Technical Officer (HIV/AIDS)

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 142,732 USD and 184,023 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

HIV prevention and care is considered part of the Sierra Leone Basic Package of Essential Health Services, (BPEHS), and ATM is one of several portfolios of the BPEHS Cluster at the WHO Country Office. The overall objective of the national HIV prevention and control efforts is to reduce new infections, ensure that 90% of people living with HIV know their status, 90% are on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment attain viral suppression -UNAIDS 90-90-90 - as part of the global efforts to ‘END AIDS' by 2030. For Sierra Leone, this will mean having a strong national Health Sector Response at the core of the multi-sectoral response; and taking HIV out of isolation by ensuring that HIV is part and parcel of the national Health Sector recovery efforts and building resilient and sustainable health systems which are HIV sensitive.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the direct supervision of the WHO country representative, the incumbent will contribute to expand the implementation of the End AIDS strategy and strengthen the HIV response by applying effective strategies and policies, including those related to co-infection and second-line ART; increasing the involvement of communities, health-care providers, non-governmental organizations and corporate partners and DHMTs through increased country support and strong partnerships; strengthening surveillance, monitoring and evaluation.Strategic & Operational Planning and Program Management- Support the Programme Manager in coordinating all HIV health sector response activities in the country in close coordination with NAS and the broader multi-sectoral HIV response, taking into account the COVID-19pandemic and its impacts- Support HIV coordination platforms (TWGs).- Assist the NACP with preparing strategies, annual workplans, quarterly and semester reports and other ad hoc reports on the state of scaling-up and performance of HIV services.- Provide technical support for conducting annual performance reviews and learning meetings/workshops.- Support the Programme Manager to periodically review and align program expenditure to resolve rate limiting bottlenecks- Flag programmatic gaps and address them with team members.- Develop implementation strategies, including innovative strategies that accelerate the country's progress towards 95-95-95.- Recommend and support policy and SOP changes in line with new global best practices/recommendations and support their implementation.- Ensure integration of quality systems into all aspects of the HIV program.- Lead and support effective HIV/TB collaborative activities.- Lead and support the identification of gaps and opportunities for improved integration of HIVs, TB, RMNCAH and community health initiatives and recommend strategies for better integration of services- Support resource mobilization, grant management and the effective and efficient use of financial resources, help resolve bottlenecks to meeting performance targets, including but not limited to GF and other donor resourcesSystems Strengthening and Capacity Building- Provide technical support for HIV prevention, treatment and care while building the capacity of NACP staff.- In line with WHO and national treatment, guidelines propose appropriate treatment regimens and systems for effective monitoring of treatment, resistance and treatment failure.- Facilitate the implementation of the new consolidated treatment guidelines.- Review, standardize optimized treatment protocols and SOPs for service delivery in health facilities and drop-in centres.- Propose strategies for effective engagement of PLHIVs and TB Community-led organizations in counselling, referrals, adherence, retention in care, lost to follow-up, palliative care and support activities.- Support the implementation and roll-out of differentiated service delivery models.- Review the NACP's supervision and mentorship program, including updating the supervision and mentorship checklist.- Provide clinical mentorship for ART providers and facilitate learning among providers.- Provide a broad overview of the laboratory situation in the country and its impact on the HIV treatment programme, highlighting opportunities for making HIV testing, EID, viral load and other HIV related lab services more accessible to people infected or affected by HIV.- Identify and help resolve critical gaps for quantification, procurement and supply change management and improved quantification of commodities for appropriate targets for HIV testing and treatment programmes.Support Data, Analytics & Operations Research- Provide strategic and technical support on assessing the epidemiological and programmatic situation through analyzing programmatic, consumption and surveillance data, as well as triangulation of data sets in order to ensure, at all times, a good understanding of the HIV situation at national and sub-national levels.- Support strengthening of the data collection & visualization systems and build capacity on analysis and use of data on HIV services including LMIS data.- Support coordinators to provide quarterly cascade analysis to be shared with MOHS and program managers while supporting the use of national HIV data for decision making.- Facilitate the development of a prioritized operations research plan in HIV prevention, treatment and care, and develop the capacity of the NACP in designing, implementing, evaluating, writing and disseminating operations research findings.- Support relevant junior staff in developing and conducting small/short research work.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: Medical Degree from a recognized university with postgraduate degree or equivalent in public health or epidemiology or related field. Desirable:

Experience

Essential: At least 7 years of experience in HIV and TB/HIV control atsubnational,national and/or international level in developing countries. Practical experience in programme review and strategic plan development. Desirable: At least 5 years international experience in working with UN and/or international NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies.

Skills

Extensive knowledge and experience in HIV prevention and control programming and implementation. Proven experience in HIV programme management at the country level. Knowledge of health systems management and strategic planning at the national level. Ability to develop and facilitate the development of HIV guidelines and effectively monitor progress in the use of guidelines. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to cooperate and negotiate with technical and funding agencies and establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff at all levels. Experience with Global Fund proposal development, grant making and implementation processes. Excellent communication and presentation skills. Ability to write and communicate clearly.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences Communication Ensuring the effective use of resources Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond Creating an empowering and motivating environment### Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Desirable:

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 75,602 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 3226 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.