Pediatric Case Officer - mothers2mothers

mothers2mothers (m2m) is an African Primary Health Care organisation that employs women living with HIV as community health workers across 10 African nations. These “Mentor Mothers” deliver integrated health services at clinics and in communities to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to the services they need to be healthy and stay in care.

Over the next five years, this proven, peer-led model is being scaled up to double down on ending HIV, as well as to tackle new health challenges and reach more people—all to build a fairer, healthier future. The employment of local women as community health workers means that we are delivering a model that prioritises healthcare for families who need it most, delivered by women who know them best.

Since its creation in 2001, m2m has created jobs for nearly 12,000 women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and, together, they have reached over 15M people with critical health services and education. In 2021, m2m reached over 1.6M people across 10 African nations, including 402,616 adolescents (ages 10-19)—51% more than the year before.

m2m also advanced the Global Goals of ending HIV/AIDS by 2030—by achieving the virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among its enrolled clients for the eighth consecutive year and meeting all of the ambitious UNAIDS Fast-Track Targets among its clients four years ahead of the 2026 target date. For more information, visit www.m2m.org.

Pediatric Case Office

mothers2mothers is seeking a qualified Pediatric HIV Case Officer to support m2m Ghana in implementing its Pediatric HIV Care and Support Program. The Pediatric Case Officer plays an essential role in coordinating comprehensive care for adolescents and children on treatment ensuring that they receive timely access to necessary healthcare services.

Working collaboratively with the Program Director, the Pediatric HIV Case Officer will aid in the design and lead the implementation of technical strategies and interventions including but not limited to pediatric HIV case identification, linkage, treatment care and support, retention and management. The incumbent will play a vital role in providing inputs to strengthen health systems and contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the Mentor Mother Model.

The Pediatric Case Officer reports directly to the Program Director and will be responsible for the direct line management of the Site Coordinators and teams who will support pediatric interventions. The position is based in Accra.

Key Performance Areas:

Leadership and Management

• Provide technical leadership and support to the Country Lead and m2m in-country team around paediatric program implementation processes.
• Lead review of technical documents, training materials and policy briefs to meet national Pediatric HIV guidelines as well as international standards.
• Ensure alignment of the project with donor, departmental and organisational objectives.
• Timeously submit required reports to the Country Lead using the template provided.
• Timeously escalate programme issues/concerns regarding implementation and operation, propose solutions and next steps.
• Collaborate with the Country Lead in exploring new programme initiatives and innovation in line with the proposed strategic goals and objectives of the country.
• Lead the design and support implementation of pediatric case-finding strategies, processes, tools, and virtual/hybrid systems for capacity building of Mentor Mothers
• In close collaboration with the Site Teams and Mentor Mothers, provide strategic leadership and oversight for the quality assurance of the project’s technical and programmatic work.
• Collaborate with the Finance and Administrative Officer to ensure budget preparation and utilisation in line with the work plan.
• Liaise with Finance for payments, and monitor programme expenditures and liquidations.
  Programme Delivery
• Monitor the implementation of the Maternal, Neonatal, Pediatric and Adolescent programme activities at implementation sites.
• Manage all Pediatric programme field operations and actively oversee activities including but not limited to pediatric HIV care and treatment, child protection, case management strategies and health system strengthening.
• Work closely with the Strategic Information Officer to initiate site service quality assessments and other programme quality improvement processes to maintain the provision of high-quality services and Pediatric service delivery.
• Ensure each beneficiary child’s unique health requirements are met with a personalized care plan in collaboration with site leadership and Mentor Mothers.
• Provide Mentor-mother support to ensure not just the physical well-being of the enrolled children under their care, but also their emotional and social health, contributing to a holistic approach to pediatric healthcare.
• Assess the healthcare needs of pediatric clients through comprehensive evaluations and consultations with their caregivers and families and Monitoring progress to adjust plans as needed.
• Coordinate the implementation of care plans by supporting Mentor Mothers to follow up on appointments, treatment plans and any necessary interventions to ensure the child receives holistic care.
• Facilitate communication between the child’s family, caregivers, and other relevant parties to ensure a cohesive approach to the child’s health and well-being.
• Monitor the progress of the child’s health and development, adjusting care plans as necessary to address any changes or emerging needs in collaboration with site teams (ART, ANC and CWC).
• Train Mentor Mothers to provide psychosocial support and counselling to the children and adolescents on treatment and their families, helping them navigate the Health Care system.
• Collaborate with the Site Coordinators to provide supportive supervision and de-briefing sessions for Mentor Mothers
• Organize and lead training sessions for Pediatric caregivers on how to manage specific health conditions or treatments for their children.

Stakeholder Relations and Engagement

• Liaise with the Ministry of Health of Ghana, partners and donors concerning areas under their management.
• Participate in technical working groups and contribute to the revision of national policies, guidelines, materials training, documentation, and tools, as well as their implementation at the national level.
• Ensure close working relationships with partner organizations to ensure harmonized efforts at all sites for efficient and effective service delivery.
• Represent m2m at regional and national level in collaboration with the Country Lead as required.

Administration and Compliance

• Ensure alignment to national child protection policies and guidelines
• Ensure adequate programme implementation controls, processes and procedures to promote compliance and stewardship of human/financial resources.
• Ensure alignment of the project with donor requirements.
• Monitor and report on any safety and security-related incidents involving site staff.
• Provide ad hoc support as requested.

Qualification Required & Experience

• Bachelor’s level degree in public health, nursing science or related field. A master’s degree in these or related fields is an added advantage.
• A minimum of 7 years experience in the field of public health including at least 3 years in training and programme management at a senior level
• Experience in providing mentorship to site staff
• Demonstrated experience in some or all of the following areas: Pediatric HIV care and treatment, child protection, family services, case management, and health system strengthening
• Experience in off-site and on-site training of staff, providing supportive supervision and assuring program quality
• Pediatric HIV/TB programme management or coordination experience at a regional or national level
• Programme monitoring and data utilization for decision-making experience

Competencies required:

• Culture of collaboration and empathy.
• Emotional resilience is crucial, given the sensitive nature of pediatric healthcare.
• Excellent organizational, communication and management skills.
• Excellent adult learning, training and facilitation skills including materials design skills.
• Fluency in English and the local language of the area
• Sound understanding of Early Childhood Development and the Nurturing Care Framework.
• Family Systems Theory Knowledge.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to effectively engage participants of different cultures and backgrounds. Pediatric Healthcare Navigation.
• Dynamism, independence, creativity.
• Multidisciplinary Team Coordination.
• Developing tailored Care Plans.
• Strong problem-solving skills and analytical capabilities.
• Strong stakeholder and partner engagement and relationship building.
• Sound financial and administration experience.
• Computer Literacy (Microsoft suite).