Senior Regional Tuberculosis Technical Advisor
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Almaty, Kazakhstan
The Global Health Fellows Program is seeking a Technical Advisor III: Senior Regional Tuberculosis Technical Advisor (GHFP-11-209) in Almaty. The Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute (PHI) in partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health, Management Systems International and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. GHFP is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). GHFP’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID Population, Health and Nutrition programs by developing and increasing capacity of health professionals in Washington, DC and overseas. This is accomplished through the recruitment, placement and support of junior, mid and senior level health professionals; a diversity initiative focused on providing internship and mentoring opportunities in international public health to underrepresented communities; and professional and organizational development activities to bolster USAID’s ability to maximize results and strengthen its leadership role in global health.
The 2010 USAID Europe and Eurasia Health Vulnerability Analysis highlights the Central Asia Republics (CAR) as the region with the highest overall estimated Tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates (147.6 per 100,000), a rate nearly double the mean in Europe and Eurasia. CAR TB case detection and treatment success rates are lagging behind international targets. High rates of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB continue to present significant challenges for TB control in the region. Tajikistan, in particular, has the highest TB incidence rate in the WHO European region (231), while Kazakhstan is second (129). In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, more than 14.2 percent of newly diagnosed TB cases and more than 24.8 percent of all TB cases are MDR-TB. All five Central Asian Republics populate the WHO list of priority MDR-TB countries and are priority countries within the current US Government (USG) bilateral TB program.
Several regional and country challenges hamper TB control efforts. Local governments have struggled, with varying levels of success, to build a truly cross-sectional response. The prison sector lacks sufficient resources and is not integrated with the civil sector to manage increasing numbers of MDR-TB patients. Stigma surrounding injection drug use, punitive legislation and rights violations of populations most at risk for TB and HIV have delayed the adoption of appropriate interventions and continue to curb the progress of HIV and TB programs to access these marginalized and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, high rates of migration, particularly from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to destinations within and outside the region (Kazakhstan, Russia and Korea) complicate the spread of the HIV and TB.
While migrants are considered a high risk group in the region, little epidemiologic data is available. Countries have different contexts and resources and will require country-specific approaches. The USAID/CAR’s Office of Health and Education (CAR/HE) provides funding in the areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, family planning and reproductive health and other public health threats. CAR/HE provides technical assistance either directly or through implementing partners to strengthen regional institutions and networks, build the capacity of regional country governments, local opinion leaders, stakeholders and practitioners, foster increased political will and participation at all levels to achieve its assistance objective: that Central Asian Public Health Systems Better Meet the Needs of Vulnerable Groups.
This objective has four components: 1) a safer medical environment; 2) strengthened public health capacity; 3) improved quality of health services; and 4) empowered civil society to better respond to health needs. CAR/HE staff work in close collaboration with US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and other USG agencies, National TB Programs, other donors (especially the Global Fund and WHO’s STOP TB Strategy) and non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing partners to design, award, manage, monitor, evaluate and report on TB and TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities.
The Senior Tuberculosis Technical Advisor (the Advisor) will play the lead technical role in assuring that Ministries of Health in the five Central Asian Republics and USAID implementing partners have state-of-the-art information on best practices in TB including MDR-TB prevention and control, testing, laboratory analysis, and TB-HIV co-infection treatment and follow up. The Advisor will provide technical mentorship and on-the-job training to USAID health Foreign Service Nationals (FSN) staff. The Advisor will have particular responsibility for ensuring that USAID’s FSN teams, including the regional FSN TB Advisor, HIV Advisor and Strategic Information Advisor, have access to up-to-date information, mentoring and training so that after the Advisor’s departure, they can assume full responsibility for TB program design, monitoring and management and oversight of contractors/ grantees.
The Advisor will engage in strategic planning, policy guidance, monitoring and evaluation of USAID–funded TB projects and provide technical assistance in the design, implementation, and evaluation of bilateral and regional TB programs including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) TB grants. The Advisor will receive programmatic direction from the Deputy Director of HE and will serve as a member of the HE team. S/he will work closely with technical advisors and health staff in the Global Health Bureau (GH) and other USG agencies and partners in the international TB community.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior TB Technical Advisor serves as the tuberculosis subject matter expert for prevention, case detection, diagnosis, testing, care and treatment, program planning (both strategy and budget), and program implementation, as well as relevant policy, monitoring and evaluation.
