Project Officer – Community – 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 birth companionship project nine (9) public health facilities in Kigoma Region from 2017 to 2018 and 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 national eLearning platform, contributed to revision of Labour ward designs to accommodate privacy and contributed to the development of national guideline 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 – Community – 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 – Community provides operational and technical support for the implementation of community-based interventions under the Birth Companionship project, ensuring effective delivery of activities that strengthen community awareness, ownership, and demand for respectful maternity care services.

The role supports integration of birth companionship within community and facility systems by working closely with community health workers, local leadership, and health facility teams. It contributes to planning, coordination, monitoring, and reporting of community activities, while ensuring alignment with program objectives, national priorities, and communication strategies.

The position also supports documentation, learning, and community-level advocacy efforts to enhance sustainability and scale-up of the intervention.

Key responsibilities

I. Community-level planning and coordination

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with CHWs, community leaders, RHMTs, CHMTs, and facility teams
• Support planning and coordination of community engagement and sustainability meetings
• Contribute to development of activity plans aligned with program workplans
• Support coordination between community structures and health facilities
• Work closely with the communication team to align community activities with communication strategies

II. Community implementation and mobilization

• Conduct community sensitization sessions on birth companionship and respectful maternity care
• Work closely with community health workers to mobilize households and strengthen facility-community linkages
• Support formation and strengthening of birth companionship associations for peer support and advocacy
• Facilitate establishment of community-based support mechanisms, including village-level support funds
• Engage community leaders and groups to strengthen ownership and sustainability
• Ensure consistent delivery of approved messages and materials in collaboration with the communication team

III. Implementation support and integration

• Support the implementation of birth companionship activities across assigned sites
• Facilitate linkage between community mobilization and facility service delivery
• Support coordination of field activities with project teams and partners
• Assist in the implementation of integrated interventions where required
• Ensure adherence to program guidelines and quality standards

IV. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

• Support the collection and reporting of community and facility-level data
• Work with CHWs to ensure completeness and accuracy of community data
• Conduct routine data quality checks and provide feedback
• Support the implementation of endline evaluations and surveys
• Contribute to the documentation of lessons learned and community insights
• Work with the communication team to package learning for dissemination

V. Supervision and community coordination

• Provide day-to-day support to community health workers and community groups
• Monitor the performance of community-level activities and provide feedback
• Strengthen coordination between CHWs, facilities, and project teams
• Support capacity building through mentorship and on-the-job guidance
• Ensure alignment of community activities with project targets

VI. Reporting and documentation

• Prepare and submit monthly implementation reports
• Contribute to quarterly and final project reports
• Maintain proper documentation of community activities
• Support compilation of data and inputs for program reporting
• Ensure accuracy and completeness of all submitted reports

VII. Operational and administrative support

• Assist in the coordination of logistics for community activities
• Support proper use and accountability of project resources
• Ensure adherence to organisational policies and procedures
• Facilitate communication and coordination across teams

Qualifications and experience

The role requires appropriate academic training and hands-on experience in community-based health programming and maternal and newborn health interventions.

• Degree in Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Social sciences, or Community Development with at least three (3) years of relevant experience, or a diploma with at least seven (7) years of experience in RMNCAH
• Experience working with community health workers and community-based health systems
• Experience in community mobilization, training facilitation, and stakeholder engagement
• Familiarity with maternal and newborn health and respectful maternity care interventions
• Experience supporting donor-funded health programs 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 [email protected] 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 aligned to the organization’s mission, vision, and values.