Deputy Director: Maternal Health/VTP

About this role

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health is recruiting a Deputy Director for Maternal Health and Vertical Transmission Prevention (VTP). The post is based at the Head Office in Pietermaritzburg and sits in the Maternal Child and Women’s Health and Nutrition cluster. The job focuses on reducing maternal illness and deaths across the province.

What you’ll do

• Write, update and roll out provincial maternal health and VTP policies and guidelines, including new ones when issues arise.
• Build and run strategies to cut maternal and perinatal illness and death across pre-conception, antenatal, childbirth and postnatal care.
• Give technical support to districts and facility teams, including planning help and outreach visits, with priority to the weakest-performing districts.
• Train midwives, doctors and facility staff on new protocols, VTP screening and preventive treatment.
• Monitor services through data reviews, quarterly reports and follow-up on Saving Mothers recommendations.
• Work with national and provincial departments, funders such as UNICEF and other partners to keep programmes aligned.
• Coordinate the provincial maternal mortality confidential enquiry and the provincial perinatal morbidity and mortality committee, and help manage budgets and resources.

What you need

• Matric (Grade 12) plus one of the following: an undergraduate nursing degree (NQF 7), a nursing diploma (NQF 6), or a medical degree (MBChB).
• Current registration with SANC or HPCSA.
• Experience as a Clinical Coordinator for Maternal, Child and Women’s Health (required).
• At least three years as an Assistant Director, plus five years of experience after registration in a maternal health programme.
• Advanced midwifery qualification, or other maternal health clinical experience (required).
• A valid code EB driver’s licence (code 8).
• Computer literacy.
• Advantageous: a Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) or a similar research-based Master’s.
• Skills in policy, financial and project management, epidemiology and statistics, leadership, human resources, and budgeting and quality assurance.

Is this job for you?

This job suits an experienced nurse or doctor with deep clinical knowledge of maternal health and a track record in management. You should enjoy working across districts, guiding teams and using data to make decisions.

Tips before you apply

• Have your Z83 ready, originally signed, initialled and dated, along with a detailed CV that lists each post, dates and duties.
• Show your clinical coordination and maternal health programme experience with specific examples, numbers and results.
• Ask your employers early for proof of work experience endorsed and stamped, as shortlisted candidates must provide it before the interview.

”