Consultancy: Review and Adapt Obstetric Safe Surgery (OSS) Curriculum

Overview

Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality has stagnated over the past two decades in Kenya. Out of the 71% of facility based-maternal deaths in Kenya is associated with Caesarean Section often as a result of surgical complications (2017 CIMD, MOH Kenya). Access to safe, timely, and high-quality obstetric surgical and anesthesia care, particularly Caesarean section services, is essential in reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths. However, gaps in surgical skills, quality of care, adherence to evidence-based practices, and health system capacity continue to affect the delivery of safe obstetric surgical and anesthesia services.

 

The Obstetric Safe Surgery (OSS) program seeks to strengthen the quality and safety of obstetric surgical and anaesthesia care through implementation of evidence-based clinical practices, quality improvement approaches, mentorship, and health system strengthening interventions. To support sustainable scale-up and institutionalization of OSS interventions, there is a need to review and standardize the OSS training curriculum for adoption by the Ministry of Health and county governments.

 

Background

The Obstetric Safe Surgery (OSS) Program supports the Ministry of Health and Nakuru County to implement a proven, integrated model for surgical team capacity building to provide safe, timely, quality and respectful caesarean section care to improve maternal and newborn outcomes. The program focuses on strengthening surgical team competencies, improving adherence to safe surgery standards, supporting quality improvement initiatives, and enhancing health system coordination through hub-and-spoke mentorship models.

 

The overall objective of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Health, Department of Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) to review, update, standardize, and validate the Obstetric Safe Surgery (OSS) training curriculum for national adoption and scale-up.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the RMNCAH, professional associations and OSS implementing partners, the consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

Conduct a review of existing OSS training materials, national clinical guidelines, mentorship tools, , and globalsafe surgery frameworks.

Review the current OSS curriculum and identify gaps, strengths, and opportunities for improvement based on implementation experiences and emerging evidence.

Develop a revised and standardized OSS curriculum that incorporates:

• Evidence-based obstetric surgical practices.
• Surgical safety and infection prevention measures.
• Team-based care and leadership.
• Quality improvement approaches
• Mentorship approaches.
• Referral system strengthening.
• Data use for decision-making and performance improvement.

Facilitate stakeholder consultations with MOH, professional associations, and OSS implementing partners to obtain feedback on the revised curriculum.

Develop facilitator guides, participant manuals, and training resources to support implementation of the OSS curriculum.

Support curriculum validation meetings and incorporate stakeholder feedback into the final curriculum.

Develop a curriculum implementation and scale-up framework to guide adoption by counties and training institutions.

Present the final curriculum and supporting documents to the Ministry of Health for endorsement.

 

Expected Outputs

• Output 1: Inception report detailing methodology, work plan, and stakeholder engagement approach.
• Output 2: Comprehensive review report highlighting findings from the desk review and curriculum gap analysis.
• Output 3: Standardized Obstetric Safe Surgery training curriculum.
• Output 4: Facilitator guide, participant manual, and supporting training materials.
• Output 5: Stakeholder validation workshop report with documented feedback.
• Output 6: Final validated OSS curriculum and implementation framework

 

The consultancy will be undertaken over a period of 20 working days spread across three months from the date of contract signing.

Required Qualifications

• Clinical or health professional background preferably as a medical doctor, nurse, public health professional, or other relevant discipline.
• Specialist training and experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Surgery, Anaesthesia, Nursing, Midwifery, or a related clinical discipline is highly desirable.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in maternal and newborn health, health professional education, clinical training, or related technical areas.
• Strong knowledge of MNH programs and the Kenyan health and education systems.
• Experience in curriculum development, training module development, instructional design, or competency based education.
• Experience working with the Ministry of Health, collegium, professional organizations, academic institutions, and health facilities.
• Experience in developing training materials, clinical skills checklists, competency assessment tools, and facilitator materials.
• Strong understanding of safe surgery, obstetric care, quality improvement, and mentorship approaches.
• Demonstrated experience working with Ministry of Health departments

 

Key Comptencies

• Strong technical writing and curriculum development skills.
• Excellent facilitation, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strong analytical and research capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines.
• Strong planning, coordination, and report writing skills.

 

Submission of Proposal

 

Interested consultants should submit:

• Technical proposal demonstrating understanding of the assignment and methodology.
• Updated curriculum vitae (CV).
• Proposed work plan and timelines.
• Financial proposal with detailed cost estimates.
• Contact details of three (3) organizations that have recently engaged the consultant for similar assignments.

The complete submission should not exceed 15 pages, exclude annexes and supporting documentation.

 

The closing date for applications is Monday, 12th October 2026.

 

 

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package

 

Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

 

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references.

 

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

 

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

 

“Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes affirmative action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

 

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