Community Action Harm Reduction Programme Officer

Job title: CAHR Programme Officer
Location: Nairobi with frequent field visits
Availability: Immediately
Management reporting line: Program Director
Technical reporting line: Community System Strengthening Manager
___________________________________________________________________
Background
Community Action on Harm Reduction (CAHR) is a Dutch Government funded programme, being implemented in China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Malaysia, that aims to make substantial contributions towards ensuring that injecting drug users, their partners and children are healthier, less marginalized and more engaged in social and community life.

Injecting drug use is increasingly recognized as a contributing factor to the spread of HIV in Kenya and HIV prevalence amongst people who inject drugs in Kenya is estimated at over 40%. People who inject drugs are at high risk of contracting both HIV and viral hepatitis. They have poor access to HIV prevention treatment and care services and are particularly vulnerable to tuberculosis. Harm reduction, an approach that seeks to limit the harms associated with drug use, has been shown to reduce the biological, social and legal harms faced by drug users and their families.

KANCO is a national membership network of aids service organizations with more than 1000 members comprising Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs), Community Based Organization (CBOs), Faith Based Organization (FBOs), Private Sector, Research and Learning Institutions responding to HIV & AIDS and TB in Kenya. Until end of 2014, KANCO will participate in the CAHR programme and help to focus attention on and build support for harm reduction programmes to support drug users in Kenya. By increasing knowledge of harm reduction programming and building capacity of its member organisations KANCO will help expand the use of this approach to realize benefits and rights for injecting and non-injecting people whose behaviours are affected by the use of drugs.

The CAHR programme in Kenya is focusing on building awareness and knowledge and uptake of harm reduction as an approach. As part of the programme, KANCO and its partners will also advance a focused policy and advocacy effort and engage a range of stakeholders including providers of treatment services for people who use drugs, policymakers and communities of people who use or are affected by drug use.
A qualitative research study will be embedded alongside the CAHR initiative to document shifts in the policy environment and the lived impacts of harm reduction. This research aims to actively support local intervention developments, inform national and regional policy debates, as well as build local research capacity.


Job summary The Programme Officer is expected to manage overall project activities, ensure project relevance to the country community needs for people who use drugs to most effectively address HIV, provide and coordinate provision of technical assistance, advocate for the rights of people who use drugs in particular people inject who drugs and represent the project nationally. The Programme Office is also expected to oversee a qualitative research project among people who inject drugs linked to the CAHR programme.

Responsibilities
1. Ensures country participation in the global development and coordination of the project implementation, develops and leads the country team of various specialists (staff and/or consultants) required to achieve the programme goals.
2. Monitoring of the HIV epidemic in the country; the responses and opportunities for strengthened responses to the epidemic and challenges associated with illicit drug use; and the role played by local governments, donors and other stakeholders, as well as ensures necessary adjustments in country programme design and implementation.
3. Ensures that the scale, spectrum, accessibility, intensity and quality of services and information available to IDUs and their families corresponds as much as possible to harm reduction and HIV prevention objectives as well as to health, social and other essential needs of people who use drugs, their partners and children.
4. Ensure that the CAHR programme design and activities at country and local levels builds upon the strengths of the KANCO members and partners while being effective, strategic and relevant in local context.
5. Partnership development across sectors Local, nationally and internationally as well as strategic management of donor and stakeholder relations including the delivery of financial and technical support to field level service delivery organizations.
6. Ensures that region-specific as well as site-specific interventions are developed and implemented as appropriate.
7. Oversee data collection, implementation, analysis and write up of social science/qualitative research within the CAHR programme, including interviewing, fieldwork and training of fieldworkers
8. Manage and coordinate the implementation of the qualitative study in three sites (Nairobi, Malindi, and Ukunda), including close liaison with fieldwork teams and manage day-to-day the qualitative study Research Assistant
9. Guides contributions to national and global learning and sharing focused on deepening and dissemination of the harm reduction evidence base, including based on analyses of qualitative research.
10. Assist in the coding and categorisation of qualitative data, including ideally using the computer software NVIVO and Assist in the drafting of research study documents, presentations at conferences/meetings, and research papers for submission to publication
11. Promotes and advocates for harm reduction and ensures a favourable project environment
Person Specification
Essential
The applicants for the above assignment MUST possess the following qualifications:
Education: A minimum of Master’s degree in Public Health, Project Management, or any relevant discipline (including social science)
Experience: Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Project Management or advocacy on Harm Reduction among people who inject and their partners on HIV or other health issue, and ideally experience of conducting health research.

Knowledge:
 Understanding of both public health and human rights dimensions of HIV prevention and care work;
 Experience of harm reduction programming or other similar approaches;
 Strong commitment to confronting HIV and AIDS at the local, national and international level;
 Strong support of harm reduction approaches or work with injecting drug users;
 Understanding and strong ability to supporting the role of communities and non-governmental sector in the responses to HIV and other challenges associated with injecting drug use.
 Sufficient understanding and acceptance of essential harm reduction principles;
 Sufficient understanding of social research and, preferably, experience in the design and implementation of qualitative research among key populations.


Critical factors:
 Strong representation skills and capabilities for high level policy work;
 Solid negotiations skills, Articulation and assertiveness in communication, Skills to present and defend their views, Creative and independent thinking, Integrity and diplomacy;
 Ability to work under pressure;
 Have skills to encourage field level partner organizations to collaboratively introduce improvements to their programmes and measures to increase efficiency of the country response to HIV/AIDS epidemic and drug use related challenges;
 Have Excellent English language (written and spoken).
 Experience of work in areas related to injecting drug use and Must have thorough understanding of challenges faced by people who inject drugs;
 Must have expertise in qualitative and operational health research;
 Experience in developing budgets and work plans as well as monitoring and evaluation framework.
 Solid management and communication/negotiation skills;
 Posses diplomatic skills and ability to apply judgment and effectively represent the
organization in challenging policy discussions;
 Experience of working with implementing partners or sub recipients in providing leadership and technical support to the program
 Proven ability to work with a variety of stakeholders including governmental officials and decision makers, international organizations and donors, and people vulnerable to and affected by the HIV epidemic

Application Deadline: 25th July 2012
Applications should be sent strictly via e-mail to jobs@kanco.org

KANCO is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against: color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, HIV/AIDS, Status and disability.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted