Reproductive Health Officer

About the Organization

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is dedicated to responding to some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. Since its establishment in 1933, IRC operates in over 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities, offering support in health, safety, education, economic empowerment, and restoring community strength to those affected by conflict and disaster. The organization is committed to creating lasting positive impacts by restoring safety, dignity, and hope to millions worldwide.

Role Overview and Responsibilities

• Conduct monthly supportive supervision visits to health facilities and Family Health Houses (FHHs) using standardized checklists to evaluate clinical quality, counselling, infection prevention, documentation, commodity management, and adherence to reproductive health standards.
• Provide on-site coaching and corrective guidance to midwives and community health workers (CHWs), monitor their competence especially in family planning services, ensuring compliance with program standards.
• Review clinical records and monitoring data, maintain competency trackers, and prepare timely reports highlighting gaps, corrective measures, and recommendations for follow-up.
• Serve as an IRC Master Trainer by delivering and cascading trainings related to rights-based family planning, values clarification, and other reproductive health topics to midwives and CHWs while managing training logistics.
• Conduct competency assessments, oversee return demonstrations, and ensure that newly recruited midwives and CHWs are oriented and competency-verified before independent service delivery.
• Monitor community engagement activities such as Family Health Action Group dialogues, Community Health Shuras, and CHW household outreach to ensure planned execution, sustained participation, and effective transmission of reproductive health information to improve health-seeking behaviors.
• Review community dialogue reports, household registries, and CHW reports to identify gaps in awareness, service uptake, data quality, and referrals, reporting barriers or safety concerns and coordinating solutions with team leads.
• Perform regular counselling quality assessments through client exit interviews and observations to ensure respectful, rights-based, and client-centered service delivery aligned with IRC standards.
• Provide structured feedback and coaching to midwives and CHWs, develop and monitor performance improvement plans as necessary.
• Supervise health sites to ensure availability of essential reproductive health commodities, maintain buffer stocks, verify stock records accuracy, and resolve any supply chain challenges promptly.
• Oversee health information management by validating data consistency across registers and reports, addressing data quality issues, assisting in reporting challenges, and orienting new staff on reporting procedures.
• Compile, analyze, and submit monthly and quarterly reports on program performance metrics including service utilization, family planning uptake, counselling quality, and community engagement, contributing to evaluations and learning activities.
• Maintain comprehensive and organized documentation including supervision reports, competency assessments, and community engagement records to support monitoring, learning, and donor compliance.
• Mentor community midwives and CHWs, promoting a supportive, high-performing work environment and monitoring wellbeing and operational challenges in remote areas.
• Assist recruitment, onboarding, orientation, competency verification, and ongoing professional development of community health staff, identify training needs, encourage retention through coaching and recognition, and escalate workforce issues as needed.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Midwifery (BSc Midwifery) or degree in Community Midwifery; alternatively, Diploma in Nursing or Community Health Nursing with extensive reproductive health clinical experience.
• Additional certifications or training in family planning, reproductive health services, or community health within humanitarian contexts is highly valued.
• Medical Doctor (MBBS) with experience in reproductive health programming is also considered.
• At least 2–3 years of progressive clinical and programmatic experience in reproductive, maternal, or primary healthcare within Afghanistan.
• Proven track record in delivering maternal and reproductive health services and familiarity with community health platforms like FHHs, CHWs, FHAGs, and Community Health Shuras in Afghanistan.
• Experience in clinical quality assurance, supportive supervision, and program monitoring in health settings.
• Experience mentoring or training community midwives or CHWs in clinical and counselling competencies.
• Familiarity with local health systems, MoPH Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS), Community-Based Healthcare frameworks, and national HMIS platforms.
• Minimum of 1-2 years in supervisory or leadership roles.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills enabling constructive, respectful feedback and independent work in remote field conditions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and basic data management tools.
• Fluency in English, Dari, and Pashto and willingness to travel extensively within Nangarhar Province adhering to security protocols.

Professional Standards

All IRC personnel uphold core values of Integrity, Service, Equality, and Accountability. The organization enforces strict policies regarding safeguarding, conflict of interest, fiscal integrity, and reporting wrongdoing, creating a safe and respectful work environment.