VMMC Technical Advisor at Amref Health Africa in Tanzania

Job Position VMMC Technical Advisor at Amref Health Africa in Tanzania

Amref Health Africa in Tanzania is a non-profit public health organization supporting the Government of Tanzania to address public health issues including maternal and child health, HIV, TB, Malaria and Nutrition in Tanzania since 1987. Amref Health Africa in Tanzania is funded by The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through CDC Tanzania, to execute a robust HIV care and treatment clinical cascade project aiming to accelerate the achievement of the current 95-95-95 goals and the HIV epidemic control in Tanzania. The project branded as Afya Kamilifu Project is implemented in Tanga and Zanzibar since October, 2018, Simiyu Region since 2020. From October 2020 this project will extend its operations to Mara Region covering facility based and community based HIV care and treatment services. Afya Kamilifu project works – in collaboration with and with guidance from the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Zanzibar Ministry of health and President’s Office Regions Authority and Local Government (PORALG). That said, Amref Health Africa -Tanzania is announcing the following vacancy to be filled soon:

Position Title:             VMMC Technical Advisor

Reports to:                  Technical Director- DCP Services

Location:                      Dar es Salaam

Start Date:                     October 2021

Job Summary:

The Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) Technical Advisor provides technical expertise in the scale up and implementation of quality and safe VMMC services in the supported regions. S/He serves as a member of the central technical team and effectively provides technical, strategic and operational leadership to develop and implement a preventive strategy for VMMC that decreases men’s risk of acquiring HIV and increases VMMC coverage including at low coverage areas to reach saturation and achieve the greatest HIV prevention impact possible, with particular focus on reaching adult men and high-risk populations in supported regions. The VMMC Technical Advisor will organize VMMC activities through MOHCDGEC, PORALG, R/CHMTs and Afya Kamilifu regional staff and be responsible for advising and managing VMMC service delivery according to national guidelines at static and satellite health facilities, outreach, and mobile sites. S/He ensures all key deliverables in VMMC programing for Afya Kamilifu are attained at high performance levels.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight in the development, planning and monitoring of program implementation to deliver comprehensive package of safe and quality VMMC services that increase awareness, demand, and coverage of VMMC services among target age group at supported regions.
• Provide technical support to MoHCDGEC, PORALG and R/CHMTs including the development of guidelines, standard operating procedures (SOPs), protocols, and dissemination of packages for HIV prevention and VMMC capacity building and support.
• Provide technical support to project teams on implementation and monitoring of quality VMMC services across the supported sites
• Collaborate with MoHCDGEC to ensure operationalization of the National VMMC sustainability roadmap and document successes and challenges to inform further programming
• Support pilot of successfully models for VMMC program integration within the comprehensive facility and community HIV services platforms
• Develop work plans including strategies and smart objectives/activities for VMMC services integrating appropriate interventions including HIV prevention, care and treatment
• Provide technical expertise on surgical procedures and approaches, techniques and new technologies e.g. device driven circumcision, making the procedure safer, efficient and cost effective and in line with WHO and PEPFAR adopted National requirements and standards
• Support technical assistance and supervision of VMMC sites and ensure adherence to National guidelines and SOP’s for implementing VMMC services
• Support strengthening/establishment of community-based demand creation, mobilization, linkages, referrals and interventions for HIV prevention and VMMC services.
• Conduct rapid assessment of safe medical circumcision health facility infrastructure, equipment, staffing, and training needs; develop and support site-specific action plans for scale up of  of VMMC static sites
• Lead in designing on approaches to scale up of VMMC coverage in districts and among un met populations
• Ensure compliance with national and international standards and best practices for program implementation and that all program activities are implemented in accordance with national guidelines and policy, protocols, SOPs, good clinical practices and ethical/regulatory requirements
• Work with strategic information team to design and implement a plan to monitor VMMC outputs per site and ensure targets allocated to each site/district are achieved.
• Lead in integration of QI processes to enhance quality VMMC services and minimize adverse events (AEs); support robust data collection of AEs.
• Develop and timely submit technical VMMC program progress reports and updates as scheduled on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
• Lead preparation and documentation of program success stories, case studies and best practices for dissemination at relevant forums.
• Participate in National Technical Working Group for VMMC and professional forums representing Afya Kamilifu and provide technical assistance in to lead design, planning and implementation of innovations related to VMMC in collaboration with MOHCDGEC and NACP

Qualifications, Experience & Skills required:

• Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) and/or Master’s degree or equivalent experience in public health, social sciences or health related field.
• More than five (5) years of demonstrated experience in VMMC programming as a block of HIV prevention intervention working with donor-funded organization.
• Knowledge and thorough understanding of VMMC standards, requirements, recommendations and guidelines per WHO, PEPFAR/CDC and national guidance.
• Ability to work independently with strong management and supervisory skills    Excellent interpersonal, training, facilitation, team building and problem-solving skills  •      Excellent written and oral presentation skills with fluency in English and Kiswahili.
• Experience working with NGO’s and/or donor-funded programs

How to Apply:- 

If you meet the criteria given above and interested in the vacancies, please send an application letter and CV combined in as one PDF document indicating your present employer and position, daytime telephone contact, names and addresses of three referees. All interviews will be conducted at Amref Health Africa country Office in Dar es Salaam for shortlisted applicants. To be considered, your application must be received by 16.30 HOURS October 04, 2021. The subject line of your job application email should mention the job position that you are applying as it appears in this advertisement. Failure to do that your application may not be easily retrieved. All correspondences and applications should be emailed to: jobs.tanzania@amref.org

1. Amref Health Africa is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking environment policy; Women and People with disability are encouraged to Apply
2. “Amref Health Africa is committed to the principles of safeguarding in workplace and will not tolerate any form of abuse, wherever it occurs or whoever is responsible”
3. Any Applicant attempting or communicating to the Amref Health Africa Management or Staff through phone calls, sms, text emails and other means will automatically be disqualified from this opportunity. All communications should be channelled to the provided official correspondence email above
4. Amref health Africa –Tanzania regrets that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.