Technical Director

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University. Jhpiego develops innovations to enhance the capacity of health care workers, strengthening health systems and improve delivery of care towards improving the health and well-being. Jhpiego has been collaborating with the Government of Malawi and various partners in implementing a wide-range of interventions in maternal, newborn and child health, family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention and care and treatment, since 1999. 

Jhpiego is seeking a highly qualified Technical Director to serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the strategic vision, technical integration, and high-impact implementation of

MNCH-N interventions within the Malawi MNCH-N program. This key leadership role requires both a strategic visionary and a hands-on technical expert who will lead the design and scale-up of integrated approaches across maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition, and health systems—ensuring alignment with national priorities and donor expectations.

The Technical Director will be based in Lilongwe, Malawi, reporting directly to the Project Director, and will supervise the Senior MNCH Advisor, Nutrition Advisor, and Child Health Advisor

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 and training materials (standards, job aids, curricula) that strengthen synergies between MNCH service delivery, nutrition, health systems, and immunization, and global health security.
• Champion adaptive management principles, using real-time data and contextual analysis to propose flexible solutions in dynamic 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.
• Lead the development of the work plan, ensuring cohesion between technical approaches, budgets and targets with the Project Director, technical team, Senior M&E Advisor, and Finance and Administration Director.
• Ensure that resources for project implementation are available.
• Work with the Project Director, Project Manager, and finance and operations 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 (MOH), District Health Management Teams, local implementing partners, private sector health providers, and community stakeholders, U.S. Government (USG), and other stakeholders 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.

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 Malawi and globally.

 Strategic Growth and Partnerships

• Identify new innovative ideas in MNCH-N programing with proven effectiveness and efficiency as well as cost efficiency
• Facilitate the development of best practices and help in coming up with integration of new services within the MNCH-N program
• Support the development / review of strategies, including technical direction for achieving program goals as well as managing effectiveness.
• Support other strategic growth and partnership efforts for Jhpiego Malawi as required from time to time.

• An advanced degree (MD, MPH, PhD) in Public Health, Medicine, Nutrition, Epidemiology, 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 Malawi or comparable low-resource settings.
• Strong experience supervising technical teams, managing and fostering teamwork within multi-region programs.
• Demonstrated familiarity working with USG/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 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.
• Willingness and ability to travel to all operational areas across the 3 regions
•  Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Professional proficiency in Chichewa. Other local Malawian languages are desirable.

All staff, irrespective of their position, are expected to comply with and follow Jhpiego operational procedures, policies, and codes of conduct.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

                                                                     Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

Applicants must submit a single document for upload, including a 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 and is committed to tough international child safeguarding standards.

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.

RECRUITMENT SCAMS & FRAUD WARNING

Jhpiego has become aware of scams involving false job offers. Please be advised:

Recruiters will never ask for a fee during any stage of the recruitment process.

All active jobs are advertised directly on our careers page.

Official Jhpiego emails will always arrive from a @Jhpiego.org email address.

Please report any suspicious communications to Info@jhpiego.org