State Team Lead at Health Systems Consult Limited (HSCL)

Project Title: Strategic Purchasing for Family Planning (SP4FP)
Category: Health Financing
Contract Type: Fixed Term

Background
HSCL provides public health and development advisory services to clients in the health and development sectors. We assist a range of donors, non-governmental organisations, governments as well as private sector firms to s In health, we provide advisory services across the WHO-recommended six building blocks. HSCL is a Pan-African organisation with offices in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.

HSCL with support from a key donor is implementing the Nigeria State-led Strategic Purchasing for Family Planning and Maternal Newborn and Child Health Project in Lagos State (SP4FP) and some other states. The project involves the provision of technical assistance to state actors to strengthen the strategic purchasing function of the states’ health insurance scheme for integrated primary health care services including Family Planning (FP) and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) services. The project also supports private providers’ readiness to participate in the health insurance scheme while improving their quality and margins.

HSCL is seeking a suitable candidate for the position of the SP4FP Project State Team Lead (STL), Lagos State.

Job Summary

• The State Team Lead’s overarching responsibility will be to support the development and implementation of a workplan for technical assistance to the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA), Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), Reproductive Health/Family Planning (RH/FP) Unit and other stakeholders within the Lagos State Ministry of Health (LSMOH); towards achieving the project’s goal.
• The incumbent will also provide support to other activities as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Responsibilities
Leadership and Management:

• Consistently provide technical and managerial oversight for the state project team and all project activities while ensuring compliance with contractual requirements.
• Deliver progress summaries, policy briefs, and technical reports as requested.

Stakeholder and Risk Management:

• Facilitate engagements and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders across government, partners, donors, and other non-governmental organizations.
• Represent the firm at meetings with key government stakeholders and development partners within and outside Lagos.
• Coordinate and participate in activities implemented by sub-grantees on demand creation, provider readiness and operations research on the project.
• Develop and update stakeholder and project risk management plan to reflect implementation realities.

Health Financing:

• Provide support to LASHMA and other stakeholders for the implementation of an integration plan for the inclusion of FP and other MNCH services in the benefit packages for the scheme.
• Provide technical support to finalize the development and dissemination of an investment case for family planning in Lagos.
• Review and refine frameworks, processes, and tools for the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) including the operational guideline to reflect implementation realities.
• Provide support to Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) for the conduct, validation and utilisation of an actuarial analysis for the redesigned health benefit package for the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) - inclusive of FP & other MNCH services.
• Support the implementation of the informal sector enrolment strategy and plan for the LSHS
• Support the implementation of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems for the scheme and facilitate linkage of reporting to state Health Management Information System (HMIS).
• Provide technical backstopping for the health care financing technical unit of the directorate of healthcare planning, research, and statistics (DHCPRS) to fulfil its mandate.

Health Sector Regulation:

• Provide support for the design/redesign and implementation of technical assistance plan for the HEFAMAA within the broader framework of the strategic plan of the agency.
• Coordinate the capacity assessment of existing structures, processes, and skills of relevant staff in Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) and the development and implementation of strategies/plan to address gaps.
• Provide support for the co-development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation plan for HEFAMAA including development of requisite capacity monitoring, evaluation, research and learning within the agency.
• Provide support and oversight for the technical assistant(s) embedded within HEFAMAA and ensure appropriate linkage with the activities of the private provider readiness partner.

Institutional Strengthening:

• Support the development of appropriate governance structure and infrastructure for LASHMA and HEFAMAA to deliver on their mandate.
• Coordinate organisational development support to HEFAMAA, LASHMA and other relevant state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
• Develop a maturity matrix to track progress of capacity transfer and improvement of partner MDAs as might be necessary.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Master's degree in a relevant field such as Health Economics/Financing, Public Health, Public/Social Policy or a related field.
• The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated technical expert, who is very familiar (through work) with health financing reforms in Nigeria and specifically Lagos State, coupled with excellent analytic, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience that demonstrates expertise in Health Financing (specifically strategic purchasing), organisational capacity strengthening and operations research.
• At least 5 years’ demonstrated experience in implementing health financing/ health insurance programmes at a senior level.
• Proven experience in stakeholder management including ability to lead advocacy, technical and policy engagements with representatives of government and development partners.
• In-depth knowledge of the Nigerian healthcare system and key health system actors.
• Good knowledge of the health system and key actors in Lagos State.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to provide on-the-job capacity building, coaching and facilitation of trainings.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Working knowledge of common statistical software will be an advantage.
• Experience implementing family planning programs will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrable management/leadership skills.