Technical Director MNCH-N

Jhpiego, an international non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, is implementing the Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) program in Ethiopia. RISE is dedicated to saving lives and improving health outcomes by accelerating HIV epidemic control and strengthening global health security to prevent and respond to emerging disease threats. Leveraging over two decades of evidence-based practices from PEPFAR implementation, RISE addresses critical health priorities including HIV, global health security (GHS), maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (MNCH-N), tuberculosis (TB), malaria, data systems, and supply chain management.

As part of this transformative effort, Jhpiego is seeking a highly qualified Technical Director to lead the design and implementation of RISE Ethiopia’s lifesaving MNCH-N services. This leadership role offers a unique opportunity to shape impactful health interventions and contribute to sustainable improvements in maternal and child health across Ethiopia.

As the Technical Director for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCH-N), you will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the strategic vision, technical integration, and high-impact implementation of MNCH-N interventions within the RISE Ethiopia project. This key leadership role will drive the design and scaling of integrated approaches across MNCH, nutrition, and health systems, while ensuring alignment with national priorities and donor expectations.

This position requires both a strategic visionary and a hands-on technical expert who can effectively adapt to Ethiopia’s diverse and dynamic contexts, including fragile and humanitarian settings. You will serve as the primary integrator, ensuring that critical cross-cutting themes—such as infection prevention and control (IPC), WASH, risk communication, community engagement, and global health security—are seamlessly woven into all program interventions.

Technical Leadership & Strategy

• Provide overall technical leadership and strategic direction for integrated MNCH-N programming across the continuum of care and nutrition spectrum.
• Develop and refine innovative, evidence-based approaches that strengthen synergies between service delivery, nutrition, health systems, and global health security.
• Ensure integration of cross-cutting themes such as IPC, WASH, gender, equity, and community engagement into program strategies.
• Champion adaptive management principles, using real-time data and contextual analysis to propose flexible solutions in dynamic and humanitarian contexts. 

Program Oversight, Quality Assurance and Implementation

• Provide technical oversight and quality assurance across all MNCH-N interventions, ensuring alignment with global best practices, national guidelines, and donor requirements.
• Supervise and mentor regional MNCH-N advisors and officers, building their technical capacity and ensuring program consistency and excellence.
• Guide the design and delivery of capacity-building initiatives, including mentorship, supportive supervision, coaching, and skills-based training for health providers and partners.
• Strengthen referral linkages and feedback mechanisms between community, primary, and referral levels to improve continuity and quality of care.
• Promote rigorous use of data and evidence for program design, monitoring, learning, and continuous quality improvement.
• Develop and modify the work plan including budgets with the Project Director, technical team, and Finance and Operations Manager.
• Ensure that resources for project implementation are available.
• Work with project and financial staff to prepare and track the progress of project and activity budgets.
• Maintain productive and consistent communication with project and technical staff.
• Work with MEL staff to develop an M&E framework and track data/results.

Collaboration and Representation

• Serve as a primary technical liaison with the Ministry of Health, Regional Health Bureaus, Woreda Health Office, Local implementing partners, and donors, to ensure program alignment and sustainability.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, communicating progress, challenges, and evidence-based recommendations effectively to multiple audiences.
• Represent the project and Jhpiego in technical working groups, policy forums, and donor engagements at national and international levels.
• Advocate for a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, ensuring that interventions address the unique needs of vulnerable populations in fragile settings. 

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Collaborate with MEL teams to ensure MNCH-N programming is measured effectively, with strong accountability mechanisms.
• Lead technical reviews, document lessons learned and facilitate adaptive learning across regions.
• Contribute to knowledge generation, publications, and dissemination of project achievements in Ethiopia and globally.

• An advanced degree (MD, MPH, PhD) in Public Health, Medicine, Nutrition, or a related field.
• Minimum of 9 years of progressively responsible technical experience in designing, managing, and providing technical leadership for large-scale MNCH and/or nutrition programs in Ethiopia or comparable low-resource settings.
• Proven experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, or humanitarian contexts.
• Strong experience supervising technical teams and managing multi-region programs.
• Demonstrated familiarity working with large global donors on project implementation, reporting, and compliance is preferred.

Technical Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of the MNCH continuum of care (antenatal, delivery, postnatal, newborn care, IMNCI/iCCM, immunization).
• Expertise in nutrition-specific and -sensitive interventions, including IYCF, micronutrient supplementation, and treatment of acute malnutrition.
• Strong grasp of health systems strengthening: HIS, HRH, SCM, quality improvement, and health financing.
• Understanding of global health security, including disease surveillance, outbreak response, and risk communication.

Core Competencies

• Exceptional strategic thinking, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong leadership, team management, and mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills for engaging diverse stakeholders.
• High cultural competence, diplomacy, and ability to navigate complex environments.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical problem-solving.

Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Professional proficiency in Amharic or other local Ethiopian languages is highly desirable.

Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Professional proficiency in Amharic or other local Ethiopian languages is highly desirable.

Salary: Between 28,659 – 53,164 USD per annum. 

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jobs-jhpiego.icims.com

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

“Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

EEO is the Law

Application Deadline: September 24, 2025

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