Senior Midwife

Medical Advisor-Sanità - Tecnico

Descrizione

Founded in 1950, Doctors with Africa CUAMM was the first NGO focused on healthcare to be recognized by the Italian government. It is now one of the leading organization working to protect and improve the well-being and health of vulnerable communities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The NGO promotes long-term health cooperation projects, intervening also in emergencies to ensure that services are available to all.

Doctors with Africa CUAMM is currently active in 10 Sub-Saharan countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.

The NGO supports public and non-profit hospitals, local districts, schools of nursing and midwifery, university faculties of medicine.

CUAMM’s action focuses on health system strengthening and targets the weakest population groups, particularly women and children. Interventions include prevention, screening and treatment programmes; development or strengthening of referral systems at community level; training of health staff; management support and technical assistance to local health institutions; field research.

CUAMM’s international and national staff work together on the front line to strengthen local health systems, in resource-limited contexts where the commitment and contribution of the individual can make a real difference.

Which is why we always need skilled and motivated people who are ready to join us to collaborate on our projects ‘with Africa’.

Start date: late November-early December 2025

Location: Abobo Hospital, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Duration: 12 months

Purpose of the role

As part of the project to strengthen maternal and neonatal services at Abobo Hospital, the Senior Midwife will provide technical and organizational support to the maternity unit, with a particular focus on the delivery room.

Building on the results of the recent assessment conducted, she will work closely with hospital staff in the delivery unit and the neonatology department, supporting head midwives to optimize workflow, ensure adherence to clinical protocols, and enhance the quality of care.

The role also includes supporting data collection and analysis, monitoring performance indicators, and mentoring staff to sustain improvements in maternal and neonatal care, promoting an integrated mother-newborn approach.

Key duties

• Implement and monitor the action plan developed following the recent assessment, ensuring progressive improvement of clinical practices and organisational processes in the delivery room.
• Support and empower local delivery room and neonatal staff through continuous on-the-job training, coaching, and capacity-building activities.
• Standardise and document clinical and operational procedures in line with national guidelines and international best practices.
• Strengthen collaboration between maternity and neonatal units to ensure integrated, continuous care.
• Participate in quality monitoring, including data collection, analysis, and reporting on key maternal and neonatal indicators.
• Facilitate regular review meetings and promote a culture of quality improvement, teamwork, and accountability.
• Ensure sustainability by progressively transferring responsibilities and competencies to local staff and managers.

Clinical Midwifery Responsibilities

• Support and monitor direct midwifery care during labour, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period, ensuring safe and respectful care for mothers and newborns.
• Support essential newborn care, including early breastfeeding and mother–baby bonding.
• Collaborate with obstetricians and paediatricians in supporting complications and emergencies.
• Support postpartum follow-up and maternal education activities.
• Ensure accurate documentation and adherence to infection prevention and clinical safety standards.

Requirements

• Registered Midwife with a recognized qualification in midwifery. Additional certifications in maternal and neonatal care, quality improvement, or hospital management are an advantage
• Excellent knowledge of French
• At least 7-10 years of clinical experience in delivery rooms
• Proven experience in organizational, leadership, or supervisory roles within maternity units
• Experience in mentoring, capacity-building, and coaching of healthcare staff
• Familiarity with maternal and neonatal care protocols, and international best practices
• Experience in quality improvement, data collection, monitoring, and reporting of clinical indicators
• Experience in resource-limited settings, previous experience in West Africa will be considered an advantage
• Strong organizational and planning skills, with the ability to improve workflows and implement action plans
• Excellent clinical judgment and problem-solving abilities in labour, delivery, and newborn care
• Analytical skills for data interpretation and monitoring of performance indicators
• Proactive, flexible, and able to work in a complex and resource-limited environment
• Ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork
• Commitment to high-quality, respectful, and patient-centred care
• Excellent mediation and communication skills in both intercultural and institutional contexts
• Resilience and ability to remain effective under pressure

Due to the high number of applications, please note that our recruiting team will contact only short-listed candidates.

The selection process is based on non-discrimination criteria and candidates are taken into consideration without distinction of ethnicity, gender, political orientation, religion, personal opinions, sexual orientation.

Doctors with Africa CUAMM does not tolerate any abuse, exploitation or violence against vulnerable children and adults, nor other behaviour that does not respect human dignity from its own staff, partner staff or other staff associated with the NGO.

All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to the mission and values of the organization, nondiscrimination policies and safeguarding principles.