Linkage Officer

**Job Summary**:
The position of Linkage Officer is an important service working with a multidisciplinary team at the regional or provincial level. The job holder will ensure effective coordination, planning, supportive Supervision, capacity building, reporting and performance review/assessments of linkage and retention activities.

**Essential Duties and Responsibilities**:

- Support clinics to ensure linkage and retention operations are consistent with standard operating procedures or protocols.
- Ensure the requisite resources are available to facilitate implementation of linkage and retention activities
- Ensure linkage and retention activities are planned with clear performance targets
- Build alliances with other health providers to ensure clients and patients are connected to non-biomedical support services
- Ensure all linkage and retention operations in different clinics under their jurisdiction are effectively coordinated.
- Work with other health service providers, government clinics and partners to develop functional referral directories that will be used to ease tracking of clients. He or she must equally ensure smooth relationships between providers.
- Ensure that the capacity building/training for all Linkage Assistants and community tracers so as to ensure service delivery complies with laid down procedures.
- Review all linkage barriers brought to his or her attention by the Linkage Assistants and work with other departments, partners and governments entities to figure appropriate remedies.
- Periodically conduct support supervision and provision of technical support to Linkage Assistants and community tracers.
- Ensure routine linkage and retention data is collected using standard tools, reports complied and submitted on time including checking accuracy of data collected.
- Ensure routine performance assessment reviews are conducted against key performance indicators and supporting sites to address the challenges hindering performance.
- Work with clients that have missed appointments and disengaged from care, establish contact with them, bring them back to care and offer additional counseling and support to ensure that they are retained.
- Assist in implementing and evaluating linkage to care strategies for both newly diagnosed HIV positive clients and those lost to follow up clients (LTFU).
- Identify, document and share clinic-based factors that limit client satisfaction and there by affecting client engagement in care
- Work with QA/QI teams to update and revise all documentation tools process and create new models.
- Arrange client engagement sessions such as focus group discussions and interviews to identify factors that can affect their continued engagement in care and relay this feedback in an organized and timely manner to the clinic team
- Any other duties that may be assigned.

**Education and Experience**
- Must possess a Diploma or its equivalent in either of the following disciplines Psychology, counseling and guidance, Social works and administration, social sciences, Nursing
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with clients in public health institutions, community services or medical setting.
- Must have experience working with people living with HIV, and /or other chronic illness, substance users, and persons with mental diagnoses.
- Should have strong interpersonal and communication skills both verbal and written.
- Ability to function under dynamic circumstances and proficiency in computer skills.
- Have undergone at least a short course training in HIV Care and management

**Communication Skills**
- Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures and government regulations
- Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
- Ability to write routine reports.
- Ability to speak effectively before groups of people.

**Certificates, Licenses, Registrations**
- Should be in possession of valid educational certificates, a valid drivers license.

**Other Skills and Abilities**
- Sensitive to patient population and issues surrounding HIV/AIDS;
- Ability to prioritize tasks in a rapidly changing environment;
- Good command of administrative knowledge and practices.
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
- Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward.
- Dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment.

**Salary**: Up to R16,000.00 per month

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Durban, KwaZulu-Natal: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (required)

Application Question(s):

- Have you completed a short course in HIV Care and Management?

**Education**:

- Diploma (required)

**Experience**:

- Public Health Institution: 3 years (required)
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