State Human Resource for Health Consultant at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role:

The UK Support to Health transformation in Nigeria through the Lafiya Programme is a flexible, demand-led strategic partnership with the Nigerian Federal and targeted State governments designed to address equity, improve and sustain health outcomes for the most vulnerable States with the worst health statistics. The desired objectives of the programme included fostering an enabling environment for UHC policy reform and implementation, institutional management capacity building and health system strengthening. This required the full engagement and participation communities with a view to contributing to ending preventable maternal and new-born deaths. The programme operated at the Federal level; and geographically in five states of - Borno, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Yobe. Following the ODA cuts, from 0.7% to 0.5% and the spend review handrails, the FCDO reprioritisation and business planning exercise beginning in the last quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021 the programme had to scale down some key interventions and consider reviewing the geographic scope going into the next financial years. The programme now focuses on contributing to two outcomes (1) Morbidity amongst women, newborns, children, and adolescents significantly reduced in targeted states; and (2) Covid-19 transmission and vaccine hesitancy reduced including improved plans and capacity for emergency preparedness and response in the targeted States:
Output 1: Advocacy & Accountability - Leadership and Governance of primary health care services structures or planning and delivery teams are functional in targeted states (through partnership)
Output 2: Adequate health workforce for primary health care including RMNCAH service delivery and BHCPF available and sustained in targeted states
Output 3: Health information management systems capacity to support decision-making for primary health care including RMNCAH and BHCPF service delivery in targeted states increased
Output 4: Health financing and public financial management to strengthen and sustain access to high quality and affordable primary health care in targeted states increased
Output 5: Health security and epidemic preparedness and response (EPR) plans developed and operationalized within the targeted states (by addressing social norms/behaviour change)

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

During FY22/23 Palladium under output 2 seeks the short-term technical services from a suitably qualified facilitator that can mobilise State MOH to improve HRH and SPHCDA to invest in the CHIPS programme and promote quality of care.

Reports to: State’ technical Lead

Location: The State HRH Consultants will be based in Jigawa state

Deliverables

• Role orientation based on new focus
• Support the state to conduct stipulated HWFR update and advocate for efficient HRH management and improved service delivery with focus on BHCPF.
• Support the onboarding of state’s master trainers and support them in training more CHIPS agents.
• Advocate and support the onboarding, training, mentoring and performance of CHIPS agent to provide quality community-based preventive, selected curative services and complete referral to BHCPF facilities.
• Support the SPHCDA and LGAs to train CHIPS agent on demand creation, service provision and quality monitoring of ASRH services.
• Quarterly report (20 pages max) that details out the support provided to the state, highlights of the activities completed, technical assistance provided, changes, challenges, and lessons etc.

Expected Results

• State increase it's investment in human resources for health and maintain the minimum HRH requirement in designated BHCPF facilities (of 2 CHEWS, 2 nurses & 2 midwives) to 38%
• State has adequate number of trained PHC master trainers for Community Health Influencers Promoters and Services (CHIPS).
• Increasing the proportion of CHIPS agents that provide community-based preventive and selected curative RMNCAH services in Jigawa State from 96% to 100%
  
  Required Qualifications:

• Must be an experienced professional in the field of health systems strengthening and particularly exposed to HRH interventions.
• Demonstrable capacity to network and negotiates with key stakeholders across different sectors in support of health.
• Strong skills in health workforce planning and management/human resources forecasting, design, implementation and monitoring of program components, e.g. health systems strengthening, supportive supervision, advocacy and coordination.
• Experience with technical assistance for programs funded by FCDO and/or other donor programs in developing countries, with significant Northern Nigeria experience.
• Experience in coordination and collaboration of stakeholders including government agencies, host country governments and counterparts, 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.
• Attention to detail and ability to perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities effectively and efficiently often within a required timeframe.

Company Overview:

About Palladium - Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact – the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value.  We work with governments, businesses, and investors to solve the world's most pressing challenges. With a team of more than 3,000 employees operating in 90 plus countries and a global network of over 35,000 experts, we help improve economies, societies and, most importantly, people's lives.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.  

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss. 

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.