Marketing Technical Advisor, UNITAID/PSI HIV Self-Testing Africa (STAR) Project

Department: HIV & TB Department

Based in: Harare, Zimbabwe with up to 30% international travel

Reports to: UNITAID/PSI HIV STAR Project Director

Who we are

We're Population Services International (PSI), the world's leading non-profit social marketing organization. We work to make it easier for people in the developing world to lead healthier lives and plan the families they desire by marketing affordable products and services that range from mosquito nets to contraceptives to HIV testing.

There are over 9,000 “PSI'ers” around the world. It's a diverse group of entrepreneurs and professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds - from the medical industry to the music business - all with unique skills we bring to the job.

Join us!

The STAR Project is one of the most exciting projects at PSI—launching a whole new product that empowers consumers to know their HIV status…on their own terms. We work with leading researchers all over the world to evaluate our programs, and use cutting edge program design to ensure HIV self-testing reaches the people who need it most. Our work has informed the launch of new WHO guidelines, mobilized expanded funding for HIV self-testing and led new countries to adopt supportive HIV self-testing policies. We've delivered over 185,000 HIV self-tests in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe…in just 4 months. Now, we're launching in new channels, starting to scale-up and planning expansion to three new countries by the fall.

We are looking for an entrepreneurial, dynamic Marketing Technical Advisor to work with our country teams to help strengthen the market for HIV self-testing and the treatment and care that follows. We need this Advisor to have significant expertise and experience in marketing and the ability to inform and use consumer and market research in developing countries. The Advisor will apply their significant skills with a long-term eye, focused on building a sustainable market for HIV self-testing well into the future. This position is funded for 6 months.

Sound like you? Read on! 

Your contribution

Your will lead efforts to understand how HIVST is performing in the current market and what we need to do as we look toward scale-up. Some of the work you'll do as part of this effort includes;

• Work with the selected market research agency (procurement will be done before you're on board!) to design consumer and market research on testing behaviors among target populations and specifically, all aspects of HIV self-testing in terms of awareness, access and use. You'll also review and revise the research agenda and workplan as proposed by the agency, including market landscaping, qualitative and quantitative research.
• Coordinate and monitor market research implementation in all relevant STAR project countries, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Work closely with the STAR country teams and market research agency to ensure successful execution.
• Ensure dissemination and appropriate use of relevant research findings to inform and develop marketing strategy for existing project activities as well as expansion planned.

But that's not all. During initial program implementation, each country has been leading their own marketing strategy. But we're about to launch a large regional campaign. You'll be responsible for making that a success! What will that look like? Well, you'll:

• Ensure adherence to PSI's global standards and procedures
• Liaise with key stakeholders involved in the project at all levels to inform them of marketing progress and approaches as required.

The best part is, this is just the beginning! The last 1.5 years has been focused on pilot, learning and evaluation. But we're about to move into a massive scale-up with millions of tests distributed in the next three years and expansion to three new countries. We'll need your help to determine the marketing approach for this new phase of our work—based on your expertise, lessons from our regional campaign and the market research findings.

• Based on market research findings and analysis of success of marketing activities implemented in phase one design of demand creation activities for Phase 2.
• Support the Project Director and the Senior Technical Advisor on the STAR project in the development of the project plan and budget for phase two on the marketing component.
• Coordinate with the regional and global marketing team at PSI to ensure alignment with PSI's approaches, exposure to best practices across the PSI world and opportunity to draw on additional technical support as needed.
• Once awarded, execute the design and implementation of marketing strategies in all six Southern African countries, including formative work, implementation and evaluation of marketing development and marketing strategies.

What are we looking for?

Education: You hold a Master's degree in communications, marketing, or a similar discipline. Alternatively, you have a Bachelor's degree with at least 5 years of additional relevant experience.

Experience: At least 7 years of demonstrated successful experience in designing and implementing marketing and communication activities. You have some familiarity with new product introduction. Of these at least 7 years, you've spent a minimum of 3 of them working in developing country settings.

Tech Savvyness: You know about behavior change theories and how to apply them in programmatic contexts. You've used commercial marketing, human centered design, and/or behavioral economics in your past work to develop marketing solutions

Collaboration: You are a team player. You work well with others, but you know how to take initiative to get things done. Even when people don't report to you, you know how to motivate them to adopt new initiatives or change their approaches.

Ideally, you've worked in settings requiring lots of collaboration before, perhaps on other multi-national/regional activities that require coordinate with multiple partners and institutions.

You also have experience collaborating with others to build their capacities and skills. You'll use that in your STAR work, building the skills of both civil society and government entities in marketing.

Communication: You write with clarity and feel comfortable speaking up when you have something important to say. You're not afraid of public speaking and have developed good skills in this arena. You have excellent interpersonal skills, with great experience communicating across cultures.

Initiative: You know what it means to be “thrown in the deep end”. You'll have support, but your personal initiative to learn quickly and your willingness to try new things will be critical. You don't wait to be told what to do. You see a need and you meet it, you're bold. You know that deadlines are important, and you stick to them. In everything you are always driving to achieve results, to make this market more sustainable and more effective at delivering health impact.

STATUS

• Exempt
• Level 6

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of actual or perceived race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family status or responsibilities, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or breastfeeding, genetic information, amnesty, veteran, special disabled veteran or uniform service member status or employment status.

PI96699580

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