National Programme Specialist – Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Advocacy

Job Description

The National Programme Specialist – MNH Advocacy will be responsible for leading a broad range of advocacy and coordination activities to advance midwifery models of care and sustainable access to essential MNH commodities in Tanzania. She/he will design and implement comprehensive, evidence‑based advocacy strategies that drive increased government investment in midwifery and maternal and newborn health (MNH) commodities. The Specialist will work closely with the members of the Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) team to promote the integration of these priorities within national health frameworks, financing mechanisms, and policy agendas. By aligning advocacy efforts with Tanzania’s health sector strategies, the Specialist will strengthen sustainability, promote access to life‑saving maternal health and family planning commodities, and reinforce the country’s commitment to reducing maternal and newborn mortality.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• A. Policy Advocacy, Leadership and Strategic Planning

• Develop and implement integrated advocacy plans for midwifery and MNH commodities, ensuring alignment with national health strategies and UNFPA’s country programme;
• Lead the development, formulation and implementation of integrated country advocacy plans (impact pathways) for midwifery and MNH commodities, specifically aligned to the Every Woman, Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration plans;
• Provide technical input into policy documents, reforms and regulatory frameworks to advance midwifery;
• Advocate for sustainable MNH commodity financing and affordable MNH healthcare policies within universal health coverage, leveraging UNFPA compacts, match funding mechanisms and other innovative financing tools;
• Target and track specific, measurable financial and policy goals (results framework) to increase investments and policy reform related to MNH;
• Shape critical advocacy messages informed by cost-effectiveness analysis and political economy analysis to package evidence for advocacy to strengthen arguments for investment;
• Advocate for inclusion of new MNH commodities in Tanzania’s essential medicines list and procurement cycles;
• Advocate for the integration of digital training tools into pre-service and in-service education for midwives, including continuous professional development programmes, in alignment with national guidelines and protocols;
• Support government efforts to strengthen supply chains and reduce stock-outs of maternal health and family planning life saving commodities;
• Drive evidence-based policy and regulatory change and catalyze domestic investment in midwifery, particularly focusing on addressing the critical midwifery shortfall and effective deployment and retention.

• B. Building and Sustaining Partnerships

• Actively engage key national stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Education, parliamentarians, and midwifery associations to strengthen midwifery services in collaboration with the UNFPA Integrated SRH team members;
• Support strengthening and expansion of national advocacy coalitions, including influential midwives and policymakers to advocate for increased government investment and scale-up of midwifery models of care;
• Build strong relationships with ministries, parliamentarians, professional associations, and civil society organizations;
• Support the strengthening of linkages across midwifery and maternal health initiatives, ensuring coordination and synergy with ongoing national and partner-led programmes in Tanzania;
• Collaborate with the Integrated SRH team members including strategic positioning of midwifery investment within coordination mechanisms including technical working groups on RMNCAH within the country;

• C. Evidence Generation and Knowledge Sharing

• Coordinate the investment case analysis at the country level by managing a national consultant, engaging government and partners, and facilitating the discussion on required investment and resource allocation recommendations;
• Spearhead and document efforts to integrate maternal and newborn health priorities into national digital health strategies and policies;
• Draft advocacy messages,briefing notes, talking points, statements, and other requested documents to advance the MNH agenda at national, regional and global levels;
• Implement knowledge management strategies to capture lessons learned, best practices, and innovations in ending preventable maternal deaths through investments in midwifery, ensuring systematic documentation and dissemination among partners.

• D. Programme Management

• Prepare timely and quality reports on the achievement of the advocacy work on MNH programme, including documenting the linkages with other interventions across the SRHR portfolio;
• Seek out best practices and innovative approaches and apply them to programme/project development and implementation;
• Guide and manage innovative and responsive programming for the effective implementation of the MNH advocacy ensuring linkages with other SRH programmes in the Tanzania Country office;