer-iHSS (Maternity Cover)

Company Description

Amref Health Africa, founded in 1957, is the largest African-based international health development organisation. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Amref implements programmes across 35 African countries, reaching more than 40 million people, with a strong operational presence in Africa and advocacy and fundraising offices in Europe and North America.

Guided by its vision of lasting health change in Africa, Amref’s mission is to catalyse community-led, people-centred health systems and address the social determinants of health. Amref believes sustainable health transformation is driven from within communities and works to strengthen health systems while empowering communities to demand and access quality, affordable healthcare.

Job Description

About Integrated Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Project

Integrated Health System Strengthening Project is a Gates Foundation (GF) investment co-designed with Amref Health Africa and MOH to support the design and implementation of a platform mechanism/s for health systems strengthening for primary health care (PHC) in Ethiopia. The focus of this investment is primarily at the subnational level (regional and district) with links to national efforts. The design will focus on integration of key HSS pillars – e.g., Human Resources for Health (HRH), Health Care Financing (HCF), Data, and Leadership and Governance – to support PHC administrators and managers toward optimizing health systems for improved service delivery.

Job Purpose:

The Integrated Health System Strengthening Officer will be responsible for providing integrated technical assistance and coordination for day to day implementation of the IHSS program at subnational level. S/he reports directly to the IHSS Regional Technical Coordinator. He/She will be primarily responsible for ensuring the achievement of specific project deliverables and targets of IHSS. He/She will also establish and maintain close working relationships with relevant government and relevant stakeholders to advance ownership and sustainability of IHSS interventions. The role further requires close collaboration with other Amref projects to advance integration, specifically with IPHCSD and WVLO projects.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Planning and coordination
   • Plan and coordinate the implementation of activities of the project.
   • Ensure alignment of iHSS implementation with regional and woreda health plans and priorities
   • Conduct project review and planning meetings to provide technical assistance in defining tangible targets, project objectives, and revision of indicators
   • Ensure that project schedules/plans are coordinated and completed timely and give support in the project target woredas/regions.
   • Coordinate the project's administrative functions, such as logistics, finance, and procurement are fully implemented according to Amref Health Africa policies and procedures and donor organization requirements.
   • Coordinate and maintain close working relationships with other Amref projects to advance integration, specifically with IPHCSD and WVLO projects.
   • Ensure effective coordination for IHSS project communication activities with Woreda, Zonal, RHB representatives, NGOs and other partners to ensure coherent, complementary planning and support for the IHSS activities at the sub-regional level.
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2. Stakeholder Management
   • Build and maintain strong collaborative working relationships with Woreda Health office, Regional Health Bureau and others relevant regional officials.
   • Actively participate in coordination and networking relationships.
   • Liaise with Woreda Health Teams to promote, review/ develop track and use health indicators in health system, (Governance, Financing, and Essential Inputs) and identify best practices that can be translated into scale-up activities.
   • Advocate and liaise closely with stakeholder and partners in the sub-region as a champion for increasing community-wide engagement for IHSS.
3. Capacity Development
   • Work with all relevant stakeholders to address training on health system LGM, HRH, HCF, HIS, Supply Chain, and other health system inputs capacity-building needs and deliver relevant interventions to the beneficiaries in the project areas.
   • Provide integrated/supportive supervision with RHB/MoH to woreda and facility on leadership and governance, health care financing and health system inputs.
   • Liaise with the woreda health officials to assess health facility infrastructure needs with regard health system with focus on HRH/LMG related interventions and plan for the provision of those within the project work plan and budget.
   • Work with the Woreda Health Team to educate how the IHSS project is delivered and document lesson learing.
   • Use appropriate IEC and other behavior change communication materials in coordination with regional technical coordinator, regional manager, Woreda Health Teams, and CO advisors and support appropriate translation into local languages, distribution, and utilization.
4. M & E
   • Ensure timely and complete field monitoring of Amref supported activities
   • Ensure documentation, monitoring visit and follow up on actions points.
   • Support quarterly data quality assessments (DQAs) and promote the use of data for performance.
   • Highlight gaps, using field reports and realistic data on performance and technical coverage.
   • Document improvement or changes recommended at last monitoring visit.
   • Report regularly to Regional technical coordinator on project updates, issues, needs, problems, or ideas for improving the project performance
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5. Financial Management
   • Manage the project budget for assigned activities by developing activity TOR and follow utilization
   • Ensure that financial utilization is in accordance with the approved budget and in compliance with Amref Health Africa and donor organization requirements.
   • Communicate with respective program accountant in the region and analyze the budget utilization to identify implementation gaps

Qualifications

Academic Qualification:

• Master’s degree in public health, or other health disciplines.

Required Expectancies:

• Demonstrated Health Systems Strengthening related expertise
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with government counterparts at different levels
• Ability to build and work with networks
• Well organized, results focused, creative, innovative and flexible

Experience:

Minimum Five (5) years of experience working in health systems strengthening. Preferably, expertise in Governance, Healthcare Financing and health systems input related issues in Ethiopia and the region where the position is located

Skills/Competencies:

• Ability and self-discipline to work with minimum or no supervision;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal & written);
• Strong facilitation and communication skills
• Fluency in English and at least one local language of the duty station is required
• Computer literacy (MS Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, & MS Outlook) and the Internet application;
• Able to work with people of diverse cultural backgrounds;
• Can foster an open trusting work environment;
• Ability to work effectively in a team-driven environment;
• Accepts accountability for work assigned and performed;
• Supports a customer-centered approach to programs, services, and systems;
• Willing to travel to the field extensively;
• Willing to work within the Amref policies, systems, procedures and methods

Additional Information

Your application should include a cover letter detailing why you are the best fit for this position and your CV with relevant skills and experience. Closing date will be on Thursday, 05 November 2026.

Amref Health Africa does not require applicants to pay any money at whatever stage of the recruitment and selection process and has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment. Although Amref may use different job boards from time to time to further spread its reach for applicants, all open vacancies are published on our website under the Vacancies page and on our official social media pages. Kindly also note that official emails from Amref Health Africa will arrive from an @amref.org address.

Amref Health Africa is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Amref Health Africa is dedicated to diversity and is an equal-opportunity employer with a non-smoking environment policy.