HIV Testing Services Lead

Position: HIV Testing Services Lead

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party

Location: Mzuzu Hub Office

Job Summary

The HIV Testing Services (HTS) Lead, under the supervision of the Deputy Chief of Party, will provide

strategic leadership and technical support for the delivery of differentiated HIV testing services across all Right to Care Malawi-supported health facilities in line with priority areas and integrated HIV testing guidelines.

The HTS Lead will ensure that all HIV testing services including, but not limited to, Provider-Initiated Testing

and Counselling (PITC), Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), Index testing, Social Network Strategy (SNS), HIV self-testing, maternal retesting, and integrated syphilis/Viral hepatitis testing are implemented with fidelity and

that performance expectations are achieved. The position will also be responsible for building the capacity of Ministry of Health (MoH) program managers and frontline healthcare workers as part of strategies to facilitate

the transition of integrated HIV testing services to the MoH and ensure the sustainability of differentiated HIV testing service delivery.

Core responsibilities

Provide technical oversight, strategic direction and ensure appropriate support for the implementation of HIV testing program activities.

Lead the implementation of high impact case finding interventions such as PITC and Index testing to bridge case identification gaps.

Spearhead the development of innovative interventions and scale up of evidence-informed testing strategies to close case finding gaps among the youth, men and other at-risk population groups.

Lead the integration of HIV testing services in under-five clinics and outreach ANC clinics to improve maternal re-testing coverage and uptake of HTS among pregnant women in hard-to-reach areas.

Closely work with community-based structures and other implementing partners to increase access and uptake of testing services.

Strengthen linkage systems to facilitate same day ART initiation among clients newly diagnosed with HIV.

Support the development and implementation of pediatric focused testing strategies to increase uptake and case identification among children living with HIV.

Build capacity of MoH frontline health care workers through routine mentorships, in-service trainings and on-site

orientations to enhance government-led delivery of differentiated testing services.

Ensure HTS providers provide HIV testing services to highest expected quality standards in line with MoH standards for quality testing and counselling.

Coordinate with District Pharmacists, District Program Managers, HTS Supervisors and other key stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted supply and availability of testing kits and commodities.

Collaborate with District HTS coordinators and District Program Managers in planning, implementation and monitoring of integrated HIV testing services across all RTC supported districts.

Facilitate coordination meetings with implementing partners and key district stakeholders to streamline delivery of testing services and ensure testing program continuity.

Organize joint and routine data reviews with MoH HTS coordinators, District Program Managers and HTS supervisors to track program performance, share best practices and address prevailing program gaps.

Closely work with M&E team at district level and program level to track program performance against targets including submitting monthly and quarterly technical reports to line managers, donors and key stakeholders.

Support the development of SOPS, Job Aids and program tracking tools to guide implementation and monitoring of integrated and differentiated HIV testing services.

Participate in all Technical Advisory Group Meetings and represent RTC in professional forums by participating and presenting in pertinent meetings and conferences, as well as technical working groups.

Required Minimum Qualifications

A Medical Degree or Degree in Nursing Science or an equivalent qualification from reputable academic institution

Master’s degree in public health will be an added advantage

Certified HIV testing services provider

Required experience, skills and knowledge

Minimum 5 years progressive in leading and managing of PEPFAR/MoH funded integrated and differentiated HIV testing services

Strong expertise in program design, implementation and monitoring

Proven ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams and competing priorities

Strong experience in capacity building of frontline health care workers

Well conversant with the development of work plans and activity budgets

Experience working with Ministry of Health at national level and district level

Strong experience in providing mentorship and technical assistance

Sound leadership and management skills

Excellent oral and report writing and presentation skills

Proven ability to write high quality scientific/management documents

Excellent collaboration and partnering skills in a teamwork environment

About the Organization

Right to Care Malawi, with support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), complements the Malawi Government’s efforts in provision of an integrated HIV response. The organization supports the implementation and management of integrated and client-centered HIV services in 40 public health facilities and five major prisons across six districts in the Northern Region through direct service delivery and technical assistance. To sustain HIV epidemic control and address the remaining gaps in case finding and HIV treatment outcomes, Right to Care seeks to recruit dedicated technical specialists to lead and provide technical support for the delivery of government-led differentiated HIV testing, and care and treatment services across all RTC-supported health facilities.