Nasarawa State Advisor (Consultant) at The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)

Duration of Consultancy: Three months (with the possibility of an extension)
Number of Consultants Required: One consultant for Nasarawa state.

Purpose of the Assignment

• The consultant will provide technical support to the Operations research implementation with specific deliverable's. 
• The report of this study shall provide practical strategies to ensure effective and efficient implementation of HIV prevention programs for all populations in Nigeria. 
• The findings will be used at all levels - national, state and community by key stakeholders, policymakers and HIV program implementer's. 
• The findings will align with the goal of the Global Prevention Coalition of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, other national policy documents and contain global best practices on HIV/AIDS programming.

Goal and Objectives

• To conduct a capacity and needs assessment that will inform the implementation of state-led activities aligned with the core areas of the RSSH grant (2021-2023).
• To develop an implementation plan, M&E plan for interventions and activities to be implemented under the RSSH 2021-2023 grant.
• To develop concept notes on activities to be implemented under the RSSH 2021-2023 grant.

Scope of Work
The State Engagement Advisor will support the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) for timely implementation of activities as detailed below.

• Lead the conduct of a capacity and needs assessment of the health system with a focus on the RSSH core areas (PSM, HMIS, LabS, CSS, ISD/QI) and produce a detailed report of findings
• Lead the state implementation planning and work-plan development workshop and support key stakeholders to use the findings from the needs assessment to identify priority needs and design targeted interventions to respond to them.
• Provide technical assistance in the development of a comprehensive implementation plan, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework and budget, within the ceiling allocated to each state, for the period of the RSSH grant
• Provide hands-on technical support to the Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) supporting the state engagement component, ensuring highest level of project management skills are applied to achieve timely results
• Support the PCU to develop concept notes in relation to interventions and activities • Support strengthening of PCU and relevant stakeholders in the states 
• Document the status and achievements and feedback to relevant state authorities and the PR
• Participate in any other activities related to the above functions

Expected Deliverables

• Needs assessment conducted, with a detailed report of core areas using SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to recommend priority areas for project interventions
• Robust workplan for the state engagement component for project states from 2021 - 2023 that guide the implementation of activities for the state engagement component
• Abstracts and policy briefs developed on the state engagement component of the project. 

Required Qualifications / Experience

• MBBS or Master’s Degree in Public Health, Medical Sciences or Social Sciences or other related fields.
• At least 10 years of experience working in the state health system
• Experience working on international donor-funded programs (Global Fund preferred) is added advantage.
• Experience designing and implementing health systems strengthening interventions
• Experience with HIV, TB & Malaria programs
• Leadership experience in management of public health programmes and relationship with state government and civil society networks at leadership strategic level.
• Strong leadership competencies in both the mobilization of teams on one hand; the design, development and mainstreaming of new processes or procedures, on the other hand.
• Experience at organizing and facilitating systems strengthening, capacity development and mentoring processes
• Ability to lead and guide strategy development with the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and Civil Society networks, manage technical implementation of proposed project initiatives, as well as ability to supervise, mentor and coach project and government staff.
• Strong analytical and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent written and spoken communications skills in English.
• Strong skills in using word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation software (Microsoft Office applications preferred).
• Experience using web-based applications (email, browsing, and literature retrieval).