Neonatal and Child Health Advisor

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.

The RISE Project is committed to reducing under-five mortality in targeted woredas by strengthening the implementation of high-impact interventions across the continuum of care. These include essential newborn care, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, family-centered approaches, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), and integrated community and facility-based management of childhood illnesses (iCMNCI/IMNCI). Through these efforts, RISE aims to ensure equitable access to quality child health services and improve survival outcomes.

To advance this mission, RISE is recruiting a Neonatal and Child Health Advisor who will lead the design and oversight of technical strategies, provide expert guidance to implementation teams and partners, coordinate child health activities, and represent the project in key technical and coordination platforms.

Strategic Planning

• Design and deploy context-specific strategies, tools, and approaches to address priority bottlenecks in the delivery of quality, accessible Neonatal child health services. Focus on major neonatal care and childhood illnesses including pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, very severe disease, and localized bacterial infections.
• Lead the development of annual Neonatal and child health plans in collaboration with the Service Delivery, Immunization, Nutrition and cross-functional teams. Partner with thematic leads in immunization, nutrition, and maternal-newborn care to co-create and scale integrated strategies that drive efficiency, effectiveness, and sustained impact across the continuum of care.
• Work closely with field teams to address both demand- and supply-side barriers to neonatal and child health services. Promote family-centered care and strengthen platforms such as EPI, iCMNCI/IMNCI, essential newborn care, NICU, and PICU to ensure equitable access and improve child survival outcomes.
• Tailor interventions to diverse geographic and health system contexts, collaborating with public sector counterparts to pilot and refine differentiated service delivery models that enhance reach and responsiveness.

Collaboration and representation

• Collaborate with child health-focused projects, UN agencies, and donors to align strategies and plans, exchange best practices, and pursue joint advocacy efforts that advance shared goals.
• Represent the project in technical forums, including working groups, stakeholder meetings, and national or international conferences related to child health and development.

Capacity Building Program Oversight, Quality Assurance and Implementation

• Develop internal guidance materials, including guides, standard operating procedures, protocols, and technical documents, to ensure consistent understanding and implementation of program activities across field teams.
• Provide targeted technical assistance to regional teams, consortium partners, government counterparts, and other stakeholders on child health strategies, standards, and implementation approaches.
• Train and mentor field staff, equipping them with practical tools and methodologies to effectively support the public sector in identifying and addressing key bottlenecks in child health and development services.

Evidence Based Policy and Advocacy

• Collaborate with the MEL team to establish robust monitoring systems including key indicators and data collection methodologies to track the quality and coverage of neonatal and child health services. Ensure that insights and lessons learned inform field practices and strategic decision-making at all levels.
• Champion the use of child health data to monitor project’s performance, conduct targeted assessments, and guide evidence-based decisions across project and health system platforms.
• Lead and contribute to monitoring and evaluation activities, including supportive supervision, to assess service effectiveness and identify opportunities for operational research in collaboration with MEL and research teams.
• Develop and disseminate technical briefs, best practices, and lessons learned in partnership with the knowledge management team, ensuring timely sharing of insights across stakeholder platforms.
• Perform additional duties as assigned, contributing to the broader success and adaptability of the project.

• Advanced Degree in a health field with specialized experience in Neonatal, Child Health, and Development (NCHD).
• 7+ years of technical and programmatic experience in NCHD.
• Proven experience developing protocols, manuals, and training materials.
• Familiarity with NCHD service delivery across agrarian, urban, and pastoral settings.
• Effective communication (verbal, written, and presentation) skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and data processing skills.
• Ability to travel up to 40% and work with minimum supervision.

• Extensive experience implementing and supporting Neonatal and Child Health and Development interventions.
• Solid understanding of the Ethiopian health policy and strategies, the health extension platform, Neonatal and Child Health and Development best practices.
• Proven experience of working along the health system - community, primary health care units and referral hospitals
• Familiarity with MNCH-N service delivery and the health context in pastoral, agrarian and semi-urban geographies.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the child health supply chain management including in humanitarian set up.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Able to promote team work and effort.
• Demonstrated competency in strategy development, in collaboration, in working with people, networking and influencing
• High cultural competence, diplomacy, and ability to navigate complex environments.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical problem-solving skills.

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

Salary: Between 22,966 – 33,563 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: October 17, 2025

#LI-KM23