Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Coordinator at Palladium Group

Ref No: Req9991
Locations: Kano, Kaduna, Dutse-Jigawa, Damaturu-Yobe, Nigeria

Project Overview and Role

• The LAFIYA programme is a 7-year DFID Funded programme from February 2020 to February 2027. The programme is being implemented by Palladium and its Consortium Partners – Society for Family Health, Options Consultancy Services Ltd, CHECOD, PharmAccess, Solina and Chatham House. Lafiya will be delivered at the federal level, as well as with a focus on targeted states (Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Yobe) with activities tailored for each specific state instead of a “one size fits all” approach.
• The objective of the programme is to improve health outcomes for the poorest and most vulnerable in Nigeria through i) encouraging Government of Nigeria to increase resources invested in health; ii) improving effectiveness and efficiency of public and private basic health for services and iii) reducing total fertility rate in Nigeria.
• The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was established under Section 11 of the National Health Act 2014 as the principal funding vehicle for the Basic Minimum Package of Healthcare Services (BMPHS), whilst at the same time, serving to increase the fiscal space and overall financing to the health sector. It is expected that the consequent service provision, through this funding, would greatly contribute towards actualisation of UHC.
• The BHCPF Coordinator will be responsible for providing technical assistance to the State to implement BHCPF working through Outcome 2 support, while working closely with other technical leads to ensure programme outcomes are achieved.
• S / he will coordinate interventions, activities and technical support to States in the implementation of BHCPF and reporting progress to STLs in the achievement of outcome. As such, s/he is expected to exercise judgement within broadly defined practices and policies in selecting methods, techniques, and ongoing evaluation of programme delivery and results.
• The BHCPF Coordinator will be a member of the Borno / Yobe / Jigawa / Kaduna / Kano Lafiya State team.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
The BHCPF Coordinator will be a part of the state team and will ensure delivery of programme outputs at the state level, supported by the Technical Oversight Support Team and the flexible delivery pool. Key responsibilities include:

• He / she will primarily support the delivery of Programme Output 3: ‘Technical Assistance to maximize Government of Nigeria resources and efficiency: Improved efficiency of existing resources for delivery of health services’.
• He / she will coordinate the BHCPF inputs in the state, proactively working with the State Government, MDAs and key stakeholders to identify and respond to their TA needs and accordingly identify and leverage resources to be deployed in the state under the leadership of the STL.
• He / she will draw resources from the programme’s TA pool and where relevant, provide TA in their areas of expertise.
• Support evidence-based implementation of BHCPF in the State through the Gateways at the state level
• Provide Technical Assistance (TA) in capacity strengthening for implementers of BHCPF using the approved BHCPF operational guidelines.
• Provide TA to State Oversight Committee members to function effectively and also use available data and information to make evidence based strategic decisions to strengthen the implementation of BHCPF at the State level.
• Provide TA support to the State to continuously meet BHCPF disbursement requirements
• Provide TA assistance to development / reviews of implementation framework that supports the policy, budgeting, procurements and planned activities of BHCPF
• Support conduct of periodic internal review and analysis of program and quality improvement data for state to determine progress towards goals, identifying gaps and developing plans to address identified gaps.
• The BHCPF Coordinator will report to the State Team Leader primarily, working closely with the Health Systems Strengthening Coordinator and other BHCPF officers.
• He / She provide TA for Integration of BHCPF into the SSHIA routine activities.
• He / She provide Support SSHIA to design mechanism for expansion of health insurance coverage to LGAs and Communities
• He / she will also report to and work in close collaboration with the HSS Expert at the national level to ensure coordination and delivery of the TA needs and timely identification and deployment of resources.  

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree or higher in Public Health, Policy and Governance, Health Economics, Development Studies or other relevant field required.
• Must be an experienced professional in the field of health systems strengthening.
• Must have a sound knowledge National Health Act (NHACT) and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and have capacity building and project management experience in public health programs
• Proven experience working in Health Systems Strengthening in developing countries, preferably in Nigeria
• Demonstrable capacity to network and negotiates with key stakeholders across different sectors in support of health.
• Strong skills in design, implementation and monitoring of program components; e.g. health systems strengthening, supportive supervision, advocacy and coordination.
• Excellent facilitation and mentoring skills’ supporting decentralized entities to translate policies into strategic plans for implementation
• Experience with technical assistance for programs funded by FCDO and/or other donor programs in developing countries, with significant Northern Nigeria experience.
• Demonstrated technical depth and understanding of the health policy environment and governance in Nigeria, particularly in Northern Nigeria preferred.
• Experience in coordination and collaboration of stakeholders including government agencies / institutions, the private sector, CSOs and international donor agencies.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills in English required, working knowledge of Hausa and other local languages preferred
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated problem solving, analytic, and evaluative skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to effectively and efficiently perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities often within a required timeframe.