Position Summary

The technical officer provides technical and programmatic support on early detection of breast cancer program which will be implemented in 3 regions in the 1st Phase : Tanga, Mwanza and Zanzibar and 2 additional regions in the 2nd phase- Morogoro and Mtwara. A technical officer will be instrumental and he/she will be primarily responsible in facilitating implementation of breast cancer early detection program in Morogoro and Mtwara regions aligning with the approved scope of the project. He will play a pivotal role in technical issues and providing technical support for the implementation, coordination and evaluation of breast cancer early detection and diagnostic services in 18 District Councils (9 in Morogoro and 9 in Mtwara).

His/her roles will include among others facilitating planning, implementation, monitoring program activities that includes training, strengthening facility based service delivery through clinical breast examination approach linked with enhanced referral, facilitating outreach, supervision and mentorship activities at subnational levels to ensure early detection of breast cancer is done according to global and national standards. The Officer works closely with R/CHMTs to ensure the delivery of quality clinical breast examination (CBE) services in health facilities as per national cervical caner control strategies and project work plan. This includes capacity building for service providers through training, coaching and mentoring; implementation of CBE/diagnostic service protocols and standards; and data collection of CBE service delivery. The Technical Officer will support activities that build the capacity of MOH technical staff, including RRCHCO/DRCHO/RHMIS/DHIMS and health care providers in early detection of breast cancer programming. S/he will assist in the development of project plans, objectives, scopes, budgets and be responsible to build capacity of R/CHMTs to take a leading role in; planning project-based activities, monitoring programme progress against established milestones and deliverables, track key performance indicators and evaluate programme outcomes. S/he will also be responsible to build capacity and actively maintain accurate and up-to-date programme documentation and reports.

Working under the technical direction of the project director and the MOH/RHCa standards, the Technical Officer will provide technical support across the early detection of breast cancer program components linked with routine service delivery and facilitate strengthening continuum of care of breast cancer patients. S/he will work alongside the Regional and District Reproductive and Child Health team to ensure strong coordination during implementation .S/he will work alongside the breast and cervical cancer program partnership in the region to strengthen the quality, access, efficiency and sustainability of early detection of breast cancer programs in the context of Reproductive Health.

S/he will support RRCHCO to identify areas requiring program implementation support based on data review, analysis, and consultations. Working with council health management teams, s/he will support microplanning to improve comprehensive council health planning and program budgets to sustain increased coverage of early detection of breast cancer services. The Officer will provide technical support to ensure linkages and synergies at the service delivery level from community to facility level, including facilitating CBE service delivery in an outreach setting. S/he will also support technical assistance activities to strengthen the HMIS in the context of early detection of breast cancer program.

During the project, the Technical Officer will work collaboratively with the R/CHMTs, project director and other project staff to engage stakeholders in designing and adopting sustainability strategies, advocating for government funding for key meetings and activities, identifying and monitoring key sustainability milestones and advocating for the inclusion of interventions into the facility and institutional level budgets to pave the way for sustainability and scale.

Reports to: Project Technical Director

Position supervised: Intern, Part Time Employees, Program Assistant

Location: Mtwara (Support Morogoro and Mtwara regions) and Tanga (Support Tanga and Mwanza regions)

Required Positions: 2 (Mtwara – 1 position and Tanga – 1 Position)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Planning actively contribute to regional work planning, operational plans, budgeting for the project and quarterly report writing and preparing scope of work for planned activities
• Support targeted interventions: training, supervision outreach services, pause and reflect meeting and conduct follow up after training
  Support integration of breast and cervical cancer programming and ensure timely reporting
  Work with R/CHMTs and lead day-to-day strategic project implementation at the facility level by supporting project teams to achieve high CBE targets
  Foster wider adoption of micro-planning for comprehensive council health planning and program budgeting aligning with national and regional targets
  Ensure that Early Detection for Breast Cancer Program implementation follows national standards in a sustainable manner
  In collaboration with MOH/PORALG and project team, provide technical support on the program activities and monitor implementation to meet daily, weekly and monthly targets
  Work with RRCHCO/RHMIS/DRCHCO/HMIS and facilitate tracking and timely provide report of suspect breast cancer cases and their results from pathology labs to meet 60 days diagnostic goal
  Ensure RRCHO /DRCHCO take leadership in quarterly supportive supervision visits to all facilities and prepare feedback reports for action in collaboration with other R/CHMTs and providers at the Subnational level
  Support documentation and prepare success stories/best practices of the project activities in the region
  Implement all program activities in a timely and self-sufficient manner, multi-tasking and prioritizing as necessary
  Ensure that health care providers, surgeons and radiologists at subnational level implement the clinical package of interventions according to the protocol/SOP
  Facilitate management of reports in all sources and ensure timely submission of Q report
  Support effective implementation of performance, continuous quality improvement for breast and cervical cancer integrated program
  Ensure regional and district HMIS teams take leadership role to ensure proper data collection and reporting procedures
  Ensure RRRCHO/DRCHCO take leadership in mentorship activities in collaboration with the regional technical staff/experts in breast cancer care
  Work with R/CHMTs and promote integration of CBE and cervical cancer screening activities
  Contribute to the overall strategic implementation of program activities
  Ensure that program implementation is based on sound technical content and is sustainable and is led by the MOH and PORALG
  Ensure all project activities are conducted as planned
  Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor to ensure the achievement of project goals

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Medicine (MD) or demonstrated equivalent capacity through work experience.
  Minimum of 5 to 6 years of work experience in a voluntary, public, private sector, or NGO and program management skills
  Ability to coach, mentor, and develop technical capacity in regional and national programs and technical staff in the areas of women’s cancer, performance, and quality improvement
  Self-management is necessary (i.e., motivation, dealing with pressure, adaptability).
  Ability to communicate effectively, instilling trust and confidence.
  Ability to handle a variety of different assignments, sometimes under pressure of deadlines.
  Be cooperative, competent, hardworking, flexible, and dependable.
  Excellent verbal, written communications, and presentation skills.
  Excellent interpersonal skills, inspiring teamwork, and motivating fellow team members, consultants, and partners to achieve results.
  Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines, and intense pressure to perform.
  Computer literacy, particularly in the use of MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint experience
  Excellent written and oral English and Kiswahili skills

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with donor related programs
Experienced in implementing early detection of breast cancer service deliveries and management.