[Hiring] Senior Medical Scientist @Ipas

Role Description

The Senior Medical Scientist will provide technical leadership to help ensure that the best available evidence supports quality and continuous improvement in safe abortion, contraception, and gender-based violence management across development and humanitarian contexts. This role will strengthen abortion availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality through formal health systems and self-care pathways by establishing and enhancing global technical tools, standards, processes, monitoring mechanisms, and partnerships that contribute to a sustainable abortion ecosystem.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Subject matter expert using clinical expertise, evolving evidence, and strategic partnerships to advance Ipas’s mission globally.
• Collaborate with key staff to advance innovative initiatives and provide strategic guidance and technical assistance on safe abortion, contraception, and GBV care quality and access.
• Disseminate new evidence through publications and presentations.
• Conduct training and represent Ipas externally, advocating for the organization’s mission within the broader reproductive health field.
• Build partnerships with colleague organizations to maximize impact.

Organizational Leadership and Strategy

• Provide technical leadership to develop and test innovative approaches to improve quality abortion and contraception care.
• Integrate safe abortion and postabortion contraception into SRHR programming for Ipas support programs and in emergency crisis settings.

Program, Technical, or Functional Content of the Job

• Provide and/or analyze evidence-based technical content for advocacy opportunities related to safe abortion.
• Develop technical tools and resources translating evidence-based clinical updates into health services.
• Provide technical leadership on quality and regulatory processes pertinent to the Ipas MVA product line.
• Support training of Ipas supported sites and partners on various content areas.
• Lead and/or participate in clinical/technical research and technical evidence dissemination for abortion/contraception clinical practice improvement.
• Prepare and/or analyze service delivery data and issue clinical recommendations for continuous improvement of quality of care.

Resource Mobilization

• Support fundraising initiatives by contributing to donor proposals and preparation/review of donor reports.

Communications & Representation

• Write periodic evidence summaries for internal communications with technical staff.
• Provide external leadership, Ipas representation, and advocacy at national, regional, and international conferences and events.
• Disseminate evidence externally through presentations and publications.

Qualifications

• A deep commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially abortion, contraception, and GBV care access.
• Demonstrated contribution to the development of technical tools, standards, guidelines, and SRHR research.
• Professional-level fluency in English (speaking, reading, and writing).
• Proven ability to support and strengthen the capacity of teams through training and supportive supervision.
• Demonstrated capacity and commitment to good stewardship of funds, including strong skills in work planning and budgeting.
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships in multicultural and complex implementation contexts.

Requirements

• Advanced clinical degree (e.g., nursing, midwifery).
• 10+ years’ experience in clinical practice including reproductive health care.
• Substantive experience with evaluation of quality in clinical care and quality improvement.
• Substantive knowledge and experience of international reproductive health programs and systems in low-resource and humanitarian settings.
• Knowledge of key partners and influencers in the field.
• Experience working in multicultural teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or DrPH and/or significant experience in research.
• Strong clinical background.
• Experience working in humanitarian contexts and/or with humanitarian implementing agencies.
• Established relationships with non-profit organizations and advocacy groups.
• Proficiency with at least one Ipas working language, such as French, Portuguese, or Spanish.
• Strong preference for advanced practice midwife or nurse.

Working Environment

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time internationally, including in crisis settings.