Job Description

Pakachere Institute of Health and Development Communication is a registered local NGO that specialises in social and behaviour change communication and delivery of specialised HIV and sexual and reproductive health services for key and priority populations in Malawi. We aim to empower all Malawians to choose and sustain healthy behaviours through evidence-based health and development communication, community mobilization, advocacy and delivery of stigma free health care services.

Pakachere wishes to recruit highly competent, proactive and self-driven individuals to fill the following vacancies that are available:

Project: Local Endeavors for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment (LEAP)
Position: HTS Counsellors (6)
Responsible to: Drop-in Centre Manager
Key relationship: District Coordinator, Outreach Workers, Peer Educator, Peer Navigator
Working hours: 40 hours a week
Contract: Full time, 1 year contract – renewable
Location: Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mangochi and Mzuzu

Purpose of Job
Reporting to the Drop-in Centre Manager (DIC Manager), the HTS Counsellor will be responsible for providing HIV testing and counselling services to key populations at Drop-in Centres and outreach clinics as per national guidelines. S/he will also support viral load testing services for PLHIV who are due for the service.

Key responsibilities

• Provide client centred risk reduction counselling.
• Provide health talks on HIV prevention and testing to FSW at hotspot and drop in centre level
• Keep client records and data confidential and safe
• Support outreach workers to follow up on all FSW who tested positive to be linked to care and treatment; follow up those who test negative with prevention packages including repeat testing when required.
• Submit reports to DIC manager monthly and as per need basis
• Assist in the maintenance of an accurate inventory for the HIV rapid test kits used for testing services.
• Assist in re-ordering kits for the testing program in a timely manner to ensure they are always available.
• Conduct QCs
• Abide by organization and donor policies regarding confidentiality of client information.
• Support outreach clinics at hotspot level and ensure linkages and referrals to appropriate services including ART, PMTCT etc.
• Develop monthly work plans in line with the DIC work plan and ensure effective implementation.

Qualifications and Experience

• Hold a relevant Post-Secondary Education
• Certification requirements for HTS Counsellor
• One year practical experience working as an HTS Counsellor in a busy environment.
• Possess excellent communication skills (writing, spelling, listening and speaking)
• Proficiency in Microsoft word processing
• Basic competence in data entry
• Bi-lingual Chichewa/English preferred
• Basic knowledge & terminology about HIV/AIDS disease.
• Understanding of basic concepts of HIV related to HIV testing services and knowledge of prevention and treatment services.
• Successfully completed HTS training required by Ministry of Health.

Desired Skills and Attributes 

• Self motivated and able to work alone, whilst also good as working as part of a team.
• Verbal communications and inter-personal skills including the ability to communicate clearly and assertively
• Able to be a self-starter with the ability to multi-task
• Cooperates as a team member
• Possesses problem solving and decision making abilities
• Ability to work without close supervision
• Follows through to completion of assigned tasks.

Suitably qualified and experienced candidates should submit their applications, including detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) with three traceable referees clearly marked with the position being applied for to [email protected] and addressed to:

The Human Resources Officer
Pakachere IHDC
Delamare House
P O Box 30248
Blantyre 3

Please do not attach any certificates when submitting. Closing date for receiving applications is 24th October 2020 and only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Pakachere IHDC is an equal opportunities employer; therefore all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment.