Senior Childhood TB and Drug-Resistant TB Advisor, DOS LEAP Global Nigeria

LEAP Program Description

Global Solutions Ventures (GSV) a joint-venture partnership between ZemiTek LLC and Dexis Consulting Group is implementing the Long-term Exceptional Technical Assistance Project (LEAP Global) a mechanism originally used by USAID to battle against infectious diseases such as malaria HIV/AIDS tuberculosis neglected tropical diseases and pandemic influenza. As of July 1 2025 LEAP Global transitioned to the U.S. Department of State (DOS). This initiative aims to address the complex human resource challenges faced by national infectious disease programs in the USA-supported countries.

The intervention of this project is to hire and embed technical expert advisors and subject matter experts within government entities. By directly embedding the technical expertise within the national programs LEAP provides long-term sustainable lifesaving support to empower host governments to lead and manage key aspects of their infectious disease portfolios and improve coordination between the U.S. Government and the host country.

About the Position

The Senior Childhood TB and Drug-Resistant TB Advisor will support in carrying out life-saving humanitarian assistance (LHA) in full alignment with the new Presidential Executive Order (EO) directives. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children and a persistent public-health threat due to drug-resistant TB (DR-TB). The WHO Global TB Report 2024 highlights that children continue to be under-diagnosed and under-reported Nigeria only 10% of all TB notifications in 2023 were children underscoring gaps in case detection access and diagnostic capacity. Common barriers include difficulty obtaining sputum limited imaging access and weak integration of TB screening into child-health platforms.

Innovations such as Portable Digital X-ray with Computer-Aided Detection (PDX-CAD) stool GeneXpert testing and household contact investigations offer proven opportunities to improve detection but remain under-utilized.

Similarly DR-TB continues to threaten national and global health 2022 Nigeria detected only 3867 DR-TB cases (40% of the estimated burden). Delays in resistance testing weak linkage to treatment and limited decentralized management constrain progress despite the availability of rapid molecular tools and all-oral regimens.

To address these gaps the U.S. Department of State (DOS) seeks a short-term consultant to provide strategic technical support for improving childhood TB and DR-TB diagnosis treatment and reporting aligned with the National TB Strategic Plan ().

Overall Objective of Assignment:

To strengthen national and subnational capacity for early diagnosis prompt treatment initiation and effective management of Childhood TB and DR-TB through enhanced identification of presumptive cases among children and those with DR-TB diagnostic network performance clinical mentorship and program coordination.

Responsibilities

The Advisor will work closely with the NTBLCPs Childhood TB DR-TB and Laboratory Units relevant PEPFAR and Global Fund implementing partners and state TB programs to execute the following tasks:

Situation Analysis and Planning

• Review national and subnational data on childhood TB and DR-TB performance indicators to identify existing case finding strategies and coverage diagnostic and treatment bottlenecks.
• Map existing diagnostic and treatment networks for pediatric and DR-TB services including availability and utilization of GeneXpert Truenat LPA culture/DST and PDX-CAD platforms.
• Conduct rapid assessments to identify capacity gaps among clinicians nurses and laboratory personnel on pediatric diagnosis and DR-TB management.
• Develop a technical implementation plan with clear targets mentoring priorities and state focus areas.

Strengthening Childhood TB Detection and Management

• Provide technical guidance to integrate pediatric TB screening into child health entry points (IMCI clinics pediatric wards nutrition and immunization programs).
• Provide technical guidance in identifying underservered communities/locations and designing targeted interventions to improve access to services
• Support rollout and mentorship on pediatric diagnostic algorithms emphasizing the use of PDX-CAD stool GeneXpert and nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) collection.
• Facilitate training and hands-on mentorship on pediatric specimen collection sample referral and interpretation of X-ray and GeneXpert results.
• Support the prompt linkage of children diagnosed with TB to treatment and their notification to the National TB program.
• Support development and dissemination of childhood TB job aids SOPs and clinical decision support tools.
• Strengthen household contact investigation and integration of TPT for child contacts ensuring linkage and follow-up through community platforms.

