Consultancy – Maternal and Newborn Health Consultant, Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), Maternal and newborn health (MNH), Programme Division

Consultant

Overview

Support UNFPA's work on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

You have:

• Advanced degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, or a related field.
• At least seven years of professional experience in the area of international development including maternal and new-born health.
• Recognized expertise in monitoring and evaluation.
• Significant number of publications related to maternal and new-born health measurement and/or data systems.
• Strong track record of technical M&E work, and proven ability to produce demonstrable results.
• Field experience is a strong asset.
• Fluency in English required; working knowledge of French is an asset.

Contract

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Location: UNFPA Nairobi, Full/Part-time: Full-time Duration: 4.5 Months (1 September 2025 to 15 January 2026)

The Position: The consultant will support UNFPA’s work on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a focus on maternal and newborn health (MNH) data and strategic information. Under the guidance of the MNH Team Leader, the consultant will assist in implementing activities outlined in the 2025 work plan and contribute to the Start with Her UNFPA Strategy for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health and Well-Being 2025–2030. The consultant will help ensure continuity in routine monitoring and data-related activities during the maternity leave of the staff member, supporting UNFPA’s role in advancing SRHR/MNH data use and programmatic learning.

About UNFPA and How You Can Make a Difference: UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments to accelerating progress towards realizing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP) Programme of Action (ICPD-PoA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. The MHTF, established in 2008, follows a people-centered, rights-based, gender-transformative and life course approach. In 2023, the MHTF continued to support 32 high maternal and newborn mortality countries across 5 regions (the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, East and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West and Central Africa). The MHTF plays a vital role in driving UNFPA’s maternal and newborn health agenda by providing technical leadership, operationalizing global standards, and collaborating with country and regional offices to maintain the focus on maternal and newborn health and wellbeing within the context of comprehensive SRHR. All of the MHTF’s efforts are aimed at accelerating progress towards achieving UNFPA’s three transformative results, specifically the one aimed at achieving zero preventable maternal deaths with strong linkages with the other two transformative results on ending harmful practices (transforming gender norms) and ending the unmet need for family planning.

The MHTF is now entering its Phase IV in 2024 (2024 -2027) with the aim to continue providing direct program implementation and focused technical support to priority countries, and all regions, propelling progress in a more focused set of countries based on analysis of the new MMR estimates. Phase IV will support both UNFPA’s Strategic Plans (2022-2025, 2026-2029) and the MNHW Strategy (2023-2030). Building on the success factors and the lessons learned from Phase III, and addressing the recommendations that emerged from the midterm evaluation in 2022, a new Business Plan for MHTF Phase IV UNFPA will increasingly address maternal and newborn health and well-being within the scope of health system strengthening, including ensuring integrated MNH/SRHR service delivery as part of universal health coverage (UHC) with a strengthened focus on primary health care (PHC), and quality of care. The MHTF will also strengthen community engagement for MNH, and target a wider spectrum of related morbidities such as maternal mental health, mental health for health workers, cervical cancer, and others, following strong gender transformative and human rights-based approaches.

The new Business Plan responds to the new MMR data and is also futuristic in responding to the potential impact (opportunities and threats) of megatrends such as climate change, migration, urbanization, humanitarian crises, demographic shifts, digitalization and past and future pandemics. The MHTF directly contributes to global partnerships in MNH, including the ENAP (Every Newborn Action plan)/EPMM (Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality) and other global initiative co-chaired by UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF. Its interventions complement other major initiatives, such as the Muskoka, and the Global Financing Facility (GFF).

You would be responsible for: 1. Strengthening Strategic Information Systems and Technical Expertise ● Support the development and use of SRHR-integrated maternal and newborn health indicators, including those related to health management information systems (HMIS)/DHIS2, Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC), and maternal morbidities. ● Oversee the collection, analysis, and interpretation of SRHR/MNH data from country programmes, ensuring alignment with global standards, data quality, and programmatic relevance. ● Support the development and implementation of robust data management protocols and tools, and promote data-informed decision-making at national and subnational levels. ● Provide technical advice to countries on strengthening national EmONC facility networks and MPDSR systems, with linkages to midwifery and quality-of-care strategies. ● Serve as the focal point for all workplans and country-level support under the “Leverage” pillar of the Start with Her UNFPA Strategy for Reproductive, Maternal and Newborn Health and Well- Being 2025–2030.

2. Country and Regional Support and Capacity Strengthening ● Provide direct technical assistance to countries and regions to strengthen SRHR/MNH data systems, indicator use, and integration with HMIS. ● Coordinate and document technical support to country offices, especially for MPDSR implementation, and data for maternal health programming. ● Develop or update training materials, and facilitate capacity-building initiatives for UNFPA staff and government counterparts on SRHR/MNH strategic information.

● Ensure countries supported by the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund (MNHF) collect a minimum set of SRHR indicators in routine and population-based data systems, and provide guidance on adapting tools to specific country contexts. ● Support the joint UNFPA-UNICEF initiative on monitoring potential disruptions to essential health services due to declining development aid.

3. Global Measurement and Normative Engagement ● Support UNFPA’s representation in global data partnerships related to SRHR and MNH, including the MPDSR global program, and the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) measurement group. ● Contribute to the development and advancement of global normative frameworks and indicators on SRHR-integrated maternal and newborn health, including respectful maternity care, maternal wellbeing, and fistula. ● Provide technical inputs to strengthen global indicator frameworks, including those linked to SDGs (e.g., Targets 3.1, 5.6), ICPD monitoring, and global financing institutions (e.g., GFF, Global Fund). ● Support post-2024 Expert Group Meeting follow-up, including the coordination of the Technical Advisory Group and contributions to the development of a new global framework to measure sexual and reproductive agency.

4. Strategic Data Products, Knowledge Translation, and Internal Reporting ● Lead the design and dissemination of high-impact data products or digital tools under the “Leverage” pillar of the Start with Her UNFPA 2025–2030. ● Produce technical briefs, high-level analyses, and knowledge translation products to transform complex SRHR/MNH data into actionable insights for advocacy, programming, donor engagement and reporting, and strategic dissemination within UNFPA, including to senior management and the Executive Board. ● Coordinate technical inputs for global, regional, and internal reports (e.g., MNHF Annual Report, Executive Board updates, UNFPA Strategic Plan indicators), ensuring alignment with programmatic achievements. ● Contribute to alignment across divisions and partners on data for impact. ● Prepare briefing notes for senior management as needed. ● Any other task as assigned by the supervisor, the MNH Team Lead, the Branch Chief or Division Director.

Qualifications: Education: ● Advanced degree in Public Health, Epidemiology, or a related field

Knowledge and Experience: ● At least seven years of professional experience in the area of international development including maternal and new-born health ● Recognized expertise in monitoring and evaluation ● Significant number of publications related to maternal and new-born health measurement and/or data systems ● Strong track record of technical M&E work, and proven ability to produce demonstrable results ● Network among diverse academic institutions and development community ● Field experience is a strong asset ● Fluency in English required; working knowledge of French is an asset

How to Apply: Please send your application with “SRHRB/MNH Strategic Information Application” on the subject line and email the document to Ms. Mona Sharan at msharan@unfpa.org Due to the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. PROPOSED DEADLINE: 5 August 2025.

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unfpa.org