Background:

AIDS Healthcare Foundation is a global not-for-profit organization that provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 1.7million patients in 45 countries and is headquartered at Los Angeles, California, USA.

Since 1987, AHF has cared for thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide. As we create and implement unparalleled programs in new communities globally, we expand delivery of healthcare and influence over strategies with the sole aim of saving more lives.

The organization is looking for experienced candidates to health facilities where it is providing programmatic supports on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care for the following positions.

Objective:

AHF–Ethiopia has agreed with Amhara Regional Health Bureau to establish partnership in maximizing the effort of HIV prevention, treatment and care provided in different service units of two of its hospitals namely Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital and Gondar University Specialized Hospital. The assigned candidates will execute the following respective duties and responsibilities to meet the stated objective.

Position Summary:

The HTC Officer will ensure sustainable, high quality and client focused HIV Counselling and Testing services are provided in Felege Hiwot/Gondar Hospital. S/he will primarily be responsible to involve, ensure and coordinate different HTS approaches (VCT, PITC, ICT and others) and HIV Prevention Intervention (condom promotion and distribution, STI prevention, screening, and treatment) as appropriate. S/he will also be responsible for optimal linkage of all identified HIV positives to care and treatment service (those who are identified in the facility and referred from other health facilities) through establishing strong referral linkage mechanism and regular follow up until started on their treatment along with their retention in care.

The HTC Officer will also implement targeted outreach and community testing in collaboration with the health facility. S/he also ensures un-interrupted supply of commodities (HIV test kit, condom, and others). S/he will oversee all relevant aspects in relation to planning, implementation, and monitoring of Counseling, Testing & Referral (CTR), and prevention education services for HIV negative & positive clients through involving site level Performance Monitoring Team and engaging in Multi-Disciplinary Team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Key Result Area I - HIV Testing and Counseling:

• Ensure provision of quality counselling & testing services and referrals to targeted individuals with high-risk for contracting HIV/AIDS as per Ethiopian Government policy and strategies

• Ensure continuous HIV Risk Screening Tool (HRST) availability and optimal utilization at the facility

• Assist the collection of monthly HRST cascade performance, analyze on site, develop performance improvement plan by sites and give to the focal person

• Identify targeted testing using HRST orientation gaps at facility and provide onsite/on job orientation

• Ensure nationally endorsed referral slips are available and utilized with in and out of supported health facilities to refer newly diagnosed HIV positives

• Ensure availability and proper utilization of non-ART started patients follow up form at the facility, and those patients are followed till they started ART

• In collaboration with other site team, implement Longitudinal newly diagnosed HIV positive patient linkage and retention status tracking tool at the facility

• Ensure new HIV positives who declined linkage are filled decline checklist, reasons are analyzed, individual improvement plan is developed and implemented to reduce declined patients at the facility

• Ensure daily/regular tracing and tracking of the final linkage status of HIV positive clients referred to other health facilities, declined, lost before ART started… at the facility

• Collaborate with medical team to support missed appointment and interrupted in treatment timely identification and tracking with proper documentation on appropriate registration book at the facility

• Regularly monitor and follow, the recording and registration of ICT Data on the respective registration, client intake forms and correct timely at the facility

• Ensure updated ICT follow up tool insertion to all patients charts at the facility

• Ensure daily-based updating of the ICT follow up tool based on index patients and their contacts information at the facility. This will include follow up with transcription of index patients and their contacts information from other tool to ICT follow up tool and updating on ICT performance improvement tool

• Conduct targeted outreach testing as per the Ethiopian Government and AHF-Ethiopia guidelines

• Coordinate recruitment of high-risk individuals for HIV testing & prevention education

• Ensure there is regular patient screening for STI at OPDs including ART/PMTCT and those diagnosed with STI at MOPDs are treated for STI, tested for HIV with their sexual partners at the hospital and supported health facilities

• Develops and implements contextual referral and tracking system to ensure that HIV positive and negative clients are informed about, and have access to complementary services such as primary medical care, antiretroviral therapy (or other treatment options), risk reduction services, and other essential support services

• Involve and ensure temporary staff who fulfill the requirement as per the JD are registered; Standard questions are prepared and examined in collaboration with appropriate facility and staff

• Work with temporary AHF Staff assigned at the facility on daily basis, provide follow up and support for them on the areas they are assigned

• Assists with the development and facilitation of workshops, social events, service projects and community forums

• Provides members of the program team with administrative and logistics support, including but not limited to, day of event support, securing venues and maintaining supplies for community forums, workshops, outreach, social events and community service activities

• Ensure proper condom distribution and education to targeted population

Key Result Area II: Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring, Reporting, & Internal Communication:

• Maintain accurate and current process, procedure of programs, and inventory logs of specific outreach & testing activities including other related health materials

• Ensure that accurate participant files, program forms and applicable licenses are maintained as required

• Provide supervision, mentoring and on-job training for testing team, including identification of capacity gaps and updating knowledge of counsellor testers on current HTC practices

• Analyze facility HTS performance by approaches (VCT, ICT, HRST, PITC...), by indicators from cascade and target, identify reason for any performance gap and present on weekly/monthly site-level MDT/PMT

• Based on identified HTS approaches optimal implementation gaps, develop PIP and follow up with its implementation

• Ensure all clients’ HIV test results are documented on the appropriate Test Log and reported to the HIV Testing Support Program

• Maintain and reconcile essential forms and perform quality assurance activities on a weekly basis to ensure accuracy and correct discrepancies if any

• Ensure all staff performing HIV testing & prevention services are familiar with, and are complying with maintaining client confidentiality as well as government & AHF requirements

• Regularly follow availability of adequate prevention and testing supplies, identify, and flag any shortage of prevention, testing supplies (HIV test kits, condom, lancet, glove, capillary tube, etc.) and devise timely intervention mechanism before service interruption at facility

• Execute any related additional duties assigned by Prevention & Advocacy Coordinator and Prevention. AU Liaison & Advocacy Manager

Number of Vacancies: Two (2)

Duty Station: Felege Hiwot and Gondar Hospitals

Job Requirements

Education, Qualification, and Experience:

• Minimum of Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Nursing field of studies from a recognized university; Having further education such as MPH, Reproductive health, Epidemiology, Social Sciences background, etc. would be an advantage

• At least four years’ experience in a field directly related to HIV/AIDS and above specified responsibilities of which 3 years is facility level experience.

• Solid knowledge and experience on HIV Testing and Counseling

• Thorough understanding of HIV programs

• Demonstrate experience in designing, implementing & monitoring HTC programs & activities.

Core Competencies and Specific Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and keen to work with good team spirit

• Proficient in computer & internet skills, including word processing, database and presentation software; experience with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and statistical analysis programs

• Effective time management and meeting deadlines without compromising quality

• Must be highly organized and demonstrate multi-tasking ability

• Flexible, proactive and able to organize work independently with minimum supervision

• Excellent written, verbal and inter-personal communication skills with good command of English & Amharic languages

How to Apply

Application Procedure:

Interested candidates should apply by email to: Regional Human Resources Manager – AHF Africa Bureau, through: Globalhr.Africa@ahf.org

Applicants are expected to send their documents to the above stated address within ten (10) days of the announcement on Ethiojobs Website.

The application is required to include cover letter of interest, detailed updated CV, copy of academic documents and other credentials, in one file attachment (PDF or Word format), that must be submitted before the deadline.

NB:-

1. Please do not forget to write title of the position & location you are applying on the subject line of your email so that it will be directed to the right department.

2. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview and written exam. Phone calls, physical visit to the organization about the result is strictly forbidden and might be reason for disqualification.