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UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built, we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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For every child, Health

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children's rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families.  UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally - click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

Background:

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. UNICEF’s HIV response for children and their mothers aims to ensure that neither age, poverty, gender inequality, nor social exclusion determine access to life-saving HIV prevention, treatment and care. UNICEF and its partners’ responses ensure all children are born free of HIV and remain HIV-free for the first two decades of life, from birth through adolescence. 

Mother-to-child transmission is the second most common mode of acquiring HIV and accounts for about 10 per cent of all new HIV infections. Even though access to PMTCT and Pediatric HIV interventions has improved, weak integration with MNCH services has contributed to low coverages for Early Infant Diagnosis, prophylactic antiretroviral therapy, low Pediatric HIV case finding, linkage and retention to antiretroviral therapy. UNICEF aims to strengthen coherence between policies, strategies, implementation guidelines and workplans for integrated MNCH and HIV service delivery, increase health workers’ capacity to deliver quality antenatal care, skilled attendance during childbirth and postnatal care, scale up essential newborn care, promote care for small and sick newborns and integrate PMTCT and pediatric HIV and MNCAH services equitably delivered at PHC and community levels including in humanitarian and emergency context.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the job:

Under the supervision of the Health Specialist, Maternal and Newborn Health and the general oversight of the Health Manager, MNCAH/HIV, the Health Officer (PMTCT/Paediatric AIDS) provides technical, operational and administrative assistance throughout the programming process for PMTCT/Paediatric AIDS programmes/projects (including linkages with Adolescent HIV) within the Country Programme. This includes planning, preparing, executing, managing and implementing a variety of technical and administrative program tasks to facilitate programme development, implementation, programme progress monitoring, evaluating and reporting of results. The Health Officer will also be supporting FMOH for the timely implementation and reporting of PMTCT-Peads AIDS robustly funded by the Global Fund, PEPFAR and the Government.

Key function, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

1. Support to programme development and planning

• Support the update of situation analysis, development, design, and management of the PMTCT/Paeds AIDS components of the MNCAH programme.
• Contribute to the development/establishment of the health section programme goals, objectives and strategies and results-based planning through analysis of HIV needs and areas for intervention and submitting recommendations for priority and goal setting.
• Support DPH/DFH/NPHCDA to convene regular joint meetings/conversations to review progress on service integration and service coverage, including situations are functional.
• Strengthen PMTCT and pediatric HIV indicators in MNCAH performance monitoring tools and review meetings by technical working groups and coordination platforms such NEMCHIC and RMNCAEH+N

2. Prepare required documentation/materials to facilitate the programme review and approval process.

• Participate in monitoring and evaluation exercises, programme reviews and annual reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programmes/projects and to report on required action/interventions at the higher level of programme management.
• Provide technical support for the conduct of the Annual Review of the National PMTCT/Pediatric HIV scale-up plan – as a strategy for national tracking and knowledge management.

• Facilitate Learning collaboratives through supporting analysis, evidence generation, sharing lessons from within Nigeria and sharing experiences from other countries; and ensuring global guidance/standards are followed (such as compliance to the updated WHO guidance on HIV testing/three test algorithm).

3. Technical and operational support to programme implementation

• Provide technical and strategic support in operationalizing national policies, strategic documents, and action plans related to PMTCT/Paeds AIDS.
• Provide technical support to DPH/DFH/NPHCDA and coordination of integration of PMTCT/Paed AIDS into primary health care and the broader RMNCH structures.
• Provide technical support at federal and state levels to ensure that implementation guidelines, protocols and work plans align with the revised policies and strategies to deliver integrated MNCAH/PMTCT and pediatric HIV services.
• Provide technical support to NASCP/NTBLCP in coordination and knowledge management of a national Retention in care/Pediatric case-finding program.
• Provide technical support for Nigeria’s reporting on the Global Health Alliance to end AIDS in Children

Impact of Results:

The efficiency and efficacy of support provided by the Health Officer to programme preparation and planning and implementation of HIV/AIDS-related programmes/projects contribute to accelerating UNICEF and national development efforts to eliminate new HIV infections among children and to provide life-saving protection, care and support to children and their families affected by AIDS that in turn contribute to achieving UNICEF’s vision, commitment and goal to an AIDS-free generation that starts with children and the “Three Zeros” – zero new infection, zero deaths and zero discrimination.

Specifically, this support shall all contribute to efforts aimed at addressing, (I) outstanding programmatic gaps in PMTCT and Pediatric care (ii) challenges with reporting and improving programme efficiency through integration) and (iii) tracking of national and subnational data systems.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: HIV AIDS OFFICER NOB JD FINAL.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

A University Degree in public health, pediatric health, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology or other health related sciences is required.

A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in PMTCT/Paeds AIDS planning and management and/or in relevant areas of health care, health/emergency preparedness at the international level and/or in a developing country is required. Experience in PMTCT/Paeds AIDS programme/project development in UN system agency or organization is an asset.

Oral and written proficiency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2)

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (2)

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact (2)

(4) Innovates and embraces change (2)

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

(6) Thinks and acts strategically (2)

(7) Works collaboratively with others (2)

(8) Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.