Technical Specialist/HIV Prevention, Care and Support (SMILE) at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Department: Programs/SMILE Project
Location: Nasarawa State
Position Band: D-1
Reports To: Technical Advisor - HIV

General function:
The Prevention, Care & Support specialist will be responsible for working closely with the SMILE technical team to achieve the strategic objectives of the program – focusing primarily on HIV prevention, Care & Support but also supporting cross-cutting themes and integration efforts across the project with other areas of OVC programming including Household Economic Strengthening and Nutrition. S/he will assist in the strengthening the capacity of partner CSOs in community based HIV response in line with operational strategies for achieving project aims, results and performance expectations through adherence to high standards of programmatic and management quality.

Major Responsibilities:
S/he will provide technical and programmatic support primarily in the areas of HIV prevention, Community based HIV Care & Support for project beneficiaries affected by AIDS. S/he will be responsible for implementing strategies for designed to strengthen the linkages between the community based care activities and health facilities providing HIV care and treatment towards ensuring a continuum of care. S/he will also support the strengthening of the capacity of implementing CSOs in the area of HIV prevention awareness creation, community mobilization for HIV counselling and testing, PMTCT and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID), improving referral and counter-referral systems between communities and facilities. In addition, S/he will support the implementation of evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing HIV risk behaviors, HIV transmission, and gender-based violence with a focus on adolescent girls and young female caregivers.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• MBBS/MD and/or MPH with a minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience in implementing community HIV Prevention, Care and Support programs
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government and civil society partners and communities as well as transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through workshops, training and meetings using participatory methods and adult learning principles.
• Experience in supporting community HIV Prevention, Care and Support prevention, case detection and treatment support programs in health facilities and community outreaches
• Experience in contributing to project design and proposal development in the HIV/TB/Health sector for USAID/PEPFAR programs.
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation and reporting HIV Prevention, Care and Support activities
• Good knowledge of Government of Nigeria HIV Prevention, Care and Support guidelines and experience working with the
• National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) Familiarity with OVC and community HIV Prevention, Care and Support programming and principles.
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills required.
• Excellent analytic, organizational and computer skills; skilled in MS Office including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Experience with SharePoint a plus.