I-TECH Malawi is
seeking to recruit a highly qualified and experienced HIV Medical Expert to
work for the Department for HIV and AIDS, Ministry of Health (MOH).
This is a unique
opportunity for a seasoned international HIV expert to contribute to Malawi’s
renowned HIV Care & Treatment Program. The Technical Advisor will work
under the leadership of the Department Director, and join a dedicated team of
around 30 program staff. This team has earne
d a global reputation for cutting-edge
public health program leadership and many innovations that have shaped
international policy, such as Option
B+ for the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV.
I-TECH has been
privileged to provide direct technical support to the Government of Malawi,
Ministry of Health (MoH), since 2008, through seconded senior technical
assistants, program officers and public health fellows. The International
Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) was established in 2002 at
the University of Washington in Seattle. I-TECH is funded by the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in collaboration with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Global HIV and AIDS
(CDC-DGHA) under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Position
Overview
The primary purpose
of the position is to strengthen the treatment, care and support component of
the national HIV programs in the MOH in Malawi. The TA will assist the
Department for HIV and AIDS in the development and implementation of treatment,
care and support services for HIV and AIDS aligned with the 90-90-90 framework
and the 5-year National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV 2015-2020. This will
include: providing national level technical assistance to improve policies,
strategies and guidelines that are evidence-based and maximise impact of the
national HIV program; monitor programmatic performance on the HIV care cascade
for adults, children and Option B+ women, from enrolment to ART initiation,
adherence and retention in care; and submit recommendations on programmatic
refinement to the Director and Program Managers in the HIV and AIDS department
in a responsive manner. Specific areas include providing technical guidance to
(1) improve the quality of care for prevention and management of HIV associated
conditions; (2) strengthen basic packages of HIV care and support, diagnostic
support and interventions that are appropriate to the type/ category of HIV
care clinic; (3) address health systems bottlenecks that impact on the quality
of clinical care, retention and attainment of viral suppression; (4) strengthen
linkages between HIV care and support and other HIV prevention services. The TA
will interact with and provide support to stakeholders, MOH staff and service providers
in the public and private sector. Training and mentoring of Malawian
counterparts (fellows and MOH staff) involved in HIV/TB Treatment and Care will
be among major components of the TA’s functions. The TA will contribute
biomedical and programmatic expertise tailored to Malawi’s health system
context, and support dissemination of data and knowledge from Malawi’s progress
in scaling-up treatment, care and support programs.
Duties and
Responsibilities
Strategic
Planning and Program Management (60%)
• Through direct
support and mentoring of counterparts, and in concert with the Director of the
Department of HIV and AIDS, MOH and other TAs, assist in strengthening the
MOH’s implementation of all health services that make up the continuum of HIV
care including biomedical prevention, treatment, care and support, and impact
mitigation aspects of the health sector response to HIV and AIDS.
• Support the
inclusion of HIV and AIDS component in the development of the Ministry of
Health’s Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP).
• Provide leadership
and technical expertise for the development, updating, and implementation of
policies, guidelines and job aids for the national HIV and AIDS programs.
• Coordinate with
national and international partners to ensure the MOH’s timely and efficient
implementation of the 5 year National Strategic Plan (focusing on HTC, ART,
PMTCT, OI, and STI), and achievement of the 90-90-90 targets as set in the
plan.
• Assist in
improving access to ART for PMTCT and increased uptake of paediatric ART in
line with the national HIV guidelines and national targets.
• Work with all
stakeholders to periodically review pre-service and in-service training
curricula for health workers in ART/PMTCT service delivery and management of
HIV related conditions and infections.
• Provide technical
expertise and support coordination for district health offices and
district-level implementing partners to strengthen the national clinical
mentorship program, continuous quality improvement interventions and the national
quarterly supportive supervision exercise, to ensure quality of HIV services at
facility level.
• Provide leadership
in HIV and AIDS technical working groups and sub-groups to ensure enhanced
coordination, harmonization and strengthening of HIV prevention treatment and
care policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures, and standardized
training of health care workers.
Systems
Strengthening and Capacity Building (30%)
• Facilitate the
development, review and implementation of management systems and standards for
technical support services such as laboratory support (including Routine Viral
load scale up and Early Infant Diagnosis), referral systems, drug security,
drug forecasting and quantification, grant management (e.g. Global Fund grant,
MOH-CDC Cooperative agreement) and monitoring and evaluation as it relates to
HIV and AIDS treatment and care.
• Support the
management of the HIV and AIDS Department to effectively work with all
stakeholders, at policy and implementation level, within and outside the
Ministry, and within and outside Malawi, in sharing information and in
promoting the interests of the MOH in contributing in the formulation of
inter-sectoral, regional, international and other policies and guidelines for
HIV/AIDS treatment and care issues.
• Help in
identifying systems’ needs for the running of the HIV and AIDS Department in
the Ministry of Health in support of the TA’s core functions.
• Assist the MOH
with establishing and maintaining a monitoring system for in-service training
and mentoring activities for clinical HIV services.
• Help in
identifying innovative cost effective best practices in HIV and AIDS programs
by implementing partners and promote replicating them in other districts.
• Conduct on-the-job
training and mentoring for Fellows in HIV treatment, care and support
fellowship program.
Support
Operations Research (10%)
• Facilitate the
development of a prioritized operations research plan relevant to Malawi in the
areas of HIV prevention, treatment and care, and develop the capacity of the
Ministry in designing, implementing, evaluating, writing and disseminating
operations research findings.
• Assist the MOH
with preparing strategies, annual work-plans, quarterly reports and other ad
hoc reports on the state of scaling-up and performance of, research,
stakeholder participation and budgets and expenditures as it relates to HIV
treatment care and support services.
• Support relevant
junior staff in developing and conducting small/short research work.
Knowledge,
Skills and Abilities
- Experience
and knowledge of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care activities
especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa, and, ideally first-hand experience
of rapid ART/PMTCT scale-up - Experience
and knowledge in HIV care and support interventions and capacity of health
services delivery structure in a Sub-Saharan African setting (specific
Malawi experience a plus) - Clinical
experience in HIV case management preferred - A
strong background in promoting the ‘public health approach’ for service
delivery in extremely resource constrained settings. - Working
experience of HIV and AIDS and other public-health disease control
programs in Africa and a record of working with and managing sizable teams - Close
professional links with partners and experts in relevant international
agencies. - A
strong background in operational research and a proven track record of
success in terms of implementing studies (as demonstrated by writing
papers for peer-reviewed journals) and translating research into policy
and practice - Familiarity
with the scientific literature on HIV prevention, treatment, Care and
Support - Self-starter
with well-developed written and oral communication skills and the ability
to work constructively and well in a multi-cultural multi-discipline
setting with
a wide array of
experts in the field (proven experience in working in Malawi preferred)
Qualifications
and Experience
- Qualified
physician. - At
least ten years post-qualification experience in infectious diseases of
which at least five years should be in sub-Saharan Africa (or equivalent
combination of education and experience), in the area of HIV treatment,
care and support programs implementation. - Incumbent
must have the clinical and public health expertise and must have
demonstrated practical experience in managing a large clinical program in
a developing country context.
To apply, go to www.go2itech.org/employment