S/he will: A. Provide expert programmatic and technical leadership, policy advice, guidance and support to the USAID/CAR TB program (35%). Provide technical, strategic, and programming support on TB, including assisting with the preparation and/or review of strategies and program plans and assisting CAR/HE to incorporate evidence-based best practices and sustainable state-of-the-art development approaches into Mission TB and related TB/HIV strategies, plans and interventions. Provide expert advice to Ministries of Health and USAID implementing partners on responding to and controlling MDR-TB, particularly in prisons. Provide technical expertise to the review of GFATM-supported TB proposals and programs. Ensure that USAID/CAR HE team members have access to the best current information on TB and TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection, methodologies and training. Clearly articulate how TB activities contribute to higher-level USG strategic priorities in each CAR country and in the region. Provide technical leadership to integrate TB activities with other USAID and USG health and non-health initiatives in the region, including cross border and other USG priorities. Provide expert technical leadership to design a coordinated appropriate response to TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection and assistance in the preparation and review of related PEPFAR documents including the Regional Operational Plan and other related documents. Contribute public health expertise through participation in international activities convened by TB partners.
B. Provide technical and management support to USAID country-level TB programs (30%). Provide senior level strategic and programming guidance, including assisting with the preparation and/or review of strategies and program plans. Provide technical expertise to ensure that country and regional programs are consistent with the USG’s TB strategy and the Global Health Initiative as well as USAID guidance for TB programming and with the STOP TB Strategy and Green Light Committee. Strengthen coordination and leveraging of USAID TB funds with other USG and non-USG health resources, especially the Global Fund. Provide expert technical advice and guidance to assess and improve the performance of GFATM programs related to TB and to produce greater results. Lead the development and review of technical documents and guidelines to include state-of-the-art scientific and policy program data and best practices. Monitor and analyze TB trends and issues and apply this analysis to USAID TB programs. Organize USAID’s participation in and lead joint TB program reviews organized by partners such as the WHO. Provide direct technical assistance and training as needed to improve technical capacity of local and regional partners. Conduct program evaluations and/or prepare Scopes of Work for independent evaluations. Prepare and present technical presentations at international technical conferences and workshops, including events sponsored by WHO, USAID, and other donors.
C. Support program monitoring and evaluation of TB and related TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities (20%). Provide analysis of current data from USG and other sources and provide concrete recommendations on new program priorities and adjustments. Provide leadership in developing improved approaches to monitoring and evaluating TB and related TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities. Ensure that implementing partner performance monitoring systems are operating effectively; that reliable indicators are defined, collected, and analyzed routinely; and that the systems comply with USAID, PEPFAR and USG TB program monitoring and reporting responsibilities and regulations. Provide ongoing assessment of CAR TB and co-infection activities. Conduct regular site visits to monitor progress.
D. Training and Professional Development (15%): Remain current with latest TB literature, reports, international guidelines and standards and shares with CAR/HE team. Participate in periodic job-related international working groups and professional meetings. Provide technical leadership to TB-related communities of practice in CAR and outside the region. Provide technical mentorship and on-the-job training on TB for CAR/HE team. Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the Technical Advisor’s own interests.
REQUIREMENTS: Master’s degree (MD preferred) in public health, the health sciences or other relevant discipline. Minimum ten years experience in international public health with proven track record of successful program strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation. At least five years experience in TB programming in developing country or resource challenged settings. Experience and/or knowledge of programs based on the WHO-recommended STOP TB Strategy and DOTS. Knowledge and understanding of USG Tuberculosis Strategy guidance and directives, development principles and approaches, host country requirements, and host government priorities. Skilled in situational assessments, team-building, timely decision-making and policy interpretation. Well versed in the USG TB program goals and objectives and USAID policy and requirements regarding all aspects of strategic planning, budget formulation, monitoring, evaluation, and policy dialogue.
Ability to clearly and convincingly articulate USAID and USG policy regarding TB and related topics to a variety of audiences, including host country experts, ministers, and other donors. Proven ability to present convincing evidence-based vision and arguments and build consensus among senior level stakeholders with frequently differing opinions and policy agendas. Knowledge of and familiarity with key international TB initiatives and organizations. Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment. Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work under pressure and in teams. Ability to travel frequently in CAR. Knowledge of Russian language preferred. US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency required. Ability to obtain a medical clearance to live and work in Central Asia required.