Enhancing DR-TB Diagnosis and Treatment

• Conduct a diagnostic cascade review to identify bottlenecks in GeneXpert LPA and DST coverage and turnaround times.
• Support optimization of universal DST coverage for all individuals diagnosed/screened for TB
• Support the optimization of specimen referral systems for drug-resistance testing and results return.
• Provide on-site mentorship on DR-TB regimen selection decentralized treatment initiation and adherence monitoring in line with national guidelines.
• Strengthen systems for active drug-safety monitoring (aDSM) and improve use of electronic DR-TB registers (eDRTB DHIS2) for treatment outcome monitoring.
• Facilitate review meetings to harmonize DR-TB data improve cohort reporting and document lessons for program improvement.

Capacity Building and Coordination

• Build capacity of healthcare workers at state and facility levels through targeted workshops supportive supervision and mentorship on childhood and DR-TB management.
• Strengthen coordination between NTBLCP NASCP and pediatric service providers to ensure integrated management of TB/HIV co-infected children.
• Support national and subnational Childhood and DR-TB Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to track performance and implement quality improvement initiatives.
• Contribute to the development of training modules and e-learning content for sustainable capacity building.

Monitoring Reporting and Knowledge Management

• Develop a monitoring dashboard for ongoing tracking of childhood TB and DR-TB performance across key indicators (screening diagnosis initiation completion aDSM).
• Provide monthly technical briefs summarizing progress innovations and recommendations.
• Document and disseminate at least two case studies or success stories showcasing improved childhood or DR-TB outcomes.
• Produce a comprehensive end-of-assignment report summarizing interventions outcomes challenges and sustainability recommendations.

Deliverables :

Inception Report & Implementation Plan

• Detailed analysis of gaps proposed interventions and monitoring framework

Inception Report & Implementation Plan

• Detailed analysis of gaps proposed interventions and monitoring framework

Childhood TB Diagnostic Optimization Package

• Algorithms SOPs mentorship tools and job aids for pediatric TB case detection

DR-TB Cascade Improvement Framework

• Action plan to improve resistance testing initiation and follow-up

Mentorship & Capacity Building Reports

• Documentation of facility mentorships trainings and supervision visits

Monitoring Dashboard

• Interactive dashboard tracking key childhood and DR-TB indicators

Case Studies / Success Stories

• Two documented success stories from priority states Final Technical Report

REPORTING:

The Senior Childhood TB and D-R TB Advisor will provide a detailed monthly report to the U.S. Department of State (Office of Foreign Assistance) submitted by the 5th day of the following month. Additionally the Advisor will submit a weekly progress report to the U.S. Department of State (and participate in weekly calls) to include a short paragraph about main successes for that week. The format for reporting may be adjusted with concurrence from the COR.

In addition to your LEAP Global supervisors and POCs The Senior Childhood TB and D-R TB Advisor will report to the Health Assistance Coordinator and his/her designate and has no formal supervisory responsibility. Incumbent may also have a POC with the coordinating GON ministry department and or agency as defined in the roles and responsible above.

Qualifications

• Masters degreeor local equivalentfrom an accredited program in Public Health International Development Health Social or Behavioral Sciences Epidemiology Biology Infectious Disease Medicine Pharmacy Immunization orrelevant qualificationrequired
• Medical degreepreferred but not required(e.g. MBChB MBBS MD or equivalent).
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the field of public health programming in developing or middle-income countries with a focus on immunization.
• Minimum of six (6) years of experience in infectious diseases control particularly childhood TB and D-R TB.
• Prior experience working with or for bilateral or multilateral donors/stakeholders such as the World Bank the Global Fund UN agencies or national-level public sector projects and ensuring compliance with U.S. Government rules and regulations.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and problem-solving skills
• Understanding of USG rules and regulations preferred.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment to achieve consensus on policy program and administrative matters.
• Ability to work effectively with a broad range of Nigerian Government and US Government personnel and partners and have demonstrated skills in donor coordination and collaboration.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and communicate information to both health and non-health audiences and achieve consensus on policy project research and administrative matters.
• Proven ability to communicate clearly and concisely in English both orally and in writing is essential.
• Excellent verbal communication skills tact and diplomacy are required to establish and develop sustainable working relationships at the highest level and a high level of trust with public/private organizations.
• Demonstrated experience in teaching/training and capacity building.
• Experience working with the key stakeholders in TB programs preferably the national stakeholders and international donors.
• Knowledge of Nigerias public health system TB policies and relevant legislation.
• Ability to travel domestically as required and work effectively in team environments with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.