National TB / HIV Advisor at Palladium Group

Job Ref: req8238
Reports to: Country Director
Job Type: Full time-consultancy     
Duration: 20 days a month for 3 months, starting in June.
Program: HP+ Nigeria Sustainable Health Financing of HIV/AIDS and TB Programs at National and Subnational Levels

Project Overview and Role

• Health Policy Plus (HP+) is a USAID-funded five-year $185 million project awarded to Palladium in August 2015. HP+ has a mandate across global, country, and subnational levels to strengthen and advance health policy priorities in HIV, family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), and maternal health. It aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy development and implementation, with an emphasis on voluntary, rights-based health programs, and by strengthening in-country partners’ capacity to navigate complex environments for effective policy design, implementation, and financing aligned to their priorities. HP+ provides technical assistance to governments, civil society, and the private sector to effectively engage in domestic resource mobilization (DRM), put in place sustainable financing and accountability mechanisms, and make progress toward global, national, and subnational health goals.
• HP+ has been engaged by the USAID Nigeria Office to conceptualize and design activities to improve sustainable financing for Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and tuberculosis (TB) programs at the national level and in two USAID priority states – Kano and Kano. These activities will span an initial period of 2 years, will continue efforts started by the Health Finance and Governance (HFG) project and complement current Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV and AIDS Services (SIDHAS) and Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus projects’ activities.

Overall Responsibilities

• The National TB/HIV Advisor will provide support to the National TB program, STOP TB partnership of Nigeria (STPN) and NACA in DRM and organisational strengthening efforts towards improving sustainable TB financing in Nigeria. Specifically, the consultant should demonstrate familiarity with organization and status of the National TB and Leprosy Control Program (NTBLCP), STPN, and NACA and have access to key stakeholders and decision makers, with ability for advocacy and leadership to develop and strengthen partnerships and coordination to achieve improved and  sustainable TB financing and impact on TB control efforts.
• S/he will work closely with principal staff of the STPN, NTBLCP, NACA and other relevant institutions to ensure successful implementation of HP+ scope of work.
• S/he will work closely with the DRM/PFM Advisor from HP+, and collaborate with the Technical Advisors and Country Director at the national level to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality products and results.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical advice and facilitation of TB/HIV DRM efforts at the national level towards improved sustainable domestic financing for TB/HIV.
• Support the development of policy documents and plans; DRM strategies and workplans for TB and HIV financing by the government agencies.
• Engage major decision makers and other stakeholders for program implementation results.
• Support the national agencies in planning and in the conduction of high-level advocacy actions as required.
• Facilitate follow up on DRM commitments by different actors to the agencies.
• Support the activation and operations of the HIV and TB National DRM TWGs.
• Provide organisational development support to the STPN.
• Facilitate the implementation of DRM strategies, TWG workplans and action plans and provide capacity strengthening to the relevant agencies and actors in DRM efforts.
• Provide technical support and stakeholders engagement towards accelerating take-off of the PIET.
• Participate in design, preparation and facilitation of workshops and roundtable engagements with stakeholders as necessary.
• Provide updates and documentations as required for programming.

Key Deliverables:

• Improved capacity of the STPN
• Domestic resources mobilised for TB/ HIV from government and private sources
• TB/ HIV DRM TWG Workplans
• TB DRM Strategic plan.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Master's Degree in Public Health, Public Policy, Political Science, Public Administration, Communication or a related technical degree
• Experience in the Nigerian Health System.
• Sound understanding of TB, HIV epidemic and programs in Nigeria.
• Significant experience in HIV/AIDS, TB programming;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc).
• Evidence of a strong track record of successfully engaging with key decision makers in the state; familiarity with the key stakeholders in the TB/HIV space in Nigeria.
• Strong interpersonal, writing, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated problem solving, analytic, financial, and evaluative skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong English writing, oral communication, and reporting skills.
• Flexibility, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Ability to take initiative and/or respond independently to situations.