Technical Officer, Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Job Posting Organization:
FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. Established with a mission to address interrelated development challenges, FHI 360 employs a diverse team of experts across various fields including health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, youth, research, and technology. This unique mix of capabilities allows the organization to effectively tackle complex issues and implement sustainable solutions. FHI 360 operates in multiple countries, working collaboratively with local partners to enhance the quality of life for communities worldwide. The organization is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and values diversity among its staff, ensuring that all voices are heard and respected.

Job Overview:
The Technical Officer, Early Childhood Development (ECD) position is crucial for supporting the implementation of integrated ECD interventions within existing maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition, and immunization platforms in Mozambique. This role is based in Nampula City and involves working closely with various stakeholders, including FHI 360 project teams, provincial and district health authorities, and community partners. The primary focus is to strengthen the integration of nurturing care within Mozambique's primary health care system. The Technical Officer will provide technical and implementation support to enhance the quality, integration, and sustainability of ECD services, ensuring that they are effectively incorporated into routine health services. This position requires a proactive approach to collaboration and communication with various partners to achieve the desired outcomes in ECD programming.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Technical Officer ECD will be responsible for a range of duties including:

• Supporting the day-to-day implementation of ECD activities across project-supported districts, facilities, and communities.
• Contributing to the development and utilization of technical tools, job aids, training materials, reports, and learning products that facilitate ECD integration.
• Providing capacity strengthening to government stakeholders to ensure the sustained implementation of evidence-based ECD interventions.
• Collaborating with the FHI 360 technical team to integrate ECD approaches into existing activities, tools, and technical support for antenatal care, postnatal care, immunization, and nutrition services.
• Implementing caregiver-focused interventions that promote responsive caregiving, early stimulation, and support for adolescent and young mothers.
• Strengthening linkages between maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, immunization, WASH, community health, and ECD programming.
• Participating in technical working groups, stakeholder meetings, and professional forums related to maternal and newborn health, child health, immunization, nutrition, quality improvement, and ECD.
• Collaborating with government counterparts and partners to enhance coordination and institutionalization of ECD approaches at the subnational level.
• Contributing to work planning, implementation monitoring, and routine review of project performance. 1
• Supporting the integration and use of ECD indicators within existing health information and quality improvement systems. 1
• Assisting health system stakeholders in identifying service delivery gaps and applying data-driven improvements. 1
• Documenting lessons learned, technical reports, presentations, and other knowledge products to support program improvement and future scale-up.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess advanced knowledge of maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, nutrition, and ECD approaches, including nurturing care frameworks. A demonstrated understanding of Mozambique's health system, policies, technical working groups, and stakeholder landscape related to child health and ECD is essential. The ability to support the development and implementation of technical strategies, tools, guidelines, and quality improvement approaches is required. Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills are necessary, along with the ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with government agencies, donors, implementing partners, and community organizations. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are also crucial for effective collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders.

Educational Background:
A Bachelor’s degree in public health, health management, pediatrics, nursing, medicine, nutrition, or a related field is required. A clinical background as a maternal and child health nurse or medical doctor is strongly preferred, as it provides the necessary foundation for understanding the complexities of health care delivery in the context of early childhood development.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of four years of progressively responsible experience supporting health programs in Mozambique. This includes experience working within or closely supporting Mozambique’s public health system through government institutions, NGOs, international development organizations, or other relevant health and development partners. Experience in community-based health programming is also required, along with demonstrated experience in child health, nutrition, quality improvement, health systems strengthening, and/or early childhood development programming. Additionally, experience supporting policy development, technical guidance, capacity strengthening, and stakeholder engagement activities is preferred, particularly in the context of donor-funded health programs, including those funded by the U.S. Government.

Languages:
Fluency in written and spoken Portuguese is required for this position, as it is the primary language of communication in Mozambique. Working proficiency in English is preferred, as it may be necessary for collaboration with international partners and stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
This position is expected to involve up to 40% travel within Nampula as needed. The expected hiring salary range for this role is USD 34,000 - 43,000 for annual basic salary. When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 considers multiple factors, including relevant years of experience and education, internal equity, market pay, and budget constraints. For internal candidates, salary placement will also follow FHI 360’s current promotional increase guidelines. The organization emphasizes its commitment to equal opportunity employment and safeguarding, ensuring that all personnel adhere to a code of conduct that prevents abuse, exploitation, and harassment in the workplace.