Senior Medical Scientist

Ipas; North Carolina; Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Ipas seeks a Senior Medical Scientist to provide technical leadership for safe abortion and contraception programs across development and humanitarian contexts. You will advance technical tools, standards, and monitoring to strengthen access and quality within global health systems.

In collaboration with teams, you will disseminate evidence, conduct training, engage externally, and build partnerships to maximize impact, with international travel up to 20% and a flexible remote work arrangement.

Qualifications

• Advanced clinical degree in nursing or midwifery.
• 10+ years' experience in clinical practice including reproductive health care.
• Professional fluency in English.
• Experience with international SRHR programs and humanitarian settings.
• Proven ability to train and supervise teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership to improve abortion and contraception care quality across programs and crises.
• Develop tools translating clinical updates into health services.
• Lead quality/regulatory processes for MVA and infection prevention.
• Support training for sites and partners on content and best practices.
• Lead or participate in research and dissemination of evidence.
• Analyze service delivery data and propose improvements.

Skills

English fluency

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

Advanced clinical degree

Job description

This position is remote-based. Salary range for US-based candidate is $165,000.00 to $180,000.00. Compensation for this position will be determined by the prevailing market rate in the employee's country and the applicable statutory laws, in addition to Ipas's own pay philosophy and other factors, such as the employee's experience level and expertise. Position may work remotely from any of the following US states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, NC, PA, SC, TX, VA, WA. Additionally, the position may work remotely from any of the following countries outside of the US: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia.

Summary of Responsibilities

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. The Senior Medical Scientist is a subject matter expert, using clinical expertise, evolving evidence and strategic partnerships to advance Ipas's mission at the global level. In collaboration with key staff across the organization, Senior Medical Scientist will advance innovative initiatives and provide strategic guidance and technical assistance on safe abortion, contraception and GBV care quality and access. The Senior Medical Scientist disseminates new evidence through publications and presentations; conducts training; represents Ipas externally, advocating for the organization’s mission within the broader reproductive health field; and builds partnerships with colleague organizations to maximize impact.

Organizational Leadership and Strategy

• Provides technical leadership to develop and test innovative approaches to improve quality abortion and contraception care (e.g., global quality indicators, quality improvement processes) and to 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 used for advocacy opportunities related to safe abortion for Ipas supported programs and external coalitions
• Develop technical tools and resources translating evidence based clinical updates into health services
• Provides technical leadership on quality and regulatory processes pertinent to the Ipas MVA product line, as well as infection prevention and MVA processing
• Supports training of Ipas supported sites and partners on content such as VCAT, clinical management of abortion and contraception care, trauma-informed care, legal risk assessment, etc.
• Leads and/or significant participation 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 across the pathways to care.

Resource mobilization

• Supports 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 across the network
• Provides external leadership, Ipas representation, and advocacy as required at national, regional and international conferences and events
• Disseminates evidence externally through presentations and publications

Position Requirements

• 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, including through training, supportive supervision, strong communication, nonhierarchical leadership approaches, and modeling the Ipas core values
• Demonstrated capacity and commitment to good stewardship of funds, including strong skills in work planning, budgeting, financial monitoring, and data-driven problem solving
• Proven ability to build positive working relationships in a multicultural and complex implementation contexts with diverse internal teams and external partners
• Education Advanced clinical degree (e.g nursing, midwifery)
• Experience 10+ years' experience in clinical practice including reproductive health care and experience applying scientific clinical information to practical training and programs
• 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 our 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 working 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

Ipas is strongly committed to providing a work environment that is free from all forms of harassment, discrimination, and inequity. We recruit, employ, train, promote, and compensate our personnel without regard to race, age, sex, religion, national origin, color, creed, ancestry, citizenship, caste, ethnicity, regional identity, tribal identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, transgender status, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic protected by law or outlined by Ipas policy. Ipas acknowledges that these personal characteristics may differ in different contexts.

Ipas works globally to improve access to safe abortion and contraception so that every woman and girl can determine her own future. Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, we work with partners to make safe abortion and contraception widely available, to connect women with vital information so they can access safe services, and to advocate for safe, legal abortion. We believe in a world where every woman and girl has the right and ability to determine her own sexuality and reproductive health.