Health Security Workforce Retention Consultant - Nigeria at Resolve to Save Lives

Consultancy Purpose:

• The Health Security Workforce Retention Consultant will be embedded within the NCDC to support implementation of the health security workforce retention project. This will involve conducting a comprehensive mixed-method assessment, including policy, legal, and fiscal analyses, to evaluate existing salary structures, career pathways, and the financial feasibility of proposed reforms. The assessment will also identify the key drivers of workforce attrition within NCDC at the national level, as well as among the health security workforce at the subnational level.
• This project will involve learning from other contexts, including direct compensation and non-monetary retention levers from national, regional, and global public sector agencies to inform the design of context-effective strategies.
• The consultant will engage closely with key government stakeholders to develop evidence-based models, strategies, and interventions tailored to the national and subnational context. This work will aim to strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable workforce retention, foster structured career growth pathways, enhance incentives (both financial and non-financial), and improve working conditions.
• The ultimate objective is to support NCDC and its partners in building a resilient, motivated, and sustainably supported health security workforce in Nigeria.
• The Consultant will work within the NCDC, coordinating closely with, reporting on, and submitting all deliverables to the Head of Division, Health Security Workforce Training and Capacity Development. The Principal Advisor at RTSL based in Nigeria will manage this contract and monitor progress towards deliverables.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Design and implement a comprehensive mixed-method assessment on health security workforce retention in close collaboration with NCDC, RTSL and relevant government stakeholders.
• Coordinate project management, including planning and timeline tracking, risk mitigation, stakeholder consultation, and technical inputs.
• Conduct in-depth desk review of relevant documents, including civil service policies and regulations, NCDC strategies and operational plans, relevant legislation, and regional or global best practices on workforce retention.
• Facilitate the collation and analysis of quantitative data on attrition rates as well as salary and benefits by cadre.
• Conduct key informant interviews with current and former NCDC and state-level health security staff to better understand motivations for retention and attrition, as well as interviews with other key government actors, health agencies such as the NACA, NPHCDA and NHIA and parastatals important for reform, such as Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Civil Service Commission etc.
• Develop evidence-based recommendations in close collaboration with NCDC to improve the workforce retention of health security staff.
• Co-create and validate final recommendations through collaborative workshops and feedback sessions with NCDC, RTSL, and key government officials.
• Contribute to the development of an implementation roadmap or action plans to operationalize approved recommendations and support long-term sustainability.
• Participate in bi-weekly coordination meetings with the NCDC and RTSL to ensure strategic alignment, monitor implementation progress, identify challenges, and support timely adjustments to project activities as necessary.

Required Qualifications:

Education & Background:

• Graduate degree in human resources, management, policy, law, public health or other relevant area.

Analytical & Solution-Oriented Thinking

• Ability to translate research findings and field insights into practical, context-sensitive policy recommendations.
• Capacity to navigate ambiguity and institutional complexity while driving towards feasible, high-impact solutions.
• Strong judgment and critical thinking in balancing technical soundness with political and operational realities.

Project Management & Research Skills:

• Experience in overseeing research projects end-to-end, including workplans, timelines, and staffing.
• Experience in conducting qualitative research which involves key informant interviews.
• Ability to synthesize complex information from multiple sources into clear, actionable insights.
• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.

Sector-Specific Expertise:

• At least 10 years of experience working on civil service issues in Nigeria, preferably at the national level.
• Experience partnering with government officials in key sectors such as health and finance.
• Basic understanding of NCDC’s mandate and organizational structure is preferred.

Communication & Collaboration:

• Clear and effective communicator with experience developing reports, policy briefs, proposals, and presentations for senior leadership, donors, and external stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trust and engage effectively with high-level stakeholders, including government officials, policymakers, and development partners.
• Adept at translating technical and complex content into clear, compelling messages for diverse audiences.