Senior Program Officer – Nurse Mentoring & Capacity Building
About the organization
The Antara Foundation (TAF) envisions a world where women and children do not suffer from preventable health conditions. We believe that every mother and each child deserve an equal start to a healthy life. We support the public health system deliver solutions at scale, to improve maternal and child health outcomes, by partnering with government and communities. Interventions of The Antara Foundation follow two closely integrated paths: to help the government system deliver better quality health care to the community and to support the community to mobilize and seek better health outcomes.
We are a young, energetic, and passionate team, and we have worked across Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, and are now initiating work in Odisha under this program.
For more information visit antarafoundation.org.
Reporting to: Director – Programs
Location: Bhubaneswar, with extensive travel to intervention districts (15 days a month)
Position Summary
The Antara Foundation partners with the Government of Odisha to strengthen maternal, newborn, and child health systems across the state. The Senior Program Officer – Nurse Mentoring & Capacity Building supports state-level nurse mentoring and capacity-building functions under the NMFE intervention, while travelling regularly to districts to strengthen the clinical quality of maternal and newborn care at designated delivery points. The Senior Program Officer – NMCB works directly with government facility staff and district officials through review and quality platforms, and handholds Program Officers – NMCB, who lead district-level trainings on the ground — building systemic, lasting improvement rather than solving one-off problems. Reporting directly to the Director, Odisha Programme, the role carries direct visibility into state leadership priorities.
Responsibilities
-
Co-lead the Aaradhya Jeevan intervention across assigned districts, strengthening work plans and closing operational gaps.
-
Handhold and directly supervise Program Officers – NMCB, embedding consistent, capacity-building practices across the district system.
-
Handhold district-level trainings of supervisors and staff nurses led by the Program Officer – NMCB, ensuring content stays aligned with updated MNCHN protocols and standards such as Skills Lab, Dakshata, NQAS, and FBNC.
-
Attend sector, block, and district-level review meetings to keep nurse mentoring priorities embedded in government platforms.
-
Provide facility-level inputs through NQAS, QIC, BQAC, and DQAC forums, driving progress toward NQAS and LaQshya certification for Maternity, NBSU, and SNCU units.
-
Assess facility and mentee competency, including OSCE-based evaluation, at district hospitals and SNCUs.
-
Coordinate with government counterparts — Civil Surgeons, DHOs, and MH Coordinators — to sustain institutional ownership of quality improvement.
-
Ensure timely, accurate reporting on facility assessments, training, and implementation progress, including data quality on government portals.
-
Support divisional and district-level nurse mentoring reviews in non-TAF districts, extending health systems strengthening reach.
-
Maintain resources of Aaradhya Jeevan intervention such as tools, curriculum, training materials etc. updated as per protocols.
Skills and Experience Required
-
BSc/MSc Nursing from a recognized institute, registered with a competent nursing authority.
-
6+ years in facility-based maternal and newborn care or quality improvement, including supervising and mentoring clinical teams.
-
3+ years experience in MNCHN public health programs.
-
Experience with structured facility assessments, OSCE-based evaluation, and simulation-based training methods.
-
Strong clinical grounding in labour room, SNCU, and newborn care practice, with working knowledge of NQAS/LaQshya standards.
-
A proactive, solutions-focused approach to clinical mentoring and facility-level problem-solving.
-
Fluency in Odia and English, written and spoken is essential.
