HIV/Health Advisor at Save The Children

Role Purpose

• The HIV/Health Advisor will provide support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) and their caregivers in select districts in Nigeria for USAID/PEPFAR project  .
• As a member of the senior leadership technical team, the HIV/Health Advisor will ensure technical excellence through contributions made to project implementation at the community level supporting vulnerable children and families.
• She/he will report directly to the Technical Director and will advise and support the project team in providing technical direction to project implementation and ensure the project meets stated goals, expected results and reporting requirements.
• This position will liaise closely with technical advisors from other sectors to ensure seamless quality programming.
• She/he will be knowledgeable about evidence-based and state-of-the-art OVC service delivery approaches.
• This position is contingent on the issuance of USAID funding and the selection of applicants is subject to USAID approval.

Key Areas of Accountability

• Oversee start-up and implementation of the HIV activities in SCI country programme
• Ensure the effective development, management, and technical quality of the emergency HIV programme in Nigeria through regular monitoring, review and evaluation and within the framework of the overall national and global Save the Children strategy as well as ensure that the HIV portfolio is integrated appropriately into specific sector responses.
• Provide training, capacity building and technical support to Save the Children staff, partners and government authorities on the planning, implementation and management of the emergency HIV programmes including PMTCT and ART resumption.
• Ensure the project addresses the needs of highly vulnerable sub-groups of children, such as adolescent girls, HIV positive children and children living with disabilities.
• Advise project staff in the development and implementation of holistic, family-centered strategies, interventions and activities that address the needs of vulnerable children in a friendly manner, including their health, education psychosocial, protection and economic strengthening needs.
• Advocate to donors, national level clusters and other organisations for a quality country-wide response to HIV in Nigeria through provision of drugs in a timely manner, quality of services provided to people living with and affected by HIV, and coordination of actors working in HIV.
• Ensure that HIV is appropriately mainstreamed through all Save the Children programmes through providing technical advice and training to other sector leads.
• Ensure the completion of funding proposals, working with the backstop and other staff in country and at HQ and secure funding on behalf of country programme where necessary.
• Produce high quality reports for Save the Children and donors within agreed reporting schedules as required.
• Document programme learning, ensuring it is fed into organisational advocacy.
• Represent Save the Children to government, USAID, the UN and other international agencies and donors ensuring Save the Children health response is co-ordinated with these bodies.
• Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child protection, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.

Requirements

• Health practitioner with specialization in HIV
• At least five years’ experience of managing and advising on HIV programmes in emergency settings, ideally with a focus on PMTCT and ART.
• Proven experience in emergency HIV programmes, through the whole project cycle (needs assessment, planning, developing programmes, managing, M&E).
• Proven experience of working with associations of people living with HIV.
• Proven ability to manage a programme including management of human and material resources.
• Experience staff training and capacity building of national structures.
• Experience of exercising financial responsibility and budget control.
• Ability to produce analytical and well-presented project reports and proposals.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and negotiate clearly and effectively at all levels, taking into account cultural and language difficulties. Tact and diplomacy are essential, as are representational and advocacy skills.
• Strong commitment to capacity building of national staff and partners with willingness to adopt a participatory and consultative management approach.
• Proven experience of managing budgets.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead train and motivate a team.
• Willingness to travel regularly and in difficult circumstances.
• Sensitive to issues affecting children and committed to Save the Children International’s Child Protection policy.