Officer HTS and Linkage at Georgetown University Center for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI)

Slots: Bauchi (2), Jigawa (1) and Kano (4)

Job Overview

• HTS and linkage officer will closely with the state program implementation team to strengthen linkage services to ART, PrEP, and other prevention services in facilities.
• In line with national guidelines, they will enhance referral between facilities and communities and innovative strategies to strengthen referral between facility and communities based on HTS points.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen linkages between community and facilities
• Link newly diagnosed HIV positive people to a facility for ART initiation
• Ensure quality improvement processes to strengthen approaches to linkage
• Strengthen good working relationships with other implementing partners and stakeholders
• Work with facilities to strengthen systems that will facilitate tracing of defaulters in conjunction with community health workers and enhance linkage into care of patients 
• Serve as point of contact between the community and facility
• Work with Department of Health (DOH) facility staff and other PEPFER IP to address barriers of Antiretroviral (ART) initiation
• Daily review of HTS register to ensure that clients are tracked for ART initiation
• Ensure that facilities conduct data collection, collation, and verification regarding linkage
• Coordinate community and facility-based HTS in the assigned state
• Document patients who have transferred out of the facility
• Participate in facility scheduled (e.g bi-weekly and monthly) review meetings
• Participate in the data analysis of facility targets, indicators, cascade, etc.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Public Health, Health Sciences or related Health, Medical or Social Sciences; Master’s in Public Health preferred  
• Experience: 2+ years of experience in HIV and TB screening, counseling, testing, and linkage. Experience as a community health facilitator or other HIV and TB program implementation (notably linkage to care and retention of clients in care) is desirable
• Specialized knowledge:  Knowledgeable in HIV/AIDS, TB, and STI or National HTS guidelines 
• Skills: Proficient in excel, word processing. Strong written and oral communications skills
• Abilities: Strategic and analytical thinking skills, Problem-solving, multi-tasking, and prioritizing
• Interpersonal/Individual Competencies: the ability to build and maintain relations with multiple stakeholders, strong work ethic, decisiveness, and personal integrity.

Work Interactions and Conditions:

• This job requires data review and analysis with high expectations for timeliness and accuracy.