HIV Treatment Program Officer , American Embassy in Dar es salaam

Closing Date of The Position: December 7, 2015

Vacancy Announcement Number: 15/201

ALL ORDINARILY RESIDENT (OR) APPLICANTS MUST HAVE THE REQUIRED WORK AND/OR RESIDENCY PERMITS TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION. 

The US Mission in Dar es Salaam is seeking eligible and qualified applicants for the position of HIV Treatment Program Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION 

The HIV Treatment Program Officer works under the supervision of the Care and Treatment Team Lead to provide technical assistance and oversight to Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), the National AIDS Control Program (NACP), Zanzibar AIDS Control Program (ZACP), and HIV Treatment implementing partners in the implementation and strengthening of HIV treatment activities in Tanzania. The incumbent serves as the primary CDC contact for implementing partners for all issues related to CDC-supported HIV treatment program activities. The incumbent will identify and recommend new areas of HIV/AIDS treatment interventions to improve approaches and maintain mechanisms to facilitate collaboration with stakeholders in the country. Serves as the Project Officer for HIV treatment components of multiple CDC-supported cooperative agreements in Tanzania. Serves as a primary contributor to the planning, development, and review of the HIV treatment components of the annual Country Operational Plan (COP) for Tanzania

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Planning and Coordination
25%

1. Job holder serves as a primary advisor in the planning and development of HIV treatment program activities included in the annual COP for Tanzania. In collaboration with other USG partners, compiles and edits program activities for the COP. Participates in reviews of the plan and recommends revisions as needed. Develops funding announcements for cooperative agreements to provide assistance to external partners in developing and implementing programs to support HIV treatment program activities. Drafts technical requirements and statements of work (SOW) for cooperative agreement program announcements. Conducts technical reviews of cooperative agreement applications and makes funding recommendations based on technical merit of the proposals and consistency of budget requests with the intended use of funds. Participates with external partners in the development of work plans for implementation of activities following cooperative agreement awards. Reviews requests for supplemental financial assistance and reprogramming of funds and makes recommendations based on technical merit.
2. Job holder represents CDC Tanzania for HIV treatment issues at technical, policy and strategic planning meetings with collaborators. Acts as an expert national resource on matters pertaining to treatment of HIV/AIDS and prophylaxis of opportunistic infections (OIs).
3. Represents CDC Tanzania, including attending donor meetings, HIV treatment technical strategy meetings and HIV treatment policy groups. The incumbent serves as a member and advisor on the USG technical working group for coordination of HIV treatment activities on a national level. The working group assesses program needs and issues at the local level and communicates these needs/issues to the national level and ensures consistency in the implementation of best practices for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and prophylaxis of OIs on a national level and recommends revisions to policies and guidelines.

Technical Assistance and Oversight 
45%

1. Provides technical assistance and oversight to the MOHSW, ZACP and other partners in the implementation of HIV treatment activities, including establishment of criteria for initiation of HIV treatment, implementation of appropriate treatment protocols, prophylaxis of OIs, management of treatment side effects, and patient follow-up protocols. Oversees cooperative agreement activities and collaborates with funding recipients providing substantial USG involvement to ensure that grantees are meeting stated objectives under the cooperative agreement. Ensures that supported activities at multiple delivery sites conform to national standards, guidelines, and CDC technical strategies. Identifies and corrects problems, barriers, and issues impeding the effective implementation of HIV treatment program activities. Serves as an expert technical resource in the specialized programmatic area to government of Tanzania and other collaborating partners.
2. Develops and maintains effective liaisons with program officer staff in implementing partner organizations to ensure that timelines and quality standards for implementation of program activities are met. Identifies staff training needs in implementing partner organizations and facilitates and participates in the planning and development of training programs, teaching modules, manuals, and educational materials to address identified needs. Builds staff capacity through mentoring. Keeps up to date with scientific developments, innovations, best practices and new approaches in area of expertise.
3. Participates in the design and development of program guidelines and activities, including protocols for HIV treatment activities, strategies for expanding and improving the quality of HIV treatment services and strategies for expanding the coverage and acceptance of USG-supported HIV treatment services. Provides expert advice and technical assistance to MOHSW and other in-country partners in the development of policy, guidelines and protocols for HIV treatment projects.
4. Conducts site visits to provide technical assistance and oversight to partners in program implementation. Ensures adherence to established work plans and CDC and PEPFAR guidelines, policies and priorities.

