Technical Manager

Job Description

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL  

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT 

Background: 

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins  University. For 40 years and in over 155 countries, Jhpiego Corporation has been providing  technical support to the Ministries of Health in partner countries across the globe for the  past 40 years in a variety of technical areas including cervical cancer treatment and  prevention, community health, HIV and AIDS, maternal and newborn health, health  workforce capacity development (both Pre-service and in-service), family planning,  malaria, and IPC/WASH.  

The Global Reach II project is a five-year global HRSA-funded project, which started in  October 2021. It employs an iterative approach based on a country’s needs, informed by  clients and beneficiaries, targeting high-priority populations and low-coverage and poor performing areas to achieve HIV epidemic control. In Sierra Leone, Global Reach II works  with the government and builds local capacity to identify and implement proven solutions  where they exist and develop innovative solutions to overcome persistent barriers that  affect HIV services. Global Reach II will develop the capacity of the interdisciplinary health  workforce to provide quality, client-centered care, ensuring that individuals will be  informed and empowered to access services, receive high-quality care, adhere to treatment,  and remain in care, ultimately contributing to the achievement of HIV epidemic control in  Sierra Leone.  

Job Title: Technical Manager – Key Populations (KP) 

Reports To: Global Reach- II Country Project Lead. 

Job Location: Freetown 

Supervises: Senior Technical Officer and Technical Officers 

Overall Job Function: 

The Technical Manager – Key Populations will serve as the Technical lead for KP activities  under the Global Reach II Project’s HIV programming but will also offer technical support  to HTS, HIV prevention, laboratory support, PMTCT, and pediatric HIV programming as  needed. S/he will lead the design and oversee implementation of culturally appropriate,  and KP-friendly programming across the 95- 95-95 treatment cascade at the national and  district levels to support national and district-led efforts towards epidemic control.

The position will also provide strategic thinking, technical assistance, and support to the  National AIDS Control Program driving KP policy, guidance, advocacy, and  operationalization of KP-focused HIV programming at the national level. S/he will work  with the Global Reach II Program Lead and the Project Team to ensure that KP-friendly HIV  programming is implemented to meet the PEPFAR requirements with a focus on building  and sustaining quality HIV programming across the district and national government  structures, and local CSOs. The Technical Manager lead will provide technical guidance,  monitoring, and technical assistance to the DHMTs, CSOs, RHIV/ AIDS care and treatment  partners, and other KP-focused stakeholders in Sierra Leone. S/he will work with the  Technical Advisors, Senior Technical Officers, and Technical Officers to ensure that KP friendly and focused approaches are comprehensively integrated within the HIV program  so that KP-focused services are built and sustained across the local and national government  structures, and local CSOs.  

The Technical Manager will also work closely with the National AIDS Control Program  (NACP), National AIDS Secretariat, UNAID, and cooperating partners and other  stakeholders in the areas of KP policy and guidance development to support HIV/AIDS KP  programming. S/he will promote and ensure proper integration of HIV and other health  services with other activities particularly those related to KP-focused needs. The Senior  Technical Manager-Key populations will engage and work closely with KP CSOs and the  project support KP advisory group to ensure KPs voices and desires are heard and  integrated into HIV programming at the national, district, and site level. The Senior Technical  Manager-Key populations will work closely with KP stakeholders to ensure community-led monitoring includes KP members and their feedback is integrated into the larger CLM  approaches.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Leads GRII Project’s KP-focused HIV portfolio, collaborating with the NACP NAS,  UNAIDs, and other implementing partners, CSOs, and other key stakeholders 
• Supports the National AIDS Control Program in strengthening the established KP  Advisor Group and having an active KP TWG. 
• Works closely with senior-level counterparts in the NACP and other government  and non-governmental partners to advance HIV programming designed for KPs at  the National level. 
• Ensures that the GRII Project’s HIV programming is evidence-based and KP friendly and meets the NACP national guidelines and PEPFAR minimum standards 
• Trains, mentors, and supervises Senior Technical Officers, Technical Officers,  Healthcare Providers, Community Counselors, Peers, and CSO staff to address their  attitudes and beliefs toward KPs, as well as improve the capacity of providers and  R/CHMTs to a comprehensive package of HIV services that are KP friendly 
• Lead the operationalization of the National Guidelines for Comprehensive Package  of HIV Interventions for the GRII Project 
• Strengthen differentiated service delivery models for KPs at health facilities and  DICs and explore, with the NACP and DHMTs, the development of KP centers of  excellence at select health facilities 
• Advises on the design, piloting, and implementation of various biomedical  interventions including HIV Self Testing, PrEP provision, social network and index  partner testing, and DIC HIV interventions 
• Represents GRII Project in national and international technical, policy,  management, and strategic working groups and other platforms 
• Provides technical leadership to revise or adapt products and documents in the  areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment 
• Assists with coordinating the necessary technical input from partners required for  key activities and work closely with external stakeholders, consultants, and experts  as required to ensure that the continuum of prevention and care is strengthened
• Cultivates strategic relationships and alliances with other PEPFAR partners 
• Develops and provides training, follow-up support, and support supervision as  necessary for activities 
• Contributes to annual work planning 
• Contributes/coordinates with the project’s M&E activities to ensure that the project  meets set targets in accordance with national and PEPFAR standards 
• Works with the Strategic Information team to ensure quality and verified data for  the comprehensive biomedical package offered by the GRII Project 
• Works collaboratively with other project team members to ensure necessary project  planning, development, resource availability, and management activities function  smoothly and efficiently 
• Promotes and supports the dissemination of project best practices and lessons  learned among the project team, key stakeholders, local partners, and PEPFAR  collaborators 
• Participates as requested in the final review of technical and programmatic portions  of documents 
• Writes, co-authors, and supports the documentation of GRII Project results in  international conferences and through peer-reviewed journals and publications 
• Motivates and mentors assigned staff and consultants 
• Assists with the identification of professional development needs for technical staff  in the field 
• Performs other duties as required by the project 

Qualifications: 

• Holder of an advanced degree in Public Health or epidemiology will be an added  advantage 
• At least 5 years of demonstrated experience working in HIV prevention and  treatment 
• Experience in managing a large HIV prevention and treatment portfolio, including  provision of clinical services (HIV/AIDS, PrEP, ART, PMTCT) 
• Proven leadership skills, as well as skills in training, facilitation, team building and  coordination 
• Experience in managing a team of three (3) or more professional staff
• Excellent grasp of clinical issues and current literature on HIV/AIDS, family  planning, TB, and STIs 
• Strong change management, results-oriented, and decision-making skills 
• Strong leadership and technical capacity to support service delivery, especially at  the community level 
• Ability to work in a complex environment with multiple tasks, short deadlines, and  intense pressure to perform 
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills in English 

Qualified persons must send their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and application letter to:  

SL-Recruitment@jhpiego.org Clearly state in the subject area the position you are  applying for, if not clearly stated your application will not be considered. 

Deadline for the submission of applications: 3rd January, 2025 

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will receive responses due to the sheer volume of  applications often received. 

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer