Jobs - Opportunities with Global Fund Funded National HIV/AIDS Program of Timor-Leste

Opportunities with Global Fund Funded National HIV/AIDS Program of Timor-Leste

Government of Timor-Leste
Principal Recipient of Global Fund Grant
Closing date: 31 Mar 2011
Location: Timor-Leste - Dili

Position 1: Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory Specialist
Location: National Laboratory, Dili, Timor-Leste (with travel to districts and sub-districts)
Reports to: Director of National Laboratory with programmatic coordination with National HIV/AIDS Program Manager
Duration: May to December 2011
Funding: Global Fund Grant Agreement TMP-506-G03-H

Job Summary:

The Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory Specialist is primarily responsible for strengthening the public health laboratory services, in particular, establishing and upgrading the existing services to an efficient, state of the art quality laboratory service for the testing of HIV and other STI's in the National Laboratory, Regional Laboratories and National and Regional Blood Banks.

The Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory Specialist will play a key role across the National HIV/AIDS Program providing technical input for all laboratory issues related to the program. S/he will work in ensuring the quality blood bank services and laboratory serology services and upgrade the laboratory technical skills required for opportunistic infections diagnosis and antiretroviral monitoring at the ART prescription health facilities.

The Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory Specialist will work collaboratively with the National Laboratory, Referral Hospital Laboratories, National HIV/AIDS Unit in the Ministry of Health, as well as with the Blood Bank Services.

The position is responsible for developing further capacity in implementing the operational aspects of testing and introducing quality control and monitoring processes for HIV and STI testing services.

Specific tasks:

•Assist with the review, updating and implementation of Infectious Diseases laboratory plan for the country.
•Review/develop national standards for assuring quality of laboratory results in all the laboratories and train practitioners in efficient implementation of standards.
•Review and update National Guidelines for Safe Blood Transfusion and laboratory quality management and train key staff on their implementation.
•Review/develop protocols and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCT Centers), laboratory and blood bank services and train practitioners on protocols and standard operating procedures.
•Support establishment of testing services and ensure quality of testing and laboratory processes related to VCT and STI issues in the laboratories, ART centers and Community Health Centers (CHCs) where HIV and STI counseling and testing services are offered.

•Review External Quality Assessment Schemes for laboratories and blood banks and establish appropriate subscription and linkages to external quality assessment program for these services.
•Develop and review SOPs for laboratory diagnosis methods for opportunistic infections and provide training to the lab service providers in the 7 ART centers and laboratory diagnosis of opportunistic infections.
•Assist with implementation of an on-site mentoring plan for ART monitoring laboratory needs in the 7 ART centers.
•Review stock management, distribution and supervision systems of the health products, health equipment, reagents and consumables for laboratory and blood bank services and train key staff in stock management, distribution and supervision of use of these items.
•Assist with need identification, product selection, stock and consumption analysis, quantity estimation and costing for finalizing yearly procurement plan for the health products, health equipment, reagents, consumables and other supplies for the laboratory and blood bank services.
•Coordinate and assist with Timor-Leste’s taking part in a regional twinning program with Australian National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for laboratory and blood bank services.
•Undertake any other activities consistent to this position and in agreement with the National HIV/AIDS Program.

Professional Qualification and experience:

•Laboratory scientist / technician with at least graduate level qualification; Specialization in Microbiology is preferred
•International level experience in laboratory systems set up and mentoring
•Sound theoretical knowledge and practical experience in HIV and STI testing and blood screening with rapid diagnostic test kits and automated immunoassay systems
•Sound theoretical knowledge and experience in internal and external quality control and quality assurance (QA) processes for laboratory and blood bank services
•Experience in training, mentoring and capacity building in low resource health setting
Personal Qualification:
•Fluent in English
•Bahasa Indonesia or Tetun would be an asset
•Computer skilled
•Patience and diplomacy

Position 2: Research and Surveillance Specialist

Location: National HIV/AIDS Program, Ministry of Health, Dili, Timor-Leste (with travel to districts)

Reports to: National HIV/AIDS Program Manager

Duration: June to December 2011

Funding: Global Fund Grant Agreement TMP-506-G03-H

Position Summary

Research and Surveillance Specialist will play a key role to assist the National HIV/AIDS program in achieving the objective to improve the quality and access to strategic information related to STI and HIV/AIDS. The Research and Surveillance Specialist will work as a member of the core National HIV/AIDS Program team to design and lead HIV sentinel surveillance, integrated biological and behavioral surveillance survey, rapid situation assessment and IDU assessment.

Specific Responsibilities

•Provide leadership and support in conducting Integrated Behavioral and Sero Surveillance Survey for most at risk groups for STI and HIV in Timor-Leste. Such surveillance will look into STI and HIV prevalence and risk behaviour of female sex workers, men who have sex with men and people in uniform with samples drawn from at least three districts in Timor-Leste.

•Provide leadership and support in conducting HIV and STI sentinel surveillance among pregnant women and general populations.

•Conduct mapping and rapid situation assessment of high risk population groups and risk behaviour in 5 districts in Timor-Leste.

•Lead and support an assessment of injection drug use behaviour in two districts in Timor-Leste.

•Undertake other social and operational research to assess the risk factors and programmatic gaps for supporting the national HIV/AIDS program.

•Work with Data Management Specialist, MoH Surveillance Department, and HMIS Department to provide input into the integrated disease surveillance database.

•Support the HIV/AIDS Unit with necessary strategic analysis for program planning, implementation and monitoring.

Professional Qualification and experience:

oGraduate qualification in Statistics or social sciences with specialization/experience in quantitative and qualitative methodology
oAt least 3 years experience in research and surveillance
oSound theoretical knowledge and practical experience in mapping, situation assessment, sero surveillance and behavioral surveillance survey
oExperience in training, mentoring and capacity building in low resource health setting
Personal Qualification:
oFluent in English
oBahasa Indonesia or Tetun would be an asset
oSkilled in statistical packages for quantitative and qualitative analysis
oPatience and diplomacy

How to apply

Please send your application with a cover letter and cv to­
hasibul.haque@yahoo.com with CC to hasibul.haque@moh.gov.tl

The last date of application is 31 March 2011. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Reference Code: RW_8EXAE7-78