Health Technical Officer (2 Posts)

Job Title:
Health Technical Officer (2 posts – one staff for each Team)

Reporting to:
Project Manager

Locations:
Kilolo DC and Iringa DC

Position Summary
The overall objective of this position is to contribute towards strategic service delivery to OVCs and their caregivers, address critical barriers to service access, uptake, and adherence to scale up impact service delivery, advance progress towards the 95-95-95 goals, and improve health and social outcomes among OVC and their families.

The job holder will ensure a sound and vibrant bi-directional referral and linkage system, improved case identification, and linkages to ART and Viral Load suppression among Children and Adolescents Living with HIV/AIDS.

Roles & Responsibilities
Coordination & Representation:
Represent AWG and coordinate with the Council Health Management Team regarding HIV and health-related activities at Councils Team.
Hold monthly coordination meetings with Care & Treatment Centers (CTC) in the implementation area to support shared confidentiality, facilitate case conferencing, improve the bi-directional referral system, and ensure HIV-positive beneficiaries receive needed services at Councils Team.
Support & Supervision:
Support Early Childhood Development (ECD) corners at targeted health facilities, including regular monitoring and supportive supervision at Councils Team.
Support facilities to maintain an updated enrollment register that demonstrates the cascade of enrollment of CLHIV at the CTC at Councils Team.
Support Community Case Workers (CCWs) to work with high pediatric volume CTCs to trace HIV-positive OVC who miss appointments, enroll them into the USAID KIZAZI HODARI SOUTHERN PROJECT, and link them back to services.
Support CCWs to conduct HIV risk assessments for OVC during case management; refer and link at-risk OVC to HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC).
Program Implementation:
Schedule quarterly Sexual Reproductive Health Education outreaches to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), DREAMS Girls in school, and organize HTC outreaches for adolescents with high-risk behaviors at Councils Team.
Work with Health Facility Implementing Partners to roll out a supplemental HIV curriculum to CCWs and ensure CCWs provide appropriate support to HIV-positive OVC and caregivers.
Support CCWs to strengthen the capacity of caregivers to support HIV-positive OVC and ensure CCWs refer HIV-positive OVC and caregivers to PLHIV support.
Referral System Management:
Support the establishment of a bi-directional referral system to monitor beneficiaries through the HIV continuum of care as well as service completion for other health and social services.
Monitor implementation, identify bottlenecks, assess performance metrics of the bi-directional referral system; proactively offer solutions, conduct quality improvement activities, and implement adjustments to improve referrals.
Participate in quarterly council-level quality improvement meetings with relevant bi-directional referral system stakeholders; ensure actions from the meetings are implemented and the bi-directional referral system is improved at Councils Team.
Data Management & Reporting:
Work with the M&E officer to ensure all bi-directional referral data are accurate and produced weekly; use data for decision-making at Councils Team.
Lead the development of a service directory for health, nutrition, and HIV services in the implementation area; update the directory at least once a year at Councils Team.
Support CCWs to conduct nutrition activities, including nutrition assessments, counseling, and linkage to other nutrition service providers at Councils Team.
Provide continuous supportive supervision to CCWs to ensure the provision of health-related services and referrals and linkages to appropriate services.
Submit timely updates to the Program Manager for inclusion in quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports at Councils Team.
Document lessons learned and best practices for experience sharing and replication at Councils Team.
Additional Duties:
Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the Project.
Minimum Required Qualifications, Experience, and Skills
Education:
Required:
Diploma in Clinical Medicine.
Preferred:
Bachelor’s degree or higher in Medicine or Nursing.
Skills:
Good understanding of Government of Tanzania health systems.
Strong Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) skills and experience in strategic information.
Excellent written and oral communication skills in Swahili and English, including excellent training skills for working with adult learners, particularly at the community level.
Ability and willingness to work flexible hours as needed without constant or close supervision.
Demonstrated leadership and team-building abilities.
Diplomacy and negotiation skills with the ability to collaborate and coordinate with a range of stakeholders and navigate complex situations.
Experience:
At least two (2) years of experience in a field position with an organization in public health or OVC.
Experience in the implementation of community programs in health/HIV, MNCH, TB/Malaria, etc., is preferred.
Experience with PEPFAR-funded projects in Tanzania.
Experience implementing program and donor regulations, systems, and procedures.
Experience with an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach in development and social projects.