International Programs Vacancies
- Are you passionate about advocacy and leading strategic change?
- Are you a critical thinker with a solution-focused approach?
- Do you want to work in a growing regional organisation to scale-up HIV programs for key populations?
The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) is seeking applications for ten new positions for the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia (SKPA) Program.
AFAO leads Australia’s community response to HIV and contributes to action on HIV/AIDS globally and in Asia and the Pacific.
From January 2019, AFAO will lead the SKPA Program funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The program aims to promote sustainable scale-up of HIV programs for key populations and will be implemented by Sub-Recipients in Bhutan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Senior Technical Advisor
Position Objective
To lead, manage and ensure effective governance, planning, technical analysis, performance and risk management of AFAO’s efforts and partnerships to prevent HIV and reduce its impacts in Asia and the Pacific.
Location and Reporting Structure
This position is based in Bangkok, Thailand. It reports directly to the Manager, International Programs. A Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer, also based in Bangkok, reports directly to this position. This position manages external contractors from time to time.
This position works closely with the Manager, Finance and Grants to ensure the seamless integration of program and financial performance monitoring and management.
Organisational Context
In Australia, AFAO leads the national effort to end HIV on behalf of its member organisations who represent the diverse communities most affected by HIV – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities, sex workers, people who inject drugs, people with HIV and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Internationally, AFAO contributes to the development of effective HIV policy and programs in Asia and the Pacific, fosters the development of regional and country-level community responses to HIV, and represents Australia’s community response to HIV in global forums.
From January 2019, AFAO will lead the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia
(SKPA) Program, funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Program Context
The SKPA Program aims to promote sustainable services for key populations at scale to stop HIV transmissions and AIDS related deaths by 2030. The program will be implemented in Bhutan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.
Economic growth and the consequent shift to middle income status requires that grant countries within this program increase domestic investment and be more self-sufficient in the delivery of national HIV/AIDS programs. Even where staged, the challenges of transition from donor to domestic funding are acute. With diminishing donor funding, countries must be highly efficient in targeting their investments in accordance with epidemiology and mechanisms for funding community-led responses by those most affected by HIV – key populations – must be established or strengthened.
The SKPA Program recognises the considerable existing efforts of grant countries toward national and global HIV/AIDS goals, funded through domestic, private and donor sources. It also recognises
that, as in all countries, each of the grant countries of this program experiences barriers that prevent the provision of services and programs for key populations at necessary scale. The SKPA Program seeks to identify barriers to scale-up and implement targeted actions to address those barriers.
The objectives of the SKPA Program are to:
- Increase Financial Sustainability: Secure the long-term sustainability of increased service delivery at national levels through securing domestic investment and spending, exploring innovative approaches and identifying alternative sources of funding for key programs
- Strengthen Strategic Information: Secure up-to-date strategic information, particularly on key epidemiological and response information including population size estimates and program coverage, community needs assessment of key populations to inform program design
- Mitigate Service Delivery Gaps: Scale-up outreach to key populations and improve their access to prevention, testing and treatment and retention in the service cascade
- Strengthen Community Systems: Strengthen community responses and systems to support increased scale-up of services for key populations including sustainability of community-led services through community-based research, effective use of data and other strategic information and through community mobilisation
- Contribute to Enabling Environment: Address barriers to access including addressing stigma and discrimination and other human rights- and gender-related barriers to services, where
Principal Duties
- Engage effectively with senior government, advisory and civil society stakeholders to foster country-level commitment, implement action and monitor progress toward the program goal of scale-up of HIV programs for key
- Ensure governance arrangements at country level effectively monitor program implementation against program objectives and key performance
- Facilitate the engagement of key populations in all grant
- Ensure the design of all program and advocacy activities are informed by international normative guidance and based on relevant strategic
- Provide leadership and support to Country Leads to ensure strategic change processes are informed by outstanding technical and strategic
- Manage and monitor all technical consultancies engaged by the Principal Recipient to ensure high quality outputs and, if necessary, manage performance issues.
- Conduct initial orientation meetings and ensure effective, regular progress meetings with Sub- Recipients and key
- Promote and establish practices to achieve high standards of Sub-Recipient program
- With advice from the Finance and Grants team, identify risks to financial and grant management and the achievement of the program goal as they arise and lead the implementation of more complex risk mitigation
- Ensure results-based planning, monitoring and evaluation processes within all components of
- Develop and monitor the work plan of the Principal Recipient (AFAO) and Sub-Recipients to ensure timely and efficient implementation of the
- Ensure program performance, performance against workplan tracking measures and on-track expenditure, including timely reporting and re-programming for effective grant
- Regularly liaise with the Global Fund Country Team and key
- Remain abreast of developments in HIV internationally to ensure AFAO remains at the cutting edge of current knowledge and
- Prepare and otherwise ensure the quality of discussion and briefing papers prepared for AFAO’s
Board and contribute to Board meetings and processes, as appropriate.
- Provide support to the Manager, International Programs and Chief Executive Officer as a
member of AFAO’s leadership team and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
- Promote AFAO’s knowledge, skills, experience and
- Adopt continuous learning and improvement processes in all aspects of the
- Understand, implement, participate and promote AFAO’s business processes, policies and
procedures, and WHS objectives, processes and procedures.
Challenges and Problem Solving
Challenges faced by the position that the position-holder will be expected to be able to manage include:
- Ensuring the achievement of the program goal through continuous planning and program adjustment and outstanding strategic and technical analysis.
- Ensuring effective country-level program governance and overall program
- Recognising important issues that will affect program outcomes, engaging others around those issues and planning proportionate and effective responses to those
- Continuously identifying risks and implementing effective mitigation strategies for more complex
- Effectively responding to potentially sensitive issues and knowing when to escalate matters to the Manager, International
- Ensuring the effective monitoring and evaluation of the
- Making excellent judgements about priorities and managing those priorities so that deadlines are
Decision Making
The role of Senior Technical Advisor is critical to AFAO’s success.
The Senior Technical Advisor exercises considerable day to day discretionary and decision-making responsibility within the framework set by an annual work plan, which is approved by the Manager, International Programs.
The Senior Technical Advisor is required to exercise considerable judgement in managing staff, liaising with stakeholders, and responding to issues that may impact AFAO’s reputation. The Senior Technical Advisor discusses major issues and issues of potential sensitivity with the Manager, International Programs for direction and support.
In exercising their responsibilities and making decisions the Senior Technical Advisor is bound by
AFAO’s Code of Conduct and policies and procedures.
Performance Review
The Senior Technical Advisor will participate in an annual work planning and performance appraisal process for this role with the Manager, International Programs.
Key Performance Indicators for the role will include:
- Effective planning and program adjustment informed by outstanding strategic and technical
- Effective program governance and coordination.
- Identification of risks to the achievement of the program goal and effective implementation of more complex risk mitigation
- Effective monitoring and evaluation of the
- Management, development and performance of staff reporting to the position and effective support to Country
- Completion of duties in an efficient and effective
- Important deadlines are
Position Dimensions
Staffing
- Reporting directly: 0 FTE
Budget
- Approximately USD $13.5m over three years (2019 - 2021).
Skills and Experience
- Outstanding ability to critically analyse complex information and apply this in planning and solution-finding.
- Demonstrated understanding of issues related to HIV financing and sustainability and program implementation
- Previous experience with Global Fund (or similar) programs and understanding of compliance, reporting and grant regulation requirements.
- Demonstrated leadership capability with a proven track record of leading strategic change, inspiring others and exercising influence to achieve program and organisational
- Strong program planning skills.
- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to the ethos of community-led action on health and issues affecting key
- Excellent written and oral communication and negotiation and interpersonal
- Demonstrated experience in working collaboratively to resolve issues, including with stakeholders who may hold differing views and conflicting
- Experience in managing risk, including the exercise of political
- A minimum of seven years professional experience at a senior level and tertiary qualifications or equivalent experience in international development, policy, management, public health, social sciences, communications or a similar
The successful applicants for each position will understand and have a commitment to community-led action on HIV and issues affecting key populations.
All positions are based in Bangkok, Thailand. Subject to final grant confirmation, the positions will be offered on a three-year contract through the AFAO Foundation, in Thailand, under local employment arrangements. An attractive remuneration and benefits package will be negotiated based on skills and experience. Relocation assistance is available for successful international candidates. To apply, please download a copy of a Position Description. Your application must include a letter (or separate document) that outlines your capability against each of the ‘Skills and Experience’ requirements in the Position Description. Please also provide your CV including three professional referees.
Applications close: 12:00 – Bangkok time, Sunday 2 December 2018.
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