Health Finance Advisor 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 State Health Finance Advisor(s) will provide technical and capacity building support to the State Social Health Insurance Agencies (SSHIA) in FCT and Abia, Osun and Ebonyi States.
• The Advisors will also engage with state level actors across the SMoH, SPHCDA and SSHIA to build capacity, support in conduct of states specific health financing diagnostics and develop resource mobilization plans for sustainable health financing systems in the states.
• The Advisors will report to the respective State Team Leads on an operational basis and will receive technical direction and support from the Senior Health Financing Advisor on the project.

Responsibilities

• ​Where applicable, work closely with state actors to develop functional structures and systems for the SSHIAs
• Provide technical assistance to the SSHIAs roll-out the state’s health insurance scheme
• Support the SSHIAs in the development of guidelines, processes, tools and templates required to operationalise its contracting with the NHIS and providers
• Provide day -to-day operational support to the SSHIAs in provider contracting and management, claims verification and management, claims filing, claims payment, financial management and other relevant activities
• Work with the SMoH to establish and or strengthen the State Health Financing TWG to improve ownership and institutionalization of health financing reforms in the state.
• Provide technical support to State level health financing assessments.
• Support the SSHIAs in the analysis and development of periodic operational and financial reports
• Support the SSHIAs in the monitoring, measurement and improvement of their performance in line with the framework agreed with the NHIS
• Build the capacity of relevant state actors in areas of sustainable health care financing including, but not limited to, strategic purchasing, revenue generation, revenue and risk pooling
• Work with the SSHIA and other state actors to ensure the implementation of the HP+ workplan
• Provide regular progress updates and reports to the HP+ state Team Lead, HP+ national team and state-level stakeholders
• Represent HP+ at relevant stakeholder meetings, committees and technical working groups at the state level.

Requirements

• BA/B.Sc. in Economics, Insurance, International Affairs, Public Health or a related field. A post graduate qualification in Health Economics, Health Financing, Public Health or similar field is an advantage
• At least 5 years' experience in health insurance or in implementing public health programmes with a focus on health financing
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Nigerian health sector and the health financing landscape
• Demonstrated experience in managing stakeholders and building capacity at sub-national levels
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills
• Strong analytic skills with attention to detail
• Ability to function/work independently as well as part of a team
• Knowledge/work experience in the preferred state or its environs and ability to speak the local language(s) will be preferable