Clinical Advisors - uMgungundlovu at Health Systems Trust

Description

The Health Systems Trust (HST) wishes to appoint four Clinical Advisors in uMgungundlovu District for the South Africa Sustainable Response to HIV and TB (SA SURE PRO) Project. The project aims to strengthen local capacity for the provision of sustainable HIV- and TB-related care and treatment. The Clinical Advisor provides technical assistance and leadership to facility Operational Managers (OMs) in achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets and Department of Health (DoH) objectives by overseeing selected facilities and community services and managing staff. The role entails providing leadership, management and clinical governance support of facility and community services through mentoring and coaching of facility health teams. The incumbent will apply a quality improvement (QI) model through effective monitoring and evaluation of project performance in facility clusters, and will manage HST’s facility- and community-based staff who report directly to the OM. This is a fixed-term contract position, renewable based on continuation of funding and performance.

Key Responsibilities

•  Mentor, coach and provide supportive supervision for OMs and facility- and community-based staff on adherence to National Department of Health (NDoH) health initiatives, strategies, policies and guidelines when implementing activities to achieve the 95-95-95 and project targets 
•  Work with OMs to ensure transfer of skills and activate transition from a District Support Partner (DSP)-led focus to a NDoH-led focus, and coach and mentor OMs on performance management 
•  Attend weekly Nerve Centre meetings to provide input on programme performance, analyse data to identify programme gaps to target, and develop quality improvement plans (QIPs) with the OMs for each facility, focusing on targeted HIV and TB programme areas 
•  Provide reports to Sub-district Co-ordinators for weekly reviews with technical and programme leads, giving feedback on workplan progress and outputs 
•  Assess data and information for planning, mapping of outreach activities, supply chain management and decision-making for effective delivery of integrated community-based HIV management services by HST, partner and DoH teams 
•  Support implementation and/or strengthening of Community Health Workers and Ward-based Outreach Team linkages and referral systems 
•  Work with Cross-site Facilitators to design and implement specific programme activities that close gaps to target across the HIV and TB cascades 
•  Attend strategic networking meetings with partners and district structures when requested by the Sub-district Co-ordinator
•   Conduct site visits with DoH and stakeholder counterparts to assess progress on implementation and QIPs 
•  Work with Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officers to interrogate data for continuous quality improvement across programme areas (e.g. case-finding, continuity of care, and viral load suppression) 
•  Ensure that all project reports are completed and submitted in accordance with workplans and funder contracts, including submission of log-sheets and weekly schedules 
•  Develop weekly performance monitoring reports with OMs, and provide feedback on progress to sub-district Co-ordinators on opportunities for improvement 
•  Share good practice among clusters, HST and district teams; contribute to relevant HST publications/documentation for knowledge management when requested 
•  Adhere to HST’s financial policies and procedures to maximise cost-effectiveness, and manage efficient and responsible use of HST resources and assets (including human resources), ensuring sustainable resource and reporting losses of and damage to HST assets to sub-district Co-ordinators timeously 
•  Apply good governance principles and management of deliverables in the allocated facilities to mitigate reputational risk that would affect HST’s ability to sustain operations and secure funding, reporting all risks to HST management timeously 
•  Monitor and evaluate the implementation of project-plan activities and individual workplans for all direct reports 
•  Submit weekly, fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports internally and externally as required, and ensure that monthly timesheets are submitted to the sub-district Co-ordinator 
•  Ensure that all HST probation and performance review procedures are complied with; conduct performance reviews with the OM for HST staff allocated at facility and community levels 
•  Manage staff conflict, disciplinary issues, absenteeism and sick leave in line with HST policies and procedures, ensuring that staff adhere to HST’s Code of Conduct 
•  Identify and maintain personal and professional development by attending relevant courses, webinars, conferences and training 
•  Identify skills gaps in the allocated facilities, and create and implement skills development plans for individuals and DoH and HST teams.

Key Attributes

•  Knowledge of strategic processes (District Implementation Plans, Ideal Clinic Realisation and Maintenance, Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD), treatment adherence guidelines) 
•  In-depth understanding of the South African health system, including the policy and management structures at facility, district, province and national levels 
•  Knowledge of the District Health Information System (DHIS) and TIER.Net 
•  English language proficiency, both verbal and written.

Education Required

• Diploma

Qualification Required

•  A relevant Nursing degree or diploma, with Midwifery  Diploma in Primary Health Care or any related speciality 
•  Current registration with the South African Nursing Council (SANC)  Nurse-initiated Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (NIMART) certification 
•  Paediatric NIMART and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) certification The incumbent must be trained in at least one of the following areas: 
•  Health systems: Demonstrable knowledge of health system strengthening, including the World Health Organization ‘building blocks’ 
•  Leadership and management: Relevant HIV management training, with experience in management  Clinical care: Understanding of quality improvement processes and concepts 
•  Monitoring and evaluation: A good understanding of the importance and role of health information systems in health system strengthening

Experience Required

•  Three to five years’ experience in HIV/AIDS, STI and TB (HAST) management 
•  Extensive knowledge of clinical guidelines for HIV management  Demonstrated experience and knowledge of M&E and quality improvement approaches 
•  One year of experience in mentoring, coaching and supervising facility staff 
•  Three to five years’ experience of working in a donor-funded environment/non-government project-based organisation 
•  Experience working with the DoH 
•  Analytical and quality improvement skills 
•  Effective organisational, management and facilitation skills 
•  Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team 
•  Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)