Stop TB Partnership – Technical Officer (TB Reach)

UNOPS hosts the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership Secretariat (STBP) as of 1 January 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland. The vision of the Stop TB Partnership is to realize the goal of elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem and, ultimately, to acquire a world free of TB by ensuring that every TB patient has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure; stopping transmission of TB; reducing the inequitable social and economic toll of TB; and developing and implementing new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools and strategies. The Stop Partnership is a niche positioned to support the development and further implementation by partners of the current and future Global Plan, acting as a coordinator and catalyst for the range of partners engaged in the fight against TB.

Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership’s mission is to serve every person who is vulnerable to TB and ensure that high-quality treatment is available to all who need it. Stop TB partners include international and technical organizations, government programmes, research and funding agencies, foundations, NGOs, civil society and community groups and the private sector

The TB Reach Initiative

The Stop TB Partnership’s TB REACH initiative provides grants to partners in lower-income and/or high TB burden countries to test innovative and well thought-out, yet unproven approaches and technologies which aim to:

• Increase the number of people with TB (TB infection or active TB [drug-sensitive or -resistant]) who are diagnosed, started on treatment and reported to National TB Programs (NTPs).

• Decrease the time it takes someone with TB to receive appropriate treatment, and

• Improved adherence and treatment success for people started on anti-TB treatment.

TB REACH combines open, but targeted calls for proposals, fast-track financing and meticulous, external monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to rapidly produce results. Other donor agencies and/or national governments can then scale-up the successful approaches piloted by recipients of TB REACH funding to improve their own investments and to accelerate progress in the fight to end TB.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Team Lead for the Innovations & Grants team (TB Reach), the Technical Officer position will provide strategic mentorship and technical support to coordinate and handle multi-million dollar grants platforms, primarily that of the TB REACH initiative, and provide technical assistance to partners around strengthening TB prevention and care services in line with the Global Plan to End TB 2016-2020.

The responsibilities involve extensive contacts throughout the Secretariat of Stop TB, and with a broad range of implementing partners / organizations, governments (National TB Programs) and donor agencies to promote the strategic aims of the Stop TB Partnership’s technical initiatives.The functional responsibilities of the Technical Officer will be:

• Handle the implementation of the TB REACH initiative, including launching calls for proposals, developing application forms, constituting PSGs and PRCs, application review and selection, general management and support throughout implementation (particularly around supervising M&E results and operation research interests) and external communications around these processes.
• Support the implementation of other grant initiatives administered by the Innovations and Grants Team.
• Work within the ING team and across other teams (STP Finance, Executive Director’s Office, UNOPS PMT) to develop work plans and budgets for the TB REACH initiative, and other grants mechanisms coordinated by the ING Team.
• Review and analyze grantee reports, provide expertise and contribute to the M&E of numerous TB REACH projects.
• Write content and develop the budgets for grant applications to secure additional contributions for the TB REACH initiative.
• Regularly supervise and share the performance of the TB REACH initiative relative to donor log frames and Stop TB critical metrics to ensure the relevance of the initiative.
• Prioritize external evaluations of the TB REACH initiative.
• Participate in quarterly M&E meetings and help to develop the M&E framework further.
• Provide technical assistance to grant recipients to improve the quality of their activities and outputs focused on case detection and treatment outcomes.
• Publish project results and findings from dedicated operations in peer-reviewed journals.
• Coordinate technical symposia at regional and global conferences on lung health.
• Engage with donor and technical agencies, such as Global Fund, USAID, CDC and others, to facilitate the linkage of successful projects to additional/scale up funding.

Impact of Results:

The key results have an impact on the success of initiatives coordinated by the Innovations and Grants team, as well as the Stop TB Partnership’s Key Performance Indicators. In particular, the key results have an impact on the delivery of:

• The Stop TB Partnership’s credibility for supporting and evaluating innovation in TB case detection via the TB REACH initiative.
• Acceleration of the fight to end TB in line with the Global Plan to End TB 2016-2020.

Education:

Higher degree (medical or master degree) in a health-related discipline is required.

First level university degree or undergraduate degree (bachelor or equivalent) with additional 2 years of relevant experience will be considered in lieu of an advanced University degree.

Experience:
Minimum 5 years of progressive experience in biological sciences and/or public health, with at least 2 years of experience on tuberculosis or other infectious diseases.
Experience within the global health sector.
Experience in handling Web-based management systems.
Work experience implementing TB interventions specifically focused on case detection or treatment adherence is an asset.

Languages:
Excellent knowledge of English.
Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.