Project Officer – Clinical – Birth Companionship

About Thamini Uhai

Thamini Uhai, formerly World Lung Foundation, is a Tanzanian non-governmental organization that has partnered with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania since 2008 to reduce maternal and early neonatal mortality and strengthen health systems in underserved rural areas.

From 2008 to 2019, Thamini Uhai worked with Bloomberg Philanthropies to expand quality Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care services and, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Local Government Authorities, piloted a birth companionship project in nine (9) public health facilities in Kigoma Region from 2017 to 2018. They scaled birth companionship as a core element of respectful maternity care across 28 health facilities in Kigoma, Katavi, Geita, and Mwanza Regions.

The project supported advocacy efforts for government-led scale-up through comprehensive council health budgets, introduced a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) module integrated into the national eLearning platform, contributed to the revision of Labour ward designs to accommodate privacy, and contributed to the development of national guidelines on integrating gender and respectful care into RMNCAH services.

The organization has recently secured funding for a three-year project to scale up birth companionship as a key element of respectful maternity care in Mwanza Region. The project will include health facility assessments, minor renovations of Labour rooms, community sensitization, and capacity building on supportive care during Labour using the Labour Care Guide, complemented by supportive supervision and mentorship.

Position

Project Officer – Clinical – Birth Companionship (1 Position)

Position description

Department:

Program

Reports to:

Birth Companionship Project Manager

Assignment type:

Full-time

Location:

Mwanza

Length:

One year

Position summary

The Birth Companionship Project Officer – Clinical provides technical and operational support for the implementation of facility-based interventions under the Birth Companionship project, ensuring high-quality delivery of respectful maternity care services within supported health facilities.

The role focuses on strengthening provider capacity, improving service delivery practices, and ensuring effective integration of birth companionship within routine maternity care. Working closely with facility teams, Regional and Council Health Management Teams, and community structures, the position supports training, mentorship, supportive supervision, and quality improvement processes.

It also contributes to facility readiness assessments and supports the implementation of minor renovations to improve the service environment for respectful maternity care. In addition, the role contributes to data management, monitoring and evaluation, documentation of best practices, and collaboration with the communication team to support knowledge generation and dissemination for continuous program improvement and scale-up.

Key

Responsibilities

• I. Facility-level planning and coordination
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with facility leadership, RHMTs, CHMTs, and service providers.
• Support planning and coordination of facility-level implementation and sustainability activities.
• Participate in facility readiness assessments to identify gaps in infrastructure, privacy, workflow, and service environment.
• Contribute to the development of activity plans aligned with program workplans.
• Support coordination between facility teams and community structures.
• Work with the Project Manager to support planning of evaluations and future program phases.
• II. Clinical implementation and capacity building
• Plan, organize, and facilitate training sessions for healthcare providers on birth companionship and respectful maternity care.
• Provide routine supportive supervision and on-site mentorship to healthcare providers.
• Strengthen provider competencies in respectful maternity care, labour support, and client-centered services.
• Promote adherence to national guidelines, the Labour Care Guide, and service standards.
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• Support the integration of birth companionship into routine maternity care services.
• Ensure consistent implementation of approved protocols and quality standards.
• Support the implementation of facility-level improvements that enhance privacy, dignity, and client experience.
• III. Implementation support and service quality improvement
• Support the implementation of birth companionship interventions across assigned facilities.
• Facilitate linkage between community engagement activities and facility service delivery.
• Coordinate the collection and use of client feedback to improve service experience.
• Support the development and implementation of action plans to address service quality gaps.
• Participate in quality improvement processes, audits, and mentorship activities.
• Ensure the facility environment supports respectful maternity care and birth companionship practices.
• IV. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning
• Ensure the collection, validation, and reporting of facility-level data.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments and provide feedback.
• Support the analysis and use of data for performance improvement.
• Support the implementation of baseline and endline evaluations.
• Contribute to the documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and program evidence.
• Work with the communication team to package clinical and service delivery insights for dissemination.
• V. Supervision and facility coordination
• Support supervision of facility focal persons and service providers.
• Strengthen coordination between facility teams, community health workers, and project teams.
• Provide technical guidance and follow-up to ensure the quality of service delivery.
• Support capacity building through mentorship and on-the-job coaching.
• Ensure alignment of facility activities with project targets and timelines.
• VI. Reporting and documentation
• Prepare and submit monthly implementation reports.
• Contribute to quarterly and final project reports.
• Maintain proper documentation of facility-based activities.
• Support the compilation of data and inputs for program reporting.
• Ensure completeness and accuracy of all submitted reports.
• VII. Operational and administrative support
• Assist in the coordination of logistics for training and facility activities.
• Support the implementation of minor facility renovations in collaboration with project teams and government counterparts.
• Support the proper use and accountability of project resources.
• Ensure adherence to organizational policies and procedures.
• Facilitate coordination and communication across teams.
• Qualifications and

Experience

• Degree in Medicine (MD), Nursing, or a related clinical field with at least three (3) years of relevant experience, or a diploma with at least seven (7) years of
• in RMNCAH.
• in the implementation of maternal and newborn health interventions in health facilities.
• in training, mentorship, and supportive supervision of healthcare providers.
• Familiarity with respectful maternity care, the Labour Care Guide, and birth companionship approaches.
• working with government health systems and donor-funded programs.
• Additional training in gender, respectful care, or doula-related support is an added advantage.
• How to apply
• Suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting a cover letter and updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) as one consolidated PDF document to
• hr@thaminiuhai.or.tz
• with the subject line of the position applied.
• Applicants are required to include three (3) professional referees with valid contact details in their CV.
• The deadline for submission is 07th October 2026.
• Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Non-discrimination note
• Diversity, fairness, and merit drive our recruitment, which is aligned with the organization’s mission, vision, and values.