Provincial HIV LEAD MENTOR Job (1): Eastern Provincial Health Office

Eastern Provincial Health Office under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Project through a Cooperative Agreement (CoAg) with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the positions listed.

NOTE:  Due to the high volume of applications received, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.  Thank you for your understanding

1.    PROVINCIAL MEDICAL LEAD MENTOR (1 Position)

The Provincial Medical HIV Lead Mentor is responsible for improving HIV/TB clinical care cascade focusing on meeting targets for epidemic control and improving the quality of HIV/TB services provided at all sites in the province. The mentor will work with other projects and MOH staff at the provincial and district levels to achieve excellence in all support ART sites. In order to achieve this, the mentor will spend the majority of their time coordinating district mentors. These activities will be done in collaboration with the clinical care teams at p Provincial and District levels:

Key Duties

• Ensure delivery of quality TB and HIV services in all supported sites.
• Perform timely and regular analyses of site level performance of every site with special attention to the highest impact sites with support from Monitoring & Evaluation experts.
• Responsible for finding creative solutions to challenges identified at sites within support districts.
• Provide targeted and data-driven clinical mentorship to TB/HIV treatment staff for both adult and pediatric care services, including PMTCT in health facilities and monitoring of improvement in services.
• The Provincial Lead Mentor will be the technical coordinator of Project ECHO and will utilize this platform to provide direct technical support and supervision in TB/HIV, VMMC and data management to all districts by:
  • Participating in Tele ECHO sessions as facilitator and faculty (present didactics)
  • Coordinating districts to select case presentations and recruit site healthcare providers to participate in Tele ECHO sessions.
• Supervision of District Medical and Clinical Mentors in the province to ensure that their performing according to project objectives.
• Serve as liaison between the National level, EPHO, and Districts as well as other implementing partners/stakeholders including community-based organizations, on issues relating to the implementation of TB/HIV mentorship activities.
• Provide technical support and supervision in initiating and improving ongoing clinical care for patients receiving treatment for OIs, TB, HIV, and PMTCT as well as post-operative care for VMMC clients.
• Provide technical support to service delivery teams at facility and community levels in order to increase and improve access to care, case identification and retention in care as well as improvement in treatment outcomes especially viral load suppression.
• Provide technical support for the establishment of site-level patient flow patterns to ensure effective infection control, provision of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for clinical and managerial staff in supported health facilities;
• Provide technical support for the effective referral of tuberculosis and HIV patients from communities to facilities and vice versa and assist to develop systems for patient tracking and feedback at both facility and community levels in the district;
• Actively participate in identifying best practices and documenting them.
• Actively participate in supporting efforts aimed at accelerating differentiated Service Delivery
• Participate in all TB/HIV Technical Meetings at provincial and district levels and provide updates as required.
• Participate in the identification of training gaps in TB/HIV at both community and health facility levels in the district;
• Participate in EPHO program monitoring and CDC SIMS, document finding and assist districts and sites to develop remedial measures and implementation of recommendations;
• Provide technical support to districts and health facilities with low PT results and assist sites to develop remediation measures;
• Compile weekly, monthly, quarterly as well as annual ad-hoc reports as required in the required formats and;
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Required Expertise and Qualifications

• Grade 12 certificate;
• Fully qualified Medical Doctor with a Masters Degree in Internal Medicine (Infectious Diseases) from a reputable institution;
• At least five (3) years of relevant work experience in the field of TB and HIV control activities, supervisory experience at a health facility or district level will be an added advantage;
• Basic training in TB/HIV, HIV management for both adults and pediatrics and/or PMTCT;
• Registered with the Health Professions Council of Zambia with a valid practicing license;
• Computer literate, with high competency in using Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Experience in PEPFAR supported TB/HIV activities;
• Clear understanding of the reporting hierarchy at provincial, district and facility levels;
• Good communication and interpersonal skills;
• Confidentiality and Integrity;
• Trustworthy and Honest.

Reporting, Supervision & Performance Evaluation

• The incumbent will report to the Provincial Health Director, Clinical Care Specialist and the CoAg Manager.
• H/She will form part of the Provincial Clinical care team and will work closely with Provincial Health office program officers and Public Health Specialists.
• The performance will be evaluated by the Provincial Health Director in consultation with the Clinical Care Specialist and the CoAg Manager as well as the ECHO Chief mentor at central MOH.

HOW TO APPLY:

Candidates should send:

1. A formal application letter or cover letter;
2. A current CV;
3. Photocopies of all professional certificates and degrees; and
4. Contact information for at least three professional references.

TO:

The Principal Investigator: The Provincial Health Director Mailing Address: P.O. BOX 510023, Hospital Road, Chipata.