Technical Assistance Consultants for strengthening national responses to end TB (multiple positions), Multiple positions

In close collaboration with international partners such as USAID, World Health Organization (WHO) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (TGF), the Stop TB Partnership provides technical assistance to the National TB Programs (NTPs) in priority countries for enabling their capacities and effective responses to end TB as the public health threat.

The consultants from the roster will be deployed to provide targeted technical support in priority areas. The requests for short-term technical assistance will be initiated by the NTPs, Country Coordination Mechanisms (CCMs) for TGF grants, and/or STBP, in coordination with other stakeholders. Under the guidance and oversight of STBP’s Deputy Executive Director, these requests will be processed by the STBP Secretariat, in close cooperation with USAID, which provides key financial support.

The expertise of consultants is sought in the following areas:

1. TB laboratory diagnosis, including scaling up the use of rapid molecular diagnostics, introduction of novel diagnostic techniques, genome sequencing, connectivity solutions, laboratory quality assurance and quality improvement;

2. Treatment of TB, including programmatic implementation of WHO guidelines and clinical management of drug-resistant TB, HIV-associated TB and other comorbidities such as hepatitis, diabetes, mental disorders, etc.;

3. TB prevention, including technical support and implementation of internationally-recommended strategies and practices for testing for TB infection, TB preventive treatment (TPT) including the use of novel drugs and regimens for TPT, and TB infection control;

4. Childhood TB, including clinical management of TB in children and programmatic implementation of contemporary childhood TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment interventions; 

5. TB epidemiology and data, including TB epidemiological reviews, epidemiological modeling, TB data systems, digital surveillance systems, diagnostics connectivity systems, monitoring and evaluation in TB programs;

6. TB service delivery systems, including implementation of people-centered approaches, TB screening and active case finding, programmatic implementation of X-ray diagnostics for TB (including portable devices and computer-assisted diagnosis with artificial intelligence (CAD/AI); patient support systems, and private sector engagement in TB prevention and care (including engagement of intermediary agencies and other public-private interventions), etc.;

7. TB financing, including health finance and coverage systems for effective TB responses, allocation and provider payment mechanisms in TB care, financial needs’ estimates and development of ‘TB investment cases’, costing and budgeting of TB programs and interventions;

8. Surveys and operational research, including TB prevalence surveys, drug resistance surveys, subnational TB burden estimation, and other research in the field of TB.

Technical assistance in above areas will be based on the specific country context and priorities identified by the national TB programs, with support by technical partners as relevant. The assignments will mainly conducted within, but not limited to, the following activities and context:

• Technical assistance for development of national TB strategic plans and other relevant policies and programs; 

• Development of Funding Requests for the Global Fund;

• Development of other applications and funding proposals;

• National TB Program reviews, joint monitoring missions and other programmatic assessments and evaluations;

• Implementation of the Global Fund projects and other externally supported programs; 

• Development / update of national guidelines, protocols and standards in the field of TB;

• Technical assistance for introduction and rollout of novel tools, technologies and approaches in TB care;

• Training and other capacity building activities;

• Development of operational research protocols and implementation support;

• Other technical support and assistance prioritized by countries.