Salary will be based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs http://www.ghfp.net/docs/2010_
TO APPLY: All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/
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The 2010 USAID Europe and Eurasia Health Vulnerability Analysis highlights the Central Asia Republics (CAR) as the region with the highest overall estimated Tuberculosis (TB) incidence rates (147.6 per 100,000), a rate nearly double the mean in Europe and Eurasia. CAR TB case detection and treatment success rates are lagging behind international targets. High rates of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB continue to present significant challenges for TB control in the region. Tajikistan, in particular, has the highest TB incidence rate in the WHO European region (231), while Kazakhstan is second (129). In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, more than 14.2 percent of newly diagnosed TB cases and more than 24.8 percent of all TB cases are MDR-TB. All five Central Asian Republics populate the WHO list of priority MDR-TB countries and are priority countries within the current US Government (USG) bilateral TB program.
Several regional and country challenges hamper TB control efforts. Local governments have struggled, with varying levels of success, to build a truly cross-sectional response. The prison sector lacks sufficient resources and is not integrated with the civil sector to manage increasing numbers of MDR-TB patients. Stigma surrounding injection drug use, punitive legislation and rights violations of populations most at risk for TB and HIV have delayed the adoption of appropriate interventions and continue to curb the progress of HIV and TB programs to access these marginalized and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, high rates of migration, particularly from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to destinations within and outside the region (Kazakhstan, Russia and Korea) complicate the spread of the HIV and TB.
While migrants are considered a high risk group in the region, little epidemiologic data is available. Countries have different contexts and resources and will require country-specific approaches. The USAID/CAR’s Office of Health and Education (CAR/HE) provides funding in the areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, maternal and child health, family planning and reproductive health and other public health threats. CAR/HE provides technical assistance either directly or through implementing partners to strengthen regional institutions and networks, build the capacity of regional country governments, local opinion leaders, stakeholders and practitioners, foster increased political will and participation at all levels to achieve its assistance objective: that Central Asian Public Health Systems Better Meet the Needs of Vulnerable Groups.
This objective has four components: 1) a safer medical environment; 2) strengthened public health capacity; 3) improved quality of health services; and 4) empowered civil society to better respond to health needs. CAR/HE staff work in close collaboration with US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and other USG agencies, National TB Programs, other donors (especially the Global Fund and WHO’s STOP TB Strategy) and non-governmental organization (NGO) implementing partners to design, award, manage, monitor, evaluate and report on TB and TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities.
The Senior Tuberculosis Technical Advisor (the Advisor) will play the lead technical role in assuring that Ministries of Health in the five Central Asian Republics and USAID implementing partners have state-of-the-art information on best practices in TB including MDR-TB prevention and control, testing, laboratory analysis, and TB-HIV co-infection treatment and follow up. The Advisor will provide technical mentorship and on-the-job training to USAID health Foreign Service Nationals (FSN) staff. The Advisor will have particular responsibility for ensuring that USAID’s FSN teams, including the regional FSN TB Advisor, HIV Advisor and Strategic Information Advisor, have access to up-to-date information, mentoring and training so that after the Advisor’s departure, they can assume full responsibility for TB program design, monitoring and management and oversight of contractors/ grantees.
The Advisor will engage in strategic planning, policy guidance, monitoring and evaluation of USAID–funded TB projects and provide technical assistance in the design, implementation, and evaluation of bilateral and regional TB programs including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) TB grants. The Advisor will receive programmatic direction from the Deputy Director of HE and will serve as a member of the HE team. S/he will work closely with technical advisors and health staff in the Global Health Bureau (GH) and other USG agencies and partners in the international TB community.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Senior TB Technical Advisor serves as the tuberculosis subject matter expert for prevention, case detection, diagnosis, testing, care and treatment, program planning (both strategy and budget), and program implementation, as well as relevant policy, monitoring and evaluation.
