Department: Transition and Sustainability
Reports to: Director Transition and Sustainability
Directly Supervises: Capacity Building Advisor and Supply Chain Advisor

Job Purpose:
The Health Systems Strengthening Advisor will spearhead efforts aiming at strengthening the integrated approach between different project components towards sustained high-quality HIV/AIDS and TB services in supported health facilities. Additionally, the Health Systems Strengthening Advisor will work with the Ministry of Health, project to strengthen human resources management and lead capacity building to create a qualified, motivated and
sustainable workforce.

Key Roles and Responsibilities
Health Systems Strengthening Strategy and Implementation

• Lead implementation of the HSS component of the DHAPP Project.
• Conduct health-system and facility assessments to identify bottlenecks affecting quality, access, efficiency, and sustainability of health services.
• Develop and implement HSS strategies and interventions addressing identified system gaps.
• Support integration of project interventions into existing project health structures and systems.
• Promote sustainable approaches that reduce dependence on project-supported resources.
• Identify opportunities for strengthening linkages between project health facilities and national health systems.

Health Facility Performance Strengthening

• Provide technical assistance to project health facilities to improve service delivery and overall performance.
• Support health facility leadership and management teams to identify performance gaps and develop corrective action plans.
• Conduct supportive supervision, mentorship, coaching, and performance reviews.
• Strengthen facility-level planning, implementation, monitoring, and accountability.
• Support facilities to establish and effectively use performance improvement mechanisms.
• Promote best practices and learning across supported project health facilities

HIV Program Systems Strengthening

• Support strengthening of systems required for sustainable HIV prevention, testing, treatment, viral load monitoring, retention, and differentiated service delivery.
• Work with HIV technical teams to address health-system barriers affecting achievement of HIV program targets.
• Strengthen facility systems for client flow, appointment management, retention, referral, linkage, and continuity of care.
• Support integration of HIV services into routine project health services.
• Promote systems that improve access to and continuity of HIV services for project personnel, their families, and other eligible beneficiaries.

Leadership, Governance and Management

• Strengthen leadership and management capacity within supported project health facilities.
• Support health facility managers to use routine performance data for decision-making.
• Promote accountability, teamwork, effective delegation, and performance management.
• Strengthen coordination between project health leadership, facility teams, JCRC, and other stakeholders.
• Support development and implementation of facility operational and performance improvement plans.
• Facilitate review meetings and performance dialogue at appropriate levels.

Quality Improvement

• Support facilities to identify priority quality gaps, conduct root-cause analysis, and implement improvement interventions.
• Promote use of quality improvement methodologies to improve HIV and other priority health services.
• Document and disseminate successful quality improvement practices.

Health Information Systems and Data Use

• Support health workers and facility managers to analyze and use data for decisionmaking.
• Strengthen use of relevant Ministry of Health and PEPFAR reporting systems and project dashboards.
• Participate in data review meetings and performance analysis.
• Work with M&E and technical teams to identify system-level data gaps and corrective actions.

Human Resources for Health and Capacity Building

• Assess health workforce capacity and system gaps within supported facilities.
• Support development and implementation of facility-level capacity-building plans.
• Strengthen mentorship, coaching, supportive supervision, and continuous professional development.
• Support mechanisms for institutionalizing skills within the project health system.
• Work with project leadership to identify and address critical workforce bottlenecks affecting service delivery.

Health Commodities, Equipment and Infrastructure

• Collaborate with relevant project and project teams to identify gaps in essential medicines, HIV commodities, laboratory supplies, medical equipment, and other health-system inputs.
• Support systems for appropriate forecasting, ordering, storage, distribution, and utilization of health commodities.
• Support strengthening of equipment management, maintenance, and functionality systems.
• Work with the Biomedical Engineer and other relevant technical teams to strengthen equipment management.
• Identify infrastructure-related bottlenecks affecting service delivery and support appropriate solutions.
• Promote efficient and sustainable use of available resources.

Laboratory and Diagnostic Systems Strengthening

• Support strengthening of laboratory systems within supported project health facilities.
• Strengthen linkages between facilities and referral laboratories.
• Support systems for sample collection, transportation, results management, and utilization.
• Collaborate with laboratory and HIV technical teams to address diagnostic service gaps.

Sustainability and Institutionalization

• Lead efforts to institutionalize project-supported interventions within the project health system.
• Develop sustainability strategies for key project interventions.
• Support transition of appropriate project functions to project structures.
• Promote ownership of systems, tools, processes, and performance improvement initiatives by project health leadership.
• Identify and address risks that may affect continuity of services after project support.

Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with project Medical Services leadership and supported health facilities.
• Collaborate with Ministry of Health departments, PEPFAR/DHAPP stakeholders, local government structures where applicable, and implementing partners.
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, coordination meetings, reviews, and planning sessions.
• Ensure harmonization of project interventions with national and project health priorities.
• Represent the HSS component of the project in relevant technical forums.

Monitoring, Learning and Reporting

• Develop and monitor HSS indicators and milestones.
• Track progress of health-system strengthening interventions across supported facilities.
• Identify implementation challenges and recommend corrective actions.
• Document best practices, innovations, lessons learned, and success stories.
• Contribute to project technical reports, annual work plans, quarterly reviews, and other donor/project reporting requirements.
• Support generation of evidence demonstrating improvements in health-system performance and sustainability.

Key Deliverables

• HSS implementation strategy and work plans.
• Health-system and facility capacity assessments.
• Facility performance improvement plans.
• HSS supportive supervision and mentorship reports.
• Health-system gap analyses and action plans.
• Capacity-building and institutional strengthening plans.
• Sustainability and institutionalization plans.
• Documentation of best practices and lessons learned.
• Timely technical inputs to DHAPP project reports.

Qualifications and skills required;

• Master’s Degree (minimum) in Public Health, Health Management, or other relevant fields.
• 8 years of professional work experience in Health Service Delivery, Health Communications, and health systems strengthening with experience at community-level (experience with community health workers is an added advantage).
• Broad working knowledge of national and community structures and cultural practices in Uganda is essential.
• Previous exposure and experience in building capacity at individual and organizational levels; skills in at least two or more of the following technical areas: a) strengthening service delivery programs and integrating health service delivery at facility and into community structures
• Capable of working with and providing strategic technical guidance to a diverse group of health service delivery partners and helping to refine their community health approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to write technical papers and reports.
• Demonstrable experience in working with multiple stakeholders.

Application Procedure;

• All applications should be addressed to The Head Human Resources at Joint Clinical Research Centre via jobs@jcrc.org.ug
• Applicants are STRICTLY advised to apply with a cover letter and CV combined in one PDF document not exceeding six pages, quoting clearly the Position in the subject line e.g. Senior Lab Advisor.
• Label the PDF document with your full name.
• Failure to follow the above application procedure will lead to automatic disqualification.
• Detailed   job descriptions can be obtained from the JCRC Website. Via this link https://www.jcrc.org.ug/resources/jobs-vacancy-announcements/

Deadline: Friday 25th September, 2026 at 17:00 hours.

Note: JCRC is an equal opportunity employer. Any attempts of influencing the recruitment process will lead to automatic disqualification