Req. #: I09 058

Background:
AIDSRelief is an eight-year Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) program funded by the Human Resource Service Administration (HRSA) as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Led by CRS, AIDSRelief is a five-member consortium operating in ten countries. As of 2009, the program is treating more than 166,000 HIV/AIDS patients with antiretroviral therapy.

AIDSRelief/Nigeria is working to build the capacity of local hospitals and faith based institutions to manage and provide quality HIV and ART treatment services. In Nigeria, consortium members include CRS, which acts as prime and supplies both administrative and supply chain support, and two technical leads: the Institute of Human Virology, for clinical support, and Futures Group, for strategic information. In 2009, AIDSRelief/Nigeria works with 34 comprehensive treatment facilities and 39 more limited facilities. The majority of these Local Partner Treatment Facilities (LPTF’s) are faith based organizations. 35,860 PLHIV are eligible for treatment under the Nigeria program.

Like other PEPFAR partners, AIDSRelief has been charged with transitioning program management to a local partner by 2012.

Primary Function:
The Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP) is responsible for “site management”, which means ensuring that the grant’s tangible and intangible resources are used at LPTF’s in ways that allow them to achieve grant objectives within grant terms. As above, these resources include clinical, supply chain, administrative, and strategic information support. Building collaborative relationships among Consortium Members (CMs) is therefore an important part of the DCoP’s job. Among these broad responsibilities, the DCoP is principally focused on the use of clinical support and therefore works closely with CM IHV. The DCoP, through the Senior Program Manager(s) and PM’s, is the primary point of contact for LPTF’s.

Primary Responsibilities:
The DCoP is primarily responsible for:

1. Supervise CRS staff: the Senior Program Manager(s) and the Basic Care and Support Manager.
2. Coordinate with the Senior Supply Chain Specialist, the Grant Manager, HSS staff and other CM’s to the extent that such coordination is required for meeting the position’s goal.
3. Communicate on issues of strategic importance with the CoP, and acting as the CoP in his/her absence.

Specific Responsibilities:
The DCoP will accomplish the following:

1. Program Management
1. Collaboratively develop program targets for each LPTF and aggregate this information into donor-and CRS/US-mandated planning documents. (Country Operating Plan, Continuing Application, AR Results Framework, and CM Scopes of Work).
2. Review and make recommendations on CM workplans and aggregate them into grant-wide documents.
3. Monitor achievement of those targets and organize concerted responses among CM’s where targets are not being met. Aggregate achievement data into donor-and CRS/US-mandated progress reports (Semiannual and Annual Reports, Monthly Bullets).
4. Collaboratively budget grant resources to LPTF’s in ways that promote the achievement of grant objectives, and support the aggregation of individual budgets into donor and CRS/US mandated financial documents (Country Operating Plan, Continuing Application, Budget Workbook).
5. Review and make recommendations on CM budget proposals so that they can be aggregated into grant-wide documents.
6. Monitor adherence to LPTF budgets as reflected in budget comparison and Dashboard reports, approve budget based advances to LPTF’s, and organize concerted responses to budget deviations among CM’s and with partners where these are required.
7. Work with lead CRS staff in the development and implementation of health system strengthening (HSS) activities including the transition plan.

2. Resource Management
a. Clinical
1. Collaboratively identify areas where training and technical support are required and work in concert with IHV and the RTA/HIV-AIDS to secure, monitor, and evaluate that support.
2. Review reports produced by IHV and the RTA/HIV-AIDS and address recommendations.
3. Coordinate activities of the Country Technical Coordination Team (CTCT), a body constituted from program managers, the senior health supply chain specialist, clinical area leads, and strategic information staff. The purpose of the CTCT is to collaborate on operational issues and to advise on strategic ones.
4. Ensure that CRS Senior/Program Managers have at least a minimum standard of technical knowledge to provide adequate site support.
5. Identify other resources available to LPTF’s within the HIV/AIDS community (GON, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, other Implementing Partners, the Global Management Team, etc), represent the LPTF’s when asked to do so by the CoP, and follow up to ensure that resources are obtained.

b. Community mobilization resources
1. Coordinate community work (Basic Care and Support, Orphans and Vulnerable Children) with IHV’s Treatment Support network.
2. Plan, implement, and monitor strategies for the optimal use of grant resources dedicated to these program areas.
3. Ensure that AR’s work in communities maximizes synergies with other CRS/NG programming, including the 7D/SUN projects.
4. Make recommendations on development and implementation of the rest of the CRS/NG HIV/AIDS portfolio as a participant in project reviews.

c. Other:
1. Coordinate with the Supply Chain Specialist to ensure that supply chain systems and staffing are in place and supply chain issues are addressed.
2. Coordinate with the Grant Manager to ensure that grant management (administrative and compliance) systems and staffing are in place and grant management issues are addressed.
3. Coordinate with the Futures Group to ensure that strategic information (M+E) systems and staffing are in place and SI issues are addressed.

Supervisory Responsibilities: CRS/Nigeria AIDSRelief Senior Program Manager (s), and the Basic Care and Support Specialist

Key Working Relationships:
Internal: Country Representative; AIDSRelief CoP, AIDSRelief Grant Manager; AIDSRelief Senior Supply Chain Specialist, AIDSRelief HSS staff, Head of Programming; HIV/AIDS-Health Section Head; HIV/AIDS Unit Program Managers and staff; CRS Finance and Administration Staff; RTA for HIV/AIDS; CRS/US Global Management Team; Program Quality and Support Department.
External: LPTF staff, other Consortium representatives (Futures Group, Institute of Human Virology); representatives of the US and Nigerian Governments; Implementing Partners and PVOs involved in HIV/AIDS programs; regional and country HIV/AIDS networks; regional and country-wide faith-based networks.

Qualifications:
1. Medical doctor degree.
2. Minimum five years clinical experience working with HIV/AIDS.
3. Minimum three years supervisory experience. Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop staff.
4. Demonstrated ability to work collegially, required. Experience in multi-agency coordination of programs preferred.
5. Demonstrated ability to work with government systems required. Experience with government grants, particularly USG grants, preferred.
6. Demonstrated ability to provide leadership in strategic planning initiatives.
7. Demonstrated ability to work with a variety of faith-based organizations, particularly the Catholic Church.
8. Willingness and ability to travel regularly.
9. Excellent English language oral and written communication skills.
10. Professional proficiency in French, Spanish or Portuguese.

EOE/M/F/D/V

To apply for this position please visit the Catholic Relief Services website at www.crs.org/about/careers.