HIV Testing Services (HTS) Assistant

BACKGROUND:

Amref Health Africa in Tanzania is a non-profit public health organization supporting the Government of Tanzania to address public health issues including maternal and child health, HIV, TB, Malaria and Nutrition in Tanzania since 1987. Amref Health Africa in Tanzania is funded by The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through CDC Tanzania, to execute a robust HIV care and treatment clinical cascade project aiming to accelerate the achievement of the current 95-95-95 goals and the HIV epidemic control in Tanzania. The project branded as Afya Kamilifu Project is implemented in Tanga and Zanzibar since October, 2018, Simiyu Region since 2020. From October 2021 this project will extend its operations to Mara Region covering facility based and community based HIV care and treatment services. Afya Kamilifu project works - in collaboration with and with guidance from the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Zanzibar Ministry of health and President’s Office Regions Authority and Local Government (PORALG). That said, Amref Health Africa -Tanzania is announcing the following vacancies to be filled soon:

Position Title: HIV Testing Services (HTS) Assistant: 

Work Station: Mara 3 Positions, Simiyu 1

Position Reports to: Regional Program Manager

Job summary:

The focus HTS Assistant is to ensure that all facility based HTS activities including index testing, O-PITC, HIVST and linkage case management are implemented at the acceptable service delivery standards in the specific districts and supported facilities. He/she will engage and work closely with providers at the facility setting including collaborating with CHMT, Facility in charges and HTS focal persons with technical advice and guidance from the project HTS officer or advisor. He will report directly to Regional Program Manager on administrative matters s and in directly to HTS officers or advisor for technical related guardiancy

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• To assist in the development of weekly, monthly and quarterly work plans for the implementation of HTS Positive identification strategies
• To ensure the Provider-initiated HIV Testing and Counselling is offered at all service points (inpatient, outpatient, MNCH and TB clinics, STI clinics,) at project supported health facilities
• To support implementation of high yielding HTS strategies including index testing HIVST and o-PITC services to all supported sites
• Support project sites in implementation of strategies to identify unreached HIV positive clients from key and vulnerable population including children, male adolescent girls and young women at facility level
• To strengthen sites capacity in implementing linkage case management activities for newly diagnosed HIV positive
• To support project initiates in ensuring safety and ethical index testing services by adherence to set standards, IPV risk assessment and adverse events monitoring
• To provide supportive supervision, mentorship, coaching, on-the-job training, off-site orientation, dissemination of guidelines and standards and scale best practices to the project supported facilities
• Ensure adequate supplies of commodities (condoms and test kits) and other materials including tools and relevant SOPs at the project supported sites
• With support from HTS officers and or advisor, follow up with CHMT’s to ensure that project activities are well implemented at the project supported sites and all financial obligations are met on time.
• To Liaise with other project staff to ensure successful linkage and early retention of HIV Pos from community HTS interventions
nafasi za kazi
• Support sites in achieving first 95 targets by conducting weekly review meetings to assess performances with development of action plans
• To support sites to ensure that internal and external quality assurance activities for HIV testing are conducted, result documented and actions developed to address identified gaps in collaboration with laboratory team
• Assist with other programmatic and administrative duties as required for successful implementation of HTS activities at the project supported health facilities
• Provide other technical support for HTS activities, monitoring, reporting, evaluation and documentation in a timely manner
• Work with CHMT to ensure successful transference of mentorship, technical support and support supervision to HTS providers at selected health facilities.
• Support Project HTS officer and or advisor in planning, implementation and evaluation of HTS activities in the supported councils and health facilities

Qualifications, Experience & Skills Required

• A Diploma Clinical medicine or nursing. 
• Proven experience and competence in supporting the HIV Testing programs and LCM services.
• Proven critical analysis skills and report writing skills.
• At least 3 years of “hands on experience” in HIV prevention, care and treatment program in resource limited country
• Experience working with Local Government Authorities and PEPFAR funded project
• Good interpersonal and people management skills-a team player and builder. 
• Good command of English and Swahili language will be an added advantage
• At least 3 years of “hands on experience” in HIV prevention, care and treatment program in resource-limited country
• Experience working with Local Government Authorities and PEPFAR funded project
• Good interpersonal and people management skills-a team player and builder. 
• Good command of English and Swahili language will be an added advantage

How to Apply:- 

If you meet the criteria given above and are interested in the vacancies, please send an application letter and CV combined in as one PDF document indicating your present employer and position, daytime telephone contact, names and addresses of three referees. All interviews will be conducted at Amref Health Africa country Office in Dar es Salaam for shortlisted applicants. To be considered, your application must be received by 16.30 HOURS on August 07, 2021. The subject line of your job application email should mention the job position that you are applying for as it appears in this advertisement.  Failure to do that your application may not easily be retrieved.

All correspondences and applications should be emailed to: jobs.tanzania@amref.org

1. Amref Health Africa is an equal opportunity employer and has a nonsmoking environment policy
2. “Amref Health Africa is committed to the principles of safeguarding in the workplace and will not tolerate any form of abuse, wherever it occurs or whoever is responsible”
3. Any Applicant attempting or communicating to the Amref Health Africa Management or Staff through phone calls, SMS, text emails, and other means will automatically be disqualified from this opportunity. All communications should be channeled to the provided official correspondence email above
4. Amref Health Africa –Tanzania regrets that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.