Technical Advisor

Job Summary

The Technical Advisor, Clinical provides high-level strategic and operational direction to the MoH's Clinical and Public Health Services Department to advance country-wide RMNCAH outcomes. Core responsibilities include converting HSSP V directives into multi-year operational frameworks, leading facility-level quality improvement initiatives aligned to WHO standards, optimizing national digital health architectures (HMIS, eLMIS, e-Buzima), managing multi-sectoral stakeholder coalitions, and authoring formal national policy briefs.

Qualification

Educational Level & Domain Specialization

• Required Foundation: A solid clinical background (e.g., Medicine, Nursing, Midwifery, or an equivalent clinical discipline) coupled with a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH), Health Economics, Global Health Policy, or a matching healthcare systems field.
• Preferred Specialization: Advanced postgraduate focus or certifications in RMNCAH systems, macro-level health systems strengthening (HSS), or epidemiology.

Experience

Candidates must demonstrate progressively senior leadership within complex, results-driven global health ecosystems:

Policy Advisory & National Strategy Formulations

• Core Professional Tenure: Minimum of 5+ years of professional experience within a highly demanding, metrics-driven health program environment.
• National Policy Advisory Footprint: A minimum of 3 years must be documented in a dedicated national or sub-regional policy advisory or norm-setting position—going beyond direct clinical service delivery or localized project management.
• System Translation Track Record: Proven success translating macro national health goals into scalable, sustainable institutional improvements with clear proofs of impact.

Data Systems, Analytics & Digital Health Infrastructure

• Advanced Analytical Capabilities: Strong capacity to synthesize multi-source data (demographic surveys, programmatic logs) and translate complex numbers into compelling presentations for ministers and international donors.
• Macro Health System Analysis: Practical experience leading or commissioning large-scale health systems analyses, utilizing equity, cost-effectiveness, and quality-of-care analytical lenses.
• Statistical Tool Preference: Expert proficiency in Microsoft Excel; direct experience with data visualization tools and a strong preference for practical fluency in at least one statistical software package (Stata, R, or SAS).
• Familiarity with Digital Platforms: Direct exposure to the administration and optimization of national health data systems (such as HMIS, eLMIS, and mobile health tools like e-Buzima) is highly valued.

Relationship Engineering & Operational Leadership

• High-Level Stakeholder Management: Exceptional ability to establish and maintain high-trust relationships with senior government officials, clinical facility directors, and major international donors (such as USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, and UN bodies).
• Team Guidance: Proven capability to mentor, guide, and lead diverse teams toward ambitious goals within resource-constrained public sector environments.

Strategic Advantages

• MoH Secondment Experience: Significant past experience working embedded within or providing technical assistance directly to Ministries of Health in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Global Quality Standards: Deep familiarity with the WHO Quality, Equity, Dignity (QED) Network standards and MPDSR (Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response) methodologies.
• Regional Context: Prior professional exposure working within the public health network of Rwanda or a matching low- or middle-income country (LMIC).

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Leadership, Policy Advisory & Program Direction (35%)

• Shape RMNCAH Strategy: Guide the design, update, and rollout of national RMNCAH program strategies, ensuring complete alignment with HSSP V metrics and broader national health goals.
• Build Operational Frameworks: Create multi-year operational plans complete with clear accountability structures, milestone tracking, and adaptive management processes.
• Mitigate Systemic Risks: Spot strategic risks and institutional bottlenecks early, presenting data-driven solutions directly to leadership within the Clinical and Public Health Services Department.
• Modernize Clinical Protocols: Provide high-level technical direction during the review and adaptation of national RMNCAH clinical protocols and guidelines alongside MoH Technical Working Groups.
• Draft Authoritative Briefs: Track performance variations across health facilities to author strategic maternal and newborn health Quality of Care (QoC) policy briefs for senior ministry officials.

2. Clinical Quality Improvement (QI) & Supply Chain Oversight (20%)

• Deploy Facility-Led QI: Guide the Clinical Service Department in designing and scaling quality improvement (QI) initiatives across health centers to lower maternal and neonatal complications.
• Standardize Quality Metrics: Match national facility tools with international standards, such as the WHO Standards for Improving Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care in Health Facilities.
• Strengthen Supply Chains: Provide strategic oversight for RMNCAH commodity supply lines, smoothing coordination between health facilities, the MoH, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS), and international procurement partners.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Digital Health Governance (25%)

• Embed Lasting Capacity: Design and institutionalize Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks that build internal ministry capacity for data governance and performance management.
• Optimize National Platforms: Drive the continuous improvement of national data systems (HMIS, eLMIS, e-Buzima, and mentorship logs) into reliable tools for data-driven governance.
• Run Disaggregated Equity Analysis: Conduct multi-source evaluations of key RMNCAH indicators, disaggregating metrics by district, wealth quintile, and facility type to shape targeted policy updates.
• Deploy Real-Time Dashboards: Champion the rollout of real-time dashboards at the District Health Management Team level to turn data-driven reviews into routine operational habits.
• Publish Dissemination Materials: Author high-quality project reports, evaluation chapters, technical briefs, and publications for national and international distribution.

4. Cross-Sector Coordination & High-Level Representation (20%)

• Serve as Central Liaison: Act as the primary strategic and operational liaison linking the MoH/RBC with District Health Officers, clinical directors, and international development partners.
• Govern RMNCAH Grants: Monitor partner interventions and the deployment of RMNCAH grants across all tiers of health service delivery to prevent fragmented support.
• Engage Technical Working Groups: Represent the MoH Maternal Unit at high-level joint supervision field visits, national technical working groups, and global quality-of-care summits.

Expected Outputs & Deliverables

• National RMNCAH operational frameworks mapped successfully to HSSP V milestone tracking systems.
• Completed and formally adopted national Quality of Care (QoC) policy briefs and clinical protocols.
• Fully functional real-time data dashboards active across District Health Management Teams.
• Technical evaluations and equity-disaggregated data analyses presented regularly to the national RMNCAH Technical Working Group.
• Documented supervision summaries and grant compliance trackers covering international partner implementations.

Skills Required:

• Health / Medical