Monitoring and Evaluation
30%

1. Provides technical assistance to the MOHSW and other partners in the design and implementation of tools, reporting instruments, and systems to effectively monitor and evaluate HIV treatment program activities. Serves as a programmatic resource in the design and development of information systems and databases to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of HIV treatment programs.
2. Maintains effective liaisons with program officer partner staff to ensure that partners meet monitoring requirements for supported cooperative agreement activities (e.g., quarterly reports, continuation applications, and supplemental applications). Reviews cooperative agreement narrative and financial reports to assess progress in meeting stated objectives and the status of expenditures in relation to planned budgets.
3. Conducts site visits to assess progress of partner organizations in meeting program objectives. Analyzes and evaluates program activities and writes reports on findings for presentation at national and international conferences and meetings. Provides guidance and technical assistance to partners in analyzing and evaluating program activities and developing reports and presentations for conferences and meetings.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

1. Education: 
   Graduation from an accredited university with a doctoral level degree in a medical discipline and additional internship and residency training to qualify the incumbent for a license to practice medicine is required.
2. Experience: 
   A minimum of three to five years of working experience in clinical services which includes management and treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS is required.
3. Language:
   Level IV (fluent) in English and Kiswahili (speaking, writing and reading) is required. Incumbent must be able to compose complex written documents is required. (This will be tested)
4. Skills and Abilities: 
   The position requires excellent judgment and strong analytical skills for making independent and sound decisions regarding the planning and implementation of HIV care and treatment programs and activities. The position requires excellent demonstrated interpersonal and leadership skills as well as skills in developing and maintaining effective contacts in the Government of Tanzania, the US Government, NGOs and other partners. Must possess excellent writing skills and computer skills is required.
5. Job Knowledge: 
   The job holder must have a broad and in-depth knowledge of the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection, including counseling and testing for HIV infection. The position requires an in-depth understanding of the structure and functions of CDC-Tanzania, including a detailed knowledge of CDC’s role and function in support of the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR); CDC and USG policies, guidelines and procedures for administration of cooperative agreements; and intra-agency procedures for coordination with CDC Atlanta and the American Mission in Tanzania. The job holder must also have a detailed knowledge of the host country operational environment, including a detailed knowledge of the structure and operations of the MOHSW and the environment for health care delivery issues commonly encountered in the implementation of HIV care, treatment, and prevention activities at the national, regional, district and community levels in Tanzania is required.

SELECTION PROCESS: When qualified, applicants who are U.S. Citizen Eligible family Members (USEFMs) and/or preference-eligible U.S. Veterans are given a preference in hiring. Therefore, it is essential that these applicants make themselves known as having a hiring preference and specially address the required applications above in their application.

HIRING PREFERENCE ORDER: 
1. USEFM who is ALSO a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran
2. USEFM OR a preference-eligible U.S. Veteran
3. FS on LWOP

ADDITIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA:

1. Management will consider when determining successful candidacy: nepotism, conflicts of interest, budget, and residency status.
2. Current OR employees serving a probationary period are not eligible to apply. Current OR employees with an Overall Summary rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory on their most recent Employee Performance report (EPR) are not eligible to apply.
3. Current NOR employees hired on a Family Member Employment (FMA) or a Personal Service Agreement (PSA) are not eligible to apply within the first 90 calendar days of their employment, unless they have a When Actually Employed (WAE) work schedule.

HOW TO APPLY: applicants must submit the following documents to be considered:

1. Universal Application for Employment (UAE)(Form Ds-174), which is available on our website or by contacting Human resources, (see “For Further Information” above); and
2. Any additional documentation that supports or addresses the requirements listed above (e.g. transcripts, degrees, etc.)
3. Copy of Passport, or, National ID, Resident/Work Permit.

IMPORTANT: Applicants claiming a U.S. Veteran’s preference must submit written documentation confirming eligibility (e.g., Member Copy 4 of Form DD-214, Letter from the Veteran’s Administration, or certification documenting eligibility under the VOW Act with an expected discharge no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted) by the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the written documentation confirming eligibility is not received in the HR office by the closing date of the vacancy announcement, the U.S. Veteran’s preference will not be considered in the application process. Specific criteria for receiving a U.S. Veteran’s preference may be found in HR/OE’s Family Member Employment Policy (FMEP).

WHERE TO APPLY: 

American Embassy
Human Resources Office
P.O. Box 9123
Dar es Salaam