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 Manager – Birth Companionship (1 Position)

Department: Program

Reports to: Program Manager

Assignment type: Full-time

Location: Mwanza

Length: One year

Position Summary

The Birth Companionship Project Manager provides overall leadership, technical direction, and management of the Birth Companionship scale-up project, ensuring effective planning, implementation, monitoring, and sustainability of the intervention across supported regions. The role is responsible for integrating birth companionship within routine maternity care, strengthening respectful maternity care, and ensuring alignment with national priorities and program objectives. It oversees program performance, financial management, reporting, and quality improvement processes, while also contributing to advocacy, resource mobilization, and strategic development of subsequent phases of the project. In addition, the role ensures strong stakeholder engagement, supports knowledge generation and dissemination, and promotes continuous learning and accountability across the project, including oversight of facility readiness assessments and minor infrastructure improvements to support quality service delivery.

Key Responsibilities

I. Project Management

• Lead end-to-end planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the Birth Companionship project across supported regions.
• Manage resources, including budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial accountability.
• Develop annual and quarterly workplans, progress reports, and performance reviews.
• Coordinate regular progress review meetings and ensure implementation of agreed action points.
• Facilitate workshops, training, and engagement sessions for health providers and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with RHMTs, CHMTs, and facility teams to develop and implement joint workplans.
• Lead and oversee facility readiness assessments to identify gaps in infrastructure, privacy, and service environment for birth companionship.
• Support planning and implementation of minor renovations and improvements in selected facilities to enhance quality and respectful maternity care.
• Support integration of birth companionship within broader maternal and newborn health programming.

II. Advocacy, Strategic Engagement, and Business Development

• Contribute to the development of proposals and concept notes on birth companionship and RMNCAH priorities.
• Collaborate with MoH, PMORALG, RHMTs, CHMTs, and HMTs to plan and conduct sustainability meetings.
• Support the design of subsequent project phases and scale-up strategies.
• Participate in fundraising and resource mobilization initiatives.
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• Provide technical advice on project positioning and business development.
• Lead design and tracking of advocacy strategies for sustainability.

III. Implementation and Technical Leadership

• Lead scale-up of birth companionship interventions across supported regions.
• Ensure quality and fidelity of implementation across project sites.
• Provide technical inputs into innovative and integrated interventions.
• Promote uptake and completion of birth companionship CPD modules among healthcare providers.
• Support clinical quality improvement, audits, and mentorship.
• Ensure that facility improvements and service environment adjustments are aligned with respectful maternity care principles.

IV. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Ensure collection, validation, analysis, and use of program data.
• Conduct routine data quality assessments and provide feedback.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports and lead final project reporting.
• Support the design and implementation of endline evaluations.
• Promote data use for decision-making and adaptive programming.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and knowledge products.

V. Supervision and Team Leadership

• Supervise project staff, including coordinators and officers.
• Conduct regular performance review meetings.
• Provide supportive supervision through field visits and virtual engagement.
• Build capacity through coaching, mentorship, and continuous technical support.
• Facilitate regular team coordination meetings.
• Ensure staff accountability and adherence to project standards and timelines.

VI. Supporting Functions

• Support integration of birth companionship across program components.
• Collaborate with procurement teams on project-related commodities and materials.
• Support coordination of facility upgrades and minor renovations in collaboration with government teams and technical experts.
• Support planning and coordination of internal and external evaluations and dissemination of findings.
• Contribute to organizational reporting and annual reports.

VII. Advisory Role

• Advise on the integration of birth companionship into routine care.
• Support the development of sustainability and scale-up strategies within government systems.
• Provide input into advocacy and policy engagement efforts.
• Support alignment with national guidelines and frameworks.

Qualifications and Experience

The role requires strong academic grounding and demonstrated experience in maternal and newborn health programming and project management.

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or equivalent clinical qualification required.
• A master’s degree in public health, Midwifery, Project Management, or a related field is an added advantage.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in MNH programming.
• Hands-on experience of program coordination projects implemented in more than one region.
• Practical experience in a managerial position at project capacity with engagement with the Ministry of Health and PMO-RALG.
• Experience in the implementation and scale-up of birth companionship or respectful maternity care.
• Experience of working with government health systems.
• Experience managing donor-funded programs.
• Experience in training and mentorship of healthcare providers.
• Experience in community mobilization interventions through outreaches and linkages.

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 to the organization’s mission, vision, and values.