HEAD OF DEPARTMENT, OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY - BENIN
Industry: Medical / Clinical Services
Department: Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Location: Benin, Nigeria
Grade: M5 / MS04–05
Reports To: Chief Medical Officer / Head of Clinical Services
Salary: ₦2,748,150 per month
Minimum Experience: 7 years post-fellowship specialist experience
Job Purpose
The Head of Department, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, will provide strategic, clinical and administrative leadership for the department, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred care across outpatient, inpatient, maternity and referral services.
The role is responsible for maintaining high clinical standards, overseeing medical staff and departmental operations, strengthening clinical governance, improving maternal and perinatal outcomes, and ensuring alignment with hospital policies, regulatory requirements and managed-care arrangements.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide clinical and administrative leadership for the Obstetrics & Gynaecology department, ensuring efficient service delivery and adherence to established clinical standards.
- Establish, implement and monitor clinical protocols, patient-safety standards, audit programmes and quality assurance processes.
- Oversee the assessment and management of complex obstetric and gynaecological cases, providing senior clinical decision-making and appropriate referral oversight.
- Coordinate medical staffing, duty rotas, outpatient clinics, ward cover, labour ward services and theatre schedules to maintain continuity of care.
- Supervise, mentor and appraise consultants, senior medical officers, medical officers and trainees within the department.
- Monitor maternal, perinatal and other relevant clinical outcomes, identifying risks and implementing corrective actions where necessary.
- Lead departmental clinical audits, morbidity and mortality reviews, incident investigations and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with MDCN registration and licensing requirements, professional standards, hospital policies and applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements.
- Coordinate effectively with nursing, midwifery, paediatrics, neonatal services, anaesthesia, pharmacy, laboratory, radiology and other clinical departments.
- Oversee clinical documentation, coding, reporting and compliance requirements to support patient care, clinical audits and HMO claims.
- Contribute to departmental budgeting, resource allocation, equipment planning and operational performance monitoring in collaboration with hospital management.
- Identify training needs and support continuous professional development, clinical teaching and succession planning within the department.
- Participate in hospital management meetings, clinical committees and strategic planning activities, representing the department in relevant forums.
- Strengthen patient experience, communication, confidentiality and respectful maternity care across all service points.
- Support the development and implementation of policies that improve service efficiency, clinical outcomes and the overall quality of care.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Delivery of the departmental clinical audit programme within agreed timelines.
- Completion of consultant and medical staff performance appraisals within the annual review cycle.
- Effective management of staffing rotas and timely resolution of clinical coverage gaps.
- Monitoring and reporting of maternal, perinatal and other relevant departmental clinical outcomes.
- Timely review and closure of patient-safety incidents, complaints and clinical governance actions.
- Compliance with clinical protocols, regulatory standards and accreditation requirements.
- Improved patient satisfaction, continuity of care and departmental service delivery.
- Effective utilisation of clinical resources within approved operational budgets.
- Completion of staff training, supervision and professional development activities.
- Timely and accurate clinical documentation, coding and reporting in support of audits and HMO processes.
Academic Qualifications
Essential
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS or MBChB) from a recognised institution.
- Completion of the required housemanship/internship and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), or a valid exemption where applicable.
- Recognised postgraduate specialist fellowship in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Desirable
- Additional postgraduate qualifications in a relevant clinical subspecialty, public health, healthcare administration or management.
Professional Registration and Certification
Essential
- Full registration as a medical practitioner with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
- Valid MDCN annual practising licence for the year of appointment.
- Recognised specialist fellowship in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, such as the Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (FMCOG), Fellowship of the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS), or an equivalent recognised qualification.
- Registration of the relevant specialist qualification with the MDCN, where applicable.
- Evidence of continuing professional development sufficient to maintain professional competence and licence renewal.
- Good professional standing, with no unresolved disciplinary restriction preventing lawful practice.
Desirable
- Additional subspecialty training or certification relevant to Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
- Membership of relevant professional associations, specialty colleges or faculties.
- Further training in healthcare leadership, clinical governance, quality management or hospital administration.
Required Experience
Essential
- Minimum of seven (7) years of post-fellowship specialist experience in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
- Demonstrated experience in the independent management of complex obstetric and gynaecological cases.
- Proven experience leading or coordinating a clinical department, unit or multidisciplinary team.
- Experience supervising, mentoring and appraising consultants, medical officers and trainees.
- Demonstrable competence in clinical governance, patient safety, quality assurance, clinical audit and risk management.
- Experience managing clinical staffing, service delivery, departmental operations and resource utilisation.
- Experience contributing to maternal and perinatal outcome monitoring, morbidity and mortality reviews, and service improvement.
- Experience working within a multidisciplinary hospital environment.
Desirable
- Experience in a multispecialty hospital, corporate healthcare network, public-sector hospital or large institutional healthcare environment.
- Experience preparing for or responding to regulatory inspections, clinical audits and healthcare accreditation reviews.
- Familiarity with HMO-managed care, healthcare performance monitoring and departmental budget management.
Knowledge, Skills and Competencies
The successful candidate should demonstrate:
- Strong specialist knowledge of Obstetrics & Gynaecology across outpatient, inpatient, maternity and emergency care.
- Excellent clinical judgement and decision-making in complex and high-risk cases.
- Strong leadership, people management, supervision and conflict-resolution skills.
- Sound understanding of clinical governance, patient safety, audit, risk management and healthcare regulations.
- Ability to coordinate medical staffing, clinical rotas and multidisciplinary service delivery.
- Strong organisational, strategic planning and operational management capabilities.
- Effective communication, counselling, teaching and mentoring skills.
- Competence in clinical reporting, documentation, data interpretation and performance monitoring.
- Ability to manage resources responsibly and drive continuous improvement.
- Commitment to professional ethics, patient confidentiality, respectful maternity care and evidence-based practice.
Working Relationships
Internal Stakeholders
- Chief Medical Officer / Head of Clinical Services
- Consultants, Senior Medical Officers and Medical Officers
- Nursing and midwifery teams
- Paediatrics and neonatal services
- Anaesthesia and theatre teams
- Pharmacy, laboratory and radiology departments
- Managed-care/HMO and quality assurance teams
- Hospital management and relevant clinical committees
External Stakeholders
- Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)
- National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria
- West African College of Surgeons
- Relevant professional associations and specialty bodies
- Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs)
- Healthcare referral partners
- Regulatory and accreditation bodies
Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is an experienced and professionally recognised obstetrician-gynaecologist with strong clinical leadership, departmental management and team development capabilities. The candidate should demonstrate the ability to oversee complex clinical services, maintain high standards of patient safety, improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, manage departmental resources and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their updated CV and relevant professional credentials to [email protected], using Head of Department, Obstetrics & Gynaecology - Benin as the email subject.
Only candidates who meet the required specialist qualifications, professional registration and experience criteria will be considered for shortlisting.