Job Description
PUNTLAND STATE OF SOMALIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH TERMS OF REFERENCE National Consultant, Lead Researcher and Writer State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026 Assignment title Production of the State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026 Contracting authority Ministry of Health, Puntland State of Somalia Implementing partners Puntland Association of Midwives, PAM, and the Technical Reference Group Technical support UNFPA Somalia Type of contract Individual national consultancy, deliverable-based lump sum Duty station Garowe, with travel to selected regions and districts of Puntland Duration 12 weeks from contract signature Level of effort 25 working days Reports to Director General, Ministry of Health, through the designated MoH focal point for midwifery Date of posting 19 October 2026 Application deadline 11 November 2026, 4:00 pm East Africa Time Expected start date 24 Nov 2026
1. Background Midwives are the backbone of maternal and newborn care in Puntland. They provide family planning, ANC, skilled care at delivery, PNC and newborn care, and they identify and refer complications that would otherwise lead to maternal and newborn deaths. When midwives are educated and regulated to international standards and work within a functioning health system, they can deliver most of the essential SRMNAH care that women and newborns need. Puntland has made visible progress in midwifery education and service delivery over the past decade. However, information on the number, qualifications, distribution, licensing and working conditions of midwives is spread across the MoH, the NHPC, training institutions, health facilities, PAM and humanitarian partners. There is no single report that brings this evidence together, and planners cannot reliably answer basic questions such as how many midwives are actively practising, where they work, and where the largest gaps are. The MoH, in collaboration with PAM and with technical support from UNFPA, therefore intends to produce the first State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026. The report will follow the approach of The State of the World's Midwifery 2021, jointly developed by UNFPA, WHO and ICM, and will examine the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of midwifery services rather than headcounts alone. Given Puntland's recurring exposure to drought, flooding, displacement and disease outbreaks, the report will include a dedicated humanitarian midwifery component. The MoH is seeking a qualified national consultant to lead the desk review, data collection, analysis and writing of the report under MoH supervision and TRG oversight. 2. Purpose of the Consultancy The purpose of this consultancy is to produce a nationally validated, gender-responsive and humanitarian-informed State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026, together with a reconciled workforce dataset, a policy and investment brief, and a reusable framework that allows the MoH to update the report periodically. The findings will be used by the MoH, PAM, the NHPC, training institutions and partners to guide workforce planning, deployment, education and regulatory reform, humanitarian preparedness and investment in midwifery.
3. Objectives 3.1 General objective To generate a consolidated and validated evidence base on the status of midwifery in Puntland that supports coordinated investment, professional development, quality improvement and equitable access to SRMNAH services.
Qualifications and Experience 10.1 Education • Advanced university degree, Master's or higher, in midwifery, nursing, public health, health systems, human resources for health or a closely related field. A professional qualification in midwifery is a strong advantage.
10.2 Experience • At least seven years of progressive experience in reproductive, maternal and newborn health, midwifery or health workforce programming. • Demonstrated experience leading at least two national or subnational assessments, situation analyses or workforce studies, with evidence of the final reports. • Sound knowledge of midwifery education, regulation and practice standards, including ICM standards and The State of the World's Midwifery framework. • Proven skills in mixed-methods research, including quantitative data analysis using Excel, SPSS, Stata or similar, and qualitative analysis. • Experience in humanitarian SRH, including MISP, is required. • Excellent report-writing skills in English, with a track record of producing publicationquality reports and policy briefs. • Experience working with government ministries and UN agencies in Somalia or a similar fragile context. 10.3 Desirable • Previous work with the MoH Puntland, PAM, NHPC or midwifery schools in Somalia. • Experience with health workforce information systems or national health workforce accounts. • Fluency in Somali.
Application Procedure Interested candidates should submit the following: 1. A cover letter explaining suitability for the assignment. 2. An updated CV with three professional referees. 3. A technical proposal of no more than five pages outlining understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology and workplan. 4. A financial proposal showing the daily rate and total lump sum for 25 working days. 5. At least one sample of a similar report written by the candidate. Applications should be sent by email to both of the following addresses: • [email protected] • [email protected] The subject line of the email should read: Consultant, State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026. Date of posting: 19 october 2026 Closing date: 11 November 2026 at 4:00 pm East Africa Time. Applications received after the closing date or sent to other addresses will not be considered. Applications are received by PAM on behalf of the Ministry of Health. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Qualified women and practising midwives are strongly encouraged to apply. No fee is charged at any stage of the recruitment process.
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How to Apply
This role is listed on FursadLink and applications are submitted to the organization's official email address. Use the “Apply by Email” button above to proceed. Please reference “TOR for National Consultant, Lead Researcher and Writer State of Puntland Midwifery Report 2026, Garowe”. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.