Technical Advisor – Adherence, Retention, and Linkage

ELIZABETH GLASER PEDIATRIC AIDS FOUNDATION (EGPAF)

Technical Advisor – Adherence, Retention, and Linkage

Job Title : Technical Advisor – Adherence, Retention and Linkage

Job openings : 01

Locations : Douala

Reports to : Director of Clinical Services

Start date : April 1, 2019

Applications Due: March 17, 2019

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV and AIDS, working in 19 countries and at over 5,500 sites around the world to prevent the transmission of HIV to children, and to help those already infected. Today, because of the highly successful work of the Foundation and its partners, pediatric AIDS has been virtually eliminated in the United States. With a growing global staff of over 1,000—nine of 10 who work in the field—the Foundation’s global mission is to implement HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs; further advance innovative research; and to execute strategic and targeted global advocacy activities to bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, please, visit our page: www.pedaids.org .

With funding from CDC/PEPFAR Cameroon for the Atteindre95 project, EGPAF is supporting the Ministry of Public Health and the Government of Cameroon to scale-up HIV Testing Services (HTS) to ensure that 95% of people living with HIV know their status, that 95% of them are initiated on ART, and that 95% of those on ART are virally suppressed. EGPAF is also supported by other donors such as Unitaid to implement innovative approaches for Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV and catalysing Pediatric Tuberculosis services.

GOAL

Attain 95% retention of all patients on HIV Treatment, and at least 95% viral suppression of all patients on HIV Treatment.

JOB SUMMARY

SPECIFIC ROLES:

• Provide overall technical leadership, capacity building and day to day management of the adherence, retention and linkage team of program officers within the project;
• Collaborate with MOH and EGPAF national/regional teams and EGPAF national technical teams to develop strategies, guidelines, SOPs, patient educational materials for implementing ART adherence and psychosocial support in accordance with the MOH national guidelines;
• Work in close collaboration with program officers and other project technical advisors to ensure that client effectively navigate within the services network and are not lost to follow up;
• Ensure that clients receive high quality adherence counseling, client messaging and tracking, case management and retention in care;
• Ensure that eligible patients are enrolled into differentiated models of care available at their facilities;
• Engage with EGPAF supported health facilities to provide oversight and support in ensuring that client receive relevant HIV care and treatment services including psychosocial care, information and education;
• Strengthen and monitor bidirectional referrals between supported sites and the OVC programs;

· Provide technical guidance and regular supervision to community partners;

• Will keep abreast of emerging data concerning referrals, community facility linkage and retention in care and will provide guidance and advice to program officers and MOH staff
• Design and develop high quality patient-focused demand creation, adherence and retention activities at all EGPAF supported sites.
• Regularly review, develop and disseminate SOPs for ART adherence support and monitoring activities are undertaken at the EGPAF supported sites and links with the Care and Treatment technical team to facilitate facility-community linkages to ensure clients remain on the various therapies and are retained on care;
• Identify best practices, document, recommend, implement and disseminate effective and innovative approaches to adherence, client retention, defaulter tracing, community - facility linkage and stigma reduction at each supported site.
• Facilitates documentation of QI interventions at supported sites;
• Represent EGPAF in relevant meetings with the MOH/NACC, the donor and other key stakeholders;
• Make summary reports to higher administrative levels along with recommendations to improve program performance.

· Support documentation of program experiences in HIV care and treatment as well as enhanced knowledge sharing to internal and external audiences around EGPAF's program experiences including publishing in peer-review journals.

Required qualifications

Degree in Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Counseling psychology, Social sciences or other equivalent qualifications in social sciences and/or Public Health. At least seven (7) years project management experience working in demand creation, adherence counselling, psychosocial support and community linkages in HIV care and treatment/PMTCT. A Master’s degree in Public health will be an added advantage. Fluency in French is required. Working knowledge of English is an advantage.

Required competencies, skills and experience

· Proficiency in computer packages (Ms Word, Ms Excel, Ms Power Point);

· Familiar with and experience working with Government bodies particularly MOH/NACC and other MOH departments;

· Familiar with HIV community programs and facility retention programs including peer education.

· Possess adequate facilitation, mentoring and counseling skills;

· Must understand PEPFAR /CDC/NACC Technical guidance requirements

for HIV Care & Treatment particularly on Adherence;

· Dedicated team player with excellent organizational, interpersonal, communication, report writing and analytical skills details oriented.

· Creativity/Innovation – Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting edge programs/processes.

· Developing Others – Developing others is a person’s ability to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and by providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.

How to Apply:

Qualified candidates should submit a CV and cover letter through the following link: https://chj.tbe.taleo.net/chj05/ats/careers/searchResults.jsp?org=PEDAIDS&cws=1

Screening of applications will be on a rolling basis. Please note that only shortlisted applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.

Applications are only acceptable through the above link.

This position is subject to donor funding.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, EGPAF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the Foundation has facilities.