Summary
Date Posted: Friday, April 29, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

The central contribution of the HNP Global Practice to the World Bank’s twin goals is to enable the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in which all people are effectively covered by essential health services, and nobody suffers undue financial hardship because of illnesses. The HNP Global Practice includes staff members in Washington, DC and many country offices. The HNP Global Practice works with and across multiple sectors, in recognition of the fact that HNP outcomes often depend on actions that lie outside the HNP sector.

The HNP Global Practice supports country and regional efforts to:
(i) improve health outcomes, especially for the poor and most vulnerable;
(ii) expand access to high-quality HNP services, interventions and technologies that give the most value for money;
(iii) strengthen health systems for results;
(iv) establish and improve health financing mechanisms that promote efficiency, equity and sustainability of investments;
(v) strengthen heath-relevant institutions within and outside the health sector;
(vi) harness multisectoral policies and investments for better health outcomes; and
(vii) develop and learn from rigorous impact evaluations.

Africa Region Context
Africa has registered strong economic growth in recent years that has helped to reduce poverty levels in the continent. Yet, as Africa’s population expands, the region faces a critical challenge of creating the foundations for long-term inclusive growth. Many countries still contend with high levels of child and maternal mortality, malnutrition is far too common, and most health systems are not able to deal effectively with epidemics and the growing burden of chronic diseases. These challenges call for renewed commitments and accelerated progress toward UHC – the principle that everyone receives needed health services without financial hardship.

Most African countries have integrated UHC as a goal in their national health strategies. Yet, progress in translating commitments to UHC into expanded domestic resources for health, effective development assistance, and ultimately, equitable and quality health services, and increased financial protection has been slow. To accelerate progress toward UHC in Africa, the countries will require political leadership and a clear strategic vision to achieve their UHC targets and to be able to eliminate preventable maternal and child deaths, strengthen resilience to public health emergencies, reduce financial hardship linked to illness, and strengthen the foundations for long-term economic growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted Africa’s major weaknesses in public health, including disease surveillance and diagnostics, as well as in health service delivery in terms of both access and quality of care. The World Bank has taken fast action to help African countries strengthen their pandemic response and health care systems and is now stepping up its support on vaccine purchase and deployment. The World Bank’s response across the region is focused around four main areas simultaneously: saving lives, protecting poor people, protecting, and creating jobs, and building back better.

HAEH1 Unit
The post will be within the HAEH1 unit. The HNP team covers three Country management Units. (CMUs). These are based in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Collectively they cover thirteen countries and are responsible for a large program of operational and analytic work. The unit is looking for a Senior Health Specialist with strong operational experience to be based in Zambia.

Duties and Accountabilities:
We are looking to hire a Sr. Health Specialist to work on the Zambia portfolio and, as needed, work in other CMUs and other Africa regional analytical and advisory activities. The staff member will report to the HNP Practice manager for the East Africa region and will be responsible for the following, inter alia:
The incumbent will lead (and support) policy dialogue with clients on key issues in HNP, provide regular implementation support on ongoing operations, as well as lead (and support) the preparation of new lending programs. He/she will also be expected to develop and lead analytical work to inform policy discussions.

The Main Responsibilities Include:
• Policy Dialogue and Building Client Capacity: Lead and contribute to policy dialogue in Zambia, and as needed, in the Africa East region on a range of sector issues at different levels of the health sector. Identify and nurture opportunities for participating in the broader policy dialogue both regionally and in the country context especially in so far as they impact the health sector or where the sector can contribute to. Build client capacity to use findings of policy research/ analytical work for developing new policies and undertaking sector reforms. Provide technical advice on key issues and strategic directions for the country’s HNP sector development, by bringing relevant international experience and research to assist in developing local solutions.
• Operations : Lead and contribute to the development of new lending operations, both in HNP and multi-sectoral, tapping into the Bank’s full range of instruments (including Program-for-Results, investment project financing, policy-based lending, etc.); identify and analyze country experience based on country data; contribute to operational documents, coordinating across sectors/practices and project components with other team members; and provide day to day operational support and advise the government on technical and operational aspects of implementation for ongoing operations.
• Analytical Work and Non-Lending Services : Lead and contribute to the design, preparation and dissemination of analytical products (e.g., sector assessments, policy notes, impact evaluations, public expenditure reviews, country systems diagnostics, case studies, etc.); provide input on a range of issues emerging from the COVID context (e.g., health systems strengthening, human resources for health, pharmaceutical production, management and governance, health care policies, etc.); respond to critical policy questions identified by the client and which have an impact on policy and operational design. Work on cross-sectoral teams to contribute to products such as public expenditure reviews, service delivery surveys, impact evaluations. Contribute to the country diagnostics and other core analytical work.
• Leadership: Work closely with the Practice Manager and the HNP team to identify new business in the HNP sector, including innovative financing approaches, technical advisory services, and other services, as required.
• Partnerships and Cross GP Collaboration: Lead and contribute to partnership activities on a regular basis, with multilateral and bilateral development partners, non-profit organizations, academia and civil society. Contribute to alignment and coordination around country-led priorities. In performing these roles, the selected candidate will interact with counterparts in government and in a variety of international and other partner organizations and with Bank colleagues and managers within the HNP GP, the relevant CMUs, as well as those in other GPs. She/he will be expected to work in close collaboration with the other members of the HNP team and colleagues in the Human Development family, as well as across other Practice Group GPs.

Selection Criteria
• Master’s degree or higher in public health, IT and health, epidemiology, health economics, health financing, business administration or a health professional degree (medicine, pharmacy, nursing) and the equivalent 8 or more years of relevant professional experience with health service delivery projects is required.
• A proven track record of high standards/accountability for work products, meeting deadlines, an ability to prioritize tasks within their work program and strategies for working collectively with colleagues on the team to deliver products of the highest caliber.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources. Experience working across sectors, for example, WASH, education, is an asset.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills is essential with ability to prepare documents on complex subjects, speak and write persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely.
• Demonstrated ability for collaboration in a multicultural environment.
• Experience working on WBG funded projects and familiarity with WBG operations, policies, and procedures is an advantage.
• Prior work experience in Africa is an advantage.

In addition to the above, the selected candidate is expected to demonstrate the following WBG core competencies:
• Integrative Skills – Understands core issues and knows where to get additional expertise when needed.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Understands policy making process and role of the health sector in that process. Is able to find relevant information and examine similar policy questions in multiple regions and to distill operationally relevant recommendations and lessons from this analysis for clients.
• Policy Dialogue Skills – Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings/points of view verbally and through economic reports and papers. Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.
• Client Orientation – Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results – Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion – Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 96

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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