Senior Advisor, Health Finance at Palladium Group

Background

• Health Policy Plus (HP+) is a USAID-funded five-year $185 million project awarded to Palladium on August 28, 2015. HP+ has a mandate across global, country, and subnational levels to strengthen and advance health policy priorities in family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), HIV, and maternal health.
• It aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy development and implementation, with an emphasis on voluntary, rights-based health programs, and by strengthening in-country partners’ capacity to navigate complex environments for effective policy design, implementation, and financing aligned to their priorities.
• Central elements of HP+ revolve around building in-country capacity, institutionalizing achievements of past investments and promoting country ownership of programs and initiatives.

Purpose of Role

• The Senior Advisor will play a crucial technical role in state-level programs and provide oversight of the assigned State Health Finance Advisors in their support to operationalise and build the capacity of the State Social Health Insurance Agencies (SSHIAs).
• The Senior Advisor Health Finance will lead the design and implementation of relevant studies including State Health Accounts, Fiscal Space Analysis and public expenditure reviews to assess and advice on the health financing environment in the supported states. The position may require working with consultants and will report to the Technical Director – Health Systems Strengthening of the HP+ project

Responsibilities   

• Support the NHIS in the development of guidelines, processes, tools and templates required to operationalise its contracting with the SSHIAs on the strategic purchasing of health services in the supported states
• Provide technical assistance to the NHIS in the development of plans, content and programmes for the capacity building and improvement of the SSHIAs
• Advice on the development and implementation of a performance management system for tracking, measuring and identifying capacity building gaps in the SSHIAs’ ability to efficiently and effectively fulfil their mandate
• Provide technical support to the NHIS in the development of financial plans, budgets and operational reports.
• Provide functional supervision of the State Health Finance Advisors. Where required, provided technical input and advice to support the operationalisation of the SSHIAs
• Lead in the development of Resource Mobilization Plans for sustainable and predictable financing of health care.
• Lead in the coordination of the PHC collaborative of Nigeria Joint Learning Network for UHC and ensure adequate participation of implementing states in the network.
• Coordinate, plan, and implement relevant learning activities such as after-action reviews, briefings, and communities of practices, learning events and/or seminars supporting the achievement of project goals and objectives.
• Provide technical leadership on the review and the analysis of the economic, financial, and fiscal environment of the supported states such as willingness to pay, bottom of the pyramid assessment among others.
• Represent HP+ at relevant stakeholder meetings, committees and technical working groups at the national level.

Requirements   

• Master's degree in Health Economics, Health Policy and Management, or Public Health with a health financing focus.
• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in health financing policy, health financing reforms, capacity-building, designing operations and successfully implementing complex programs with multiple partners and work streams. Experience with health insurance, contracting and provider management is an advantage.
• Strong writing, editing and oral communication skills with the ability to lead the production of high-quality deliverables and reports
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
• Demonstrated problem solving, analytic, financial, and evaluative skills.
• Strong management skills and ability to effectively set priorities and handle competing time and resource demands for self and others
• Ability to take initiative and/or respond independently to situations.