S/he will: A. Provide expert programmatic and technical leadership, policy advice, guidance and support to the USAID/CAR TB program (35%). Provide technical, strategic, and programming support on TB, including assisting with the preparation and/or review of strategies and program plans and assisting CAR/HE to incorporate evidence-based best practices and sustainable state-of-the-art development approaches into Mission TB and related TB/HIV strategies, plans and interventions. Provide expert advice to Ministries of Health and USAID implementing partners on responding to and controlling MDR-TB, particularly in prisons. Provide technical expertise to the review of GFATM-supported TB proposals and programs. Ensure that USAID/CAR HE team members have access to the best current information on TB and TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection, methodologies and training. Clearly articulate how TB activities contribute to higher-level USG strategic priorities in each CAR country and in the region. Provide technical leadership to integrate TB activities with other USAID and USG health and non-health initiatives in the region, including cross border and other USG priorities. Provide expert technical leadership to design a coordinated appropriate response to TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection and assistance in the preparation and review of related PEPFAR documents including the Regional Operational Plan and other related documents. Contribute public health expertise through participation in international activities convened by TB partners.
B. Provide technical and management support to USAID country-level TB programs (30%). Provide senior level strategic and programming guidance, including assisting with the preparation and/or review of strategies and program plans. Provide technical expertise to ensure that country and regional programs are consistent with the USG’s TB strategy and the Global Health Initiative as well as USAID guidance for TB programming and with the STOP TB Strategy and Green Light Committee. Strengthen coordination and leveraging of USAID TB funds with other USG and non-USG health resources, especially the Global Fund. Provide expert technical advice and guidance to assess and improve the performance of GFATM programs related to TB and to produce greater results. Lead the development and review of technical documents and guidelines to include state-of-the-art scientific and policy program data and best practices. Monitor and analyze TB trends and issues and apply this analysis to USAID TB programs. Organize USAID’s participation in and lead joint TB program reviews organized by partners such as the WHO. Provide direct technical assistance and training as needed to improve technical capacity of local and regional partners. Conduct program evaluations and/or prepare Scopes of Work for independent evaluations. Prepare and present technical presentations at international technical conferences and workshops, including events sponsored by WHO, USAID, and other donors.
C. Support program monitoring and evaluation of TB and related TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities (20%). Provide analysis of current data from USG and other sources and provide concrete recommendations on new program priorities and adjustments. Provide leadership in developing improved approaches to monitoring and evaluating TB and related TB-HIV/AIDS co-infection activities. Ensure that implementing partner performance monitoring systems are operating effectively; that reliable indicators are defined, collected, and analyzed routinely; and that the systems comply with USAID, PEPFAR and USG TB program monitoring and reporting responsibilities and regulations. Provide ongoing assessment of CAR TB and co-infection activities. Conduct regular site visits to monitor progress.
D. Training and Professional Development (15%): Remain current with latest TB literature, reports, international guidelines and standards and shares with CAR/HE team. Participate in periodic job-related international working groups and professional meetings. Provide technical leadership to TB-related communities of practice in CAR and outside the region. Provide technical mentorship and on-the-job training on TB for CAR/HE team. Other tasks or responsibilities may be assigned based on (a) organizational and programming need and/or (b) the Technical Advisor’s own interests.
REQUIREMENTS: Master’s degree (MD preferred) in public health, the health sciences or other relevant discipline. Minimum ten years experience in international public health with proven track record of successful program strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation. At least five years experience in TB programming in developing country or resource challenged settings. Experience and/or knowledge of programs based on the WHO-recommended STOP TB Strategy and DOTS. Knowledge and understanding of USG Tuberculosis Strategy guidance and directives, development principles and approaches, host country requirements, and host government priorities. Skilled in situational assessments, team-building, timely decision-making and policy interpretation. Well versed in the USG TB program goals and objectives and USAID policy and requirements regarding all aspects of strategic planning, budget formulation, monitoring, evaluation, and policy dialogue.
Ability to clearly and convincingly articulate USAID and USG policy regarding TB and related topics to a variety of audiences, including host country experts, ministers, and other donors. Proven ability to present convincing evidence-based vision and arguments and build consensus among senior level stakeholders with frequently differing opinions and policy agendas. Knowledge of and familiarity with key international TB initiatives and organizations. Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment. Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills. Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to work under pressure and in teams. Ability to travel frequently in CAR. Knowledge of Russian language preferred. US Citizenship or US Permanent Residency required. Ability to obtain a medical clearance to live and work in Central Asia required.
Salary will be based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs http://www.ghfp.net/docs/2010_
TO APPLY: All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/
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