HIV Testing and Counseling Advisor needed to provide technical leadership for anticipated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) project focusing on scaling-up Community Based HIV Testing and Counselling (CBHTC) services in five PEPFAR districts in Lesotho. The Advisor will oversee the scale-up of community HIV testing and counseling services, referral and linkages to treatment. The Advisor will oversee technical assistance to strengthen the Ministry of Health’s national CBHTC program to ensure provision of high quality HTC services in the country that ensure HIV+ clients are linked to care and treatment. The Advisor will work closely with district teams to ensure that approaches are effectively implemented. The Advisor will contribute to the drafting of annual work plans, building team capacity, and monitoring and evaluation team performance. The project will operate over a five-year period. This position is contingent upon award from CDC. Lesotho nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.
Responsibilities:
•Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of project activities in CBHTC project to achieve project goals, objectives and target
•Contribute technical leadership to the development of CBHTC activities for the project strategic plan, work plan, and project monitoring, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, CDC and multi-stakeholder forums
•Identify appropriate community-based strategies at district health management level to address CBHTC service delivery systems bottlenecks that act as an impediment to effective service deliver
•Refine evidence-based training materials, job aids, and curricula, supervisory systems and other training materials needed for implementation of CBHTC to meet the needs of the project
•Identify CBHTC training needs and assist in the design and implementation of measures to address those needs
•Provide mentoring and capacity building at the district health management level in CBHTC
•Ensure timely implementation of all project inputs related to CBHTC, including planning and implementing assessments, site strengthening, follow-up and supervision, advocacy, demand creation, policy support, capacity-building and M&E across project sites, in close coordination and collaboration with CDC and Ministry of Health
•Lead the formulation of approaches for scale up of CBHTC
•Actively participate in all Technical Advisory Group Meetings and multi stakeholder forum for CBHTC, and represent Jhpiego in professional forums by participating and presenting in pertinent meetings and conferences, as well as technical working groups
•Guide Ministry of Health, professional associations, other national stakeholders in the revision/development of evidenced-based standards for competency in CBHTC
•Capacity building of Ministry of Health at district level to ensure provision of high quality HTC services in the country that ensure HIV+ clients (men, adolescents, factory workers, and key populations) are linked to care and treatment.
•Mobilize international level clinical/technical expertise to resolve clinical issues that shape or effect local public policy or project design
•Collaborate with all local stakeholders and implementing partners, especially the Ministry of Health and other US and international implementing partners, in order to ensure that all activities conform to the requirements and regulations
•Conduct regular reporting to the Project Director, and project and technical staff, of successes, challenges and lessons learned in implementation related to areas of technical expertise
•Author and co-author abstracts and presentations for journals and conference
•Assist in the preparation of donor reports and project reports
•Work with finance and project staff to develop and track project budgets
•Work with Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) staff to develop M&E frameworks and effectively track data/results
•Contribute in the oversight of data collection, analysis and development of conclusions and recommendations to further strengthen project implementation
•Coordinate and monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of short-term consultants as required
•Work closely with Jhpiego headquarter office staff to ensure effective, timely and coordinated project implementation
•Ensure compliance with CDC operational policies and regulations
Required Qualifications: Advanced degree in public health, health administration, international health or a related field; MD preferred. •8+ years' experience in design and implementation in donor funded health sector development projects (over $2M per year) that have implemented successful activities in HIV prevention, care and treatment, preferably in Southern Africa •Experience working closely with national HIV/AIDS control programs and regional/district health authorities •Experience training health workers on aspects related to CBHTC •Understanding of the Lesotho social and political context, and developments in the health sector •Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and sustain interpersonal and professional relationships with CDC missions, host-country counterparts and representatives from other key stakeholders such as NGOs, PVOs, the private sector and other donors. •In-depth knowledge of CDC projects, regulations, compliance and reporting •Demonstrated outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, organizational, team-building and representational skills. •Training or clinical background in HIV prevention, care and treatment, TB, and health systems strengthening •Expertise in research to practice—identifying best practices and adapting them to project realities •Previous experience working in Lesotho, with intimate understanding of local health system and health systems strengthening, HIV care and treatment gaps and opportunities, and solid relationships at government agencies •Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines and intense pressure to perform •Proficiency in Microsoft Office •Fluent in written and spoken English •Excellent oral and written communications skills •Ability to travel nationally and internationally
