State Community Services Advisor, USAID / Accelerating Control of the HIV Epidemic in Nigeria (ACE) at Project Hope

Job Summary

• The State Community Services Advisors will work at the State level and will be responsible for leading delivery of Community HIV Care and Support Services to the project’s target population and providing technical assistance for community systems strengthening.
• S/He will provide oversight and ensure coordination of project community-based organizations (CBOs) and community resource persons engaged to deliver quality community HIV Care and support services.  
• In collaboration with the project’s M&E and quality assurance team, she/he will be engaged in improving data quality and quality improvement interventions related to community HIV care and support activities.
• Overall, this position will play a role in supporting the achievement of the UNAIDS “95-95-95” targets.

As technical lead on State-level community HIV Care and Support activities, S/He will:

• Coordinate with State, LGAs and Community stakeholders on Community Care and Support activities as required 
• Provide oversight to project CBOs and community resource persons on implementation of HIV care and support activities including prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), early infant diagnosis (EID), orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) programming
• Serve as the primary representative of project community mobilization activities within focus State and implementing LGAs 
• Lead the development of State and CBO work plans, ensuring that targets are met, and project outcomes are achieved
• Leverage support for Rapid Test Kits (RTKs) for testing from State and other stakeholders including private sector
• Liaise with relevant donors and government officials as required
• Work with health facilities to ensure the ART and PMTCT clinics are used as screening hubs for WLHIV using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA).
• Facilitate the optimization of maternal retesting to close gaps for missed opportunities.
• Strengthen referral mechanism for Community PMTCT, ART and OVC service delivery 

Specific Responsibilities:

• Liaise with the facility and community teams to strengthen tailored/differentiated community-based HIV care and support services 
• Provide mentorship and supportive supervision for Community HIV care and support activities 
• Facilitate the adoption of a cluster-based approach to facilitate HTS at TBA/Faith-based centres for all registered pregnant women.
• Build capacity of CBOs and Community resource persons to implement Community care and support activities (PMTCT, ART, OVC and AGYW)
• Support the coordination of OVC Case-management and case conferencing for project beneficiaries 
• Support training facilitation of health care providers on cervical cancer prevention and build the capacity of the health facility staff and service providers on cervical cancer screening, documentation, data collection and analysis.
• Provide oversight for effective referral systems and community facility linkages for HIV care and treatment services 
• Build the capacity of health care workers and facilitate access of women living with HIV for cervical cancer screening
• Prepare monthly and quarterly reports of all activities & forward the same to Lead Community Services Advisor
• Perform any other duty assigned by the Supervisor

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Health or relevant Social Sciences and Master's Degree in Public Health
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible, relevant experience working with communities on HIV care and support activities 
• Minimum of three years of experience with PEPFAR-funded HIV projects (preferred)
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement strategies that employ evidence-based approaches to meet project targets, especially under rigorous timelines.
• Experience working and collaborating with diverse sets of stakeholders, including local partners, government officials, donor representatives, and CBOs

Required Experience and Skills:

• The applicant must have 5 - 7 years of professional experience in an integrated HIV Care and treatment, PMTCT, Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment Program.
• Demonstrated experience with community-based programs
• Familiarity with Nigerian public sector health systems and NGOs and CBOs is highly desirable
• The ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines, intense pressure to perform and timely target achievement is required for this position.

Other Essential Requirements:
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse 

• Actively promote PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards within Project HOPE and among beneficiaries served by Project HOPE

Compliance & Ethics:

• Promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout Project HOPE. 
• As applicable to the position, maintain a clear understanding of Project HOPE' and donor compliance and ethics standards and adhere to those standards. 
• Conduct work with the highest level of integrity 

Competencies:

• Strong writing and presentation skills 
• Proven capabilities in leadership 
• Strong negotiation, interpersonal and organization skills 
• Ability to read, writes, analyze and interpret, technical and non-technical in the English language 
• Ability to effectively present information and respond appropriately to questions from senior managers in the field and HQ, counterparts, senior government and rebel leaders and other related regional players 
• In addition to the responsibilities referenced above, candidates can expect to be living and working in austere conditions.
• Lifting moderately heavy objects from the ground, carrying a backpack for extended periods of time, and walking or hiking in remote locations may be necessary to perform these functions. 

 Physical Demands and Work Environment

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 
• Project HOPE employees work in the global health field and may be required to travel or work in countries where working conditions are classified as “hardship”. 
• Travel for extended periods by air and other modes of transportation. 
• Must be mobile in an office environment and able to use standard office equipment and must be able to communicate in verbal and written form. 
• Typical office environment with exposure to a minimal noise level.