Technical Officer, TRACE
Position Summary:
ICAP at Columbia University, a global health leader situated within the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, seeks highly qualified candidates to serve as Technical Associates for the Tracking with Recency Assays to Control Epidemic (TRACE) project in Nigeria. The TRACE project is a multi-year, multi-country initiative funded by CDC through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to establish HIV recent infection surveillance systems in countries nearing epidemic control in order to detect, characterize, monitor, and intervene on recent infection among newly diagnosed PLHIV in real-time. Under this project, ICAP works collaboratively with CDC and provides technical assistance to Ministries of Health and other local partners. In Nigeria, TRACE rollout will take place in Akwa Ibom, Benue, FCT, Lagos and Rivers states.
Reporting to the ICAP TRACE National Coordinator – Nigeria, the TRACE Technical Associate will provide day-to-day supervision and technical support of project implementation at facility level. The TRACE Technical associate will work with the PEPFAR implementing partner to ensure that project objectives, including targets, are met while complying with approved protocol.
This position is grant funded.
Major Accountabilities:
The TRACE Technical Associate will assume the following responsibilities working closely with the State Implementing partner:
- Oversee project implementation at State and facility level
- Work closely with the State PEPFAR implementing partner to provide onsite mentorship to project staff at facility level to ensure compliance with protocol
- Ensure that project materials, SOPs, Job aids and Tools are available onsite and put to use appropriately
- Routinely ensure data quality and triangulation of data from difference sources for consistency and quality
- Monitor TAT for VL results of PLHIVs that test recent to HIV on the rapid test
- Coordinate first level review of facility and state weekly and monthly reports, discuss identified gaps with the IP and facility project staff and jointly proffer solutions to address gaps
- Provide technical support to IP and project Staff to design and implement continuous quality improvement initiatives in order to improve project outcomes
- Monitor and flag non-conformities with project protocol at facility level with the implementing partner, site coordinator and project staff and TRACE National Coordinator
- Coordinate joint supportive and supervisory visit with the State IP at least once every fortnight and share reports from these visits with the TRACE central office team
- Present progress, achievements, and lessons learned to key stakeholders at State Level,
- Represent ICAP (Country Director or the TRACE National Coordinator) at stakeholders engagement as directed by the Country Director
- Increase the visibility of the project through representation at high-level visits with the CDC
Education:
The applicant should have a degree medicine, basic medical sciences, or public health, master’s degree in public health is an added advantage.
Experience, Skills, and Minimum Required Qualifications:
- At least five (5) years of experience in the management of HIV projects/programs at State level with proven capacity to coordinate project activities across multiple health facilities.
- Ability to coordinate a team of technical experts with varied background (information system developers, epidemiologists, health care service providers, etc.)
- Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of stakeholders (e.g. Ministry of Health, local government authorities, partner organizations, civil society and donors)
- Demonstrated competence in the analysis of project data
- Proven experience in establishing working relationships with key stakeholders (Implementing partners, facility staff and State ministries of Health)
- Fluent English oral and written communication skills; ability to interact professionally in English.
How to Apply
Interested candidates apply here