Prevention & HIV Testing Services Officer 140 views0 applications

A major global health organization that has been improving public health in countries around the world for nearly two decades, ICAP works to transform the health of populations through innovation, science, and global collaboration. Based at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP has projects in more than 40 countries, working side-by-side with ministries of health and local governmental, non-governmental, academic, and community partners to confront some of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through evidence-informed programs, meaningful research, tailored technical assistance, effective training and education programs, and rigorous surveillance to measure and evaluate the impact of public health interventions, ICAP aims to realize a global vision of healthy people, empowered communities, and thriving societies.

ICAP is registered in Tanzania as MSPH Tanzania LLC (Reg. No. 00002080) since 2004. ICAP operates under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG). In Tanzania, ICAP receives funding from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through a partnership with CDC, supporting facility and community-based HIV prevention and care and treatment services, COVID-19 response, as well as HIV-related research in Tanzania.

With funding from PEPFAR through CDC, ICAP is currently implementing the “Sustain and Accelerate a Comprehensive HIV Response’’ project (known as the FIKIA+ Project) in all eight councils in Mwanza region aiming to achieve rapid acceleration of ART initiation, strengthen treatment continuity and improve HIV viral load (VL) suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Furthermore, FIKIA+ also aims to ensure that high-quality combination prevention interventions, including voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) programming, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and access to condoms to achieve epidemic control, are accessible to at-risk and vulnerable population groups. ICAP supports a total of 208 health facilities in Mwanza region, supporting lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART) services to approximately 118,000 people living with HIV. The FIKIA+ Project is currently in its second year of the five-year cooperative agreement.

ICAP in Tanzania is seeking to employ competent, dynamic individuals with strong technical knowledge and public health management skills in implementing program objectives to join our team. Positions are contingent upon availability of grant funding. ICAP at Columbia University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Position Title: Prevention & HIV Testing Services Officer
Reports to: District Program Lead
Job Location: Mwanza
Employment Type: Full-time
Travel: Up to 70% in intervention districts

Position Summary
The Prevention & HIV Testing Services (HTS) Officer works with and supports the HTS (including HIV recency testing) & HIV prevention portfolio to ensure efficient implementation, M&E, CQI implementation, and reporting of HIV testing and HIV prevention services in the respective district council, including accelerating index testing, optimized PITC, social network testing, HIV self-testing, DREAMS, linkage case management, KVP and PrEP services. S/he is responsible for the field implementation, coordination, and reporting of all HTS & HIV prevention initiatives in the assigned district council under the supervision of the District Program Lead and in collaboration with other ICAP staff, R/CHMTs, and supported facilities.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Support the design, implementation, M&E, data use, CQI, reporting, and documentation of HTS and HIV prevention activities
• Support implementation of initiatives to address key program, donor, and national priorities such as accelerating index testing, focused PITC, linkage case management, PrEP, and DREAMS services in line with national guidelines.
• Provide technical assistance (TA) to the CHMT members and support facilities in planning, implementation, M&E, and reporting of HTS & HIV prevention services.
• Collaborate with CHMT to assess and implement initiatives to address skill and resource needs in HTS & HIV prevention services through supportive supervision, mentorship, on-job training, and CQI.
• Ensure compliance with national and international standards and best practices for program implementation, and that all programs are implemented in accordance with national guidelines and policy, protocols, SOPs, good clinical practice, and ethical/regulatory requirements.
• Participate in the data collection, analysis and use at facility and district council levels and contribute to the development of monthly, quarterly, and annual reports
• Lead the documentation of program success stories and lessons in the relevant technical areas learned for internal and external release/publication.
• Lead HTS and HIV prevention-related supervision in the respective council in collaboration with the CHMTs
• Coordinate and facilitate monthly meetings for sharing challenges and strategies for improvement of HTS and HIV prevention activities
• Support sites to understand targets, align their strategies and activities towards them and meet their set performance targets
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills:

• Required Education: Medical degree (MD, MBBS, or equivalent) or Bachelor’s degree or higher in the following fields: Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or related discipline.
  • Required Technical Experience: Minimum 3 years’ work experience in the HIV field including demonstrated experience and knowledge working with key and vulnerable populations, HIV testing services, and HIV prevention.
• Preferred: Experience working with PEPFAR-funded HIV programs
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with fluency in English required.
• Strong computer skills (MS Excel, Access, Word, and PowerPoint at minimum; preferred proficiency with statistical Software such as SAS and SPSS).
• Ability to provide high-quality technical assistance to districts and facilities.
• Ability to work with a diverse team.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and strong problem-solving skills.