Technical Officer, OVC Program – HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment at Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria)

Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria), is a Not-for-Profit Humanitarian and Development Agency established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), to coordinate at the national level, the social development interventions of the Catholic Church in Nigeria. Caritas Nigeria works to fight hunger, disease and ignorance as well as respond to humanitarian crises and emergencies by mobilizing resources from within and outside the Church to meet the basic needs of affected persons, regardless of religion, nationality or ethnicity.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Technical Officer, OVC Program – HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment

Location / Community: Umuahia, Abia
Job Category: Finance and Administration
Job Type: Full Time
Project: 4GATES PROGRAM
Program: Health

Program Background

The Global Action Towards Epidemic control in Sub-national units in Nigeria (4GATES) program is a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment program being implemented in Abia, Delta, Enugu and Imo States.
It is a 5-year program (October 2017 to September 2022) implemented by Caritas Nigeria and its consortium partners; Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Pro-Health International as the sole Implementing Partner for PEPFAR in these states.

Summary of Role

The Technical Officer Prevention, Care & Support will be responsible for working closely with the 4GATES OVC Program technical team to achieve the strategic objectives of the program – focusing primarily on HIV prevention, Care & Support.
S/he will provide technical and programmatic support primarily in the areas of HIV prevention, Community based HIV Care & Support for Vulnerable households affected by AIDS.
S/he will be responsible for implementing strategies designed to strengthen the linkages between the community-based care activities and health facilities providing HIV care and treatment towards ensuring a continuum of care.
S/he will also support the strengthening of the capacity of implementing CBOs in the area of HIV prevention awareness creation, community mobilization for HIV counselling and testing, PMTCT and Early Infant Diagnosis (EID), improving referral and counter-referral systems between communities and facilities.
In addition, s/he will support the implementation of evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing HIV risk behaviours, HIV transmission.

Description of Roles & Responsibilities
Technical Responsibilities:

Ensure 100% of HIV infected children in all 4GATES supported Service Delivery Facilities are enrolled into the 4GATES OVC program.
Provide technical input for the development of strategies, design, and implementation of HIV Prevention/ Care & Support activities by 4GATES OVC Program; ensure activities improve access to HIV prevention and care services amongst project beneficiaries and their caregivers.
Direct CBOs towards overall technical quality — including adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines for all HIV Prevention care & support activities of the project.
Implement evidence-based health and nutrition interventions to indigent households by responding to identified prioritized health, nutrition, and PSS needs.
Work with CBOs and volunteers in using national guidelines to provide vulnerable households with access to quality healthcare.
Provide health, nutrition and PSS training and supervision to all relevant staff.
Conduct IYCF training and activities.
Contribute to the development of training modules and tools, and conduct relevant training and workshops for CBO staff and GON in line with identified capacity strengthening needs.
Promote excellent knowledge management and collaborative learning process at the project, program, and institutional levels, generating robust evidence for a project and programmatic learning that leads to action, decision making and influence.
Contribute to the documentation and dissemination of project efforts, achievements, lessons learned and innovations within the 4GATES OVC Program and to the larger Nigerian and global technical community, as appropriate.
Ensure timely preparation of high-quality training and meeting reports.
Contribute to the development of monthly, quarterly and annual work-plans

Supervision and Mentoring:

Ensure relevant GON entities have the knowledge, skills, and tools to provide technical oversight to CBOs engaged in HIV Prevention Care & Support interventions.
Support CBOs and related GON entities to use quality improvement science and methodology to enhance the quality of HIV Prevention Care & Support interventions.
Support the GON planning processes, particularly at the state and local levels, for HIV Prevention Care & Support as it relates to vulnerable households

Representation:

Represent the 4GATES OVC Program consortium in external technical meetings, conferences, and workshops related to HIV Prevention Care & Support
Liaise and coordinate with other HIV Prevention Care & Support actors, including SMOH, SMWASD, NACA government, the UN system, other NGOs, learning institutions and civil society actors to promote synergy, share lessons learned and avoid duplication.
Link State, LGA, and CBOs staff to relevant HIV Prevention Care & Support technical and coordination forums.
Work closely with the SMOH, SMWASD, SACA and HIV TWGs in the 4GATES OVC Program states in identifying and capitalizing on leveraged points for improved linkages and referral coordination at the community level and integration of HIV Prevention Care & Support elements into other OVC areas project activities and vice versa.
Keep abreast of research and trends in effective behavior change approaches in HIV Prevention Care & Support programming.
Engagement of Community Health Workers/Volunteers to ensure project approaches remain in line with Quality Improvement standards, evidence, best practices and lessons learned.
Identify opportunities for learning, formative research, special studies, and operational research and work with the M&E team, 4GATES OVC Program technical team and external support (if needed) to conduct research.

Reporting & Supervision:

The Technical Officer, HIV Prevention, Care & Treatment will report to the Senior Technical Specialist, OVC. S/he will work very closely with all members of the OVC Team in the state, Caritas Nigeria Program Area Leads, the State Team Lead, the Associate Director, Care & Treatment, the Business Official/Grants Manager, the Program Director and the Chief of Party.

Additional Responsibilities:

The Responsibilities (Above) are not all-inclusive. The employee will also perform other related tasks as required and will be responsible for reporting and communicating progress and achievement of the specific assigned tasks.

Qualification and Experience

BS / MA in a relevant Health Degree plus a minimum of 3-5years technical experience with community-level HIV Prevention, Care & Support programs.
Experience and knowledge of ART Surge Response is a major requirement.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government and Community Based organizations and communities as well as transfer knowledge to diverse audiences through workshops, training, and meetings using participatory methods and adult learning principles.
Experience in supporting HIV Testing and Counselling programs in health facilities, mobile units and community outreaches
Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and make reasoned judgments in a timely fashion. Committing to a course of action without undue delay or prevarication
Experience of dealing with difficult and sensitive situations in a professional manner.
Ability to work under pressure, efficiently handle multiple tasks, quickly find creative solutions to problems and challenges that arise, and manage stress and time in a fast-paced work and fluid operating environment.
Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork, cooperation, and learning.
Willingness and ability to travel.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity.
Proficient with Microsoft Office software: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team.