E T Consultant - World Bank in Nairobi

Job Title: E T Consultant

Job #131041
Job FamilyHealth, Nutrition & Population
Job Type Consultant
GradeEC2
LocationNairobi, Kenya
Recruitment TypeLocal Hire
Language RequirementEnglish [Essential]; Kiswahili [Desired]

Background / General description:

The health sector in Kenya is going through a major transformation with the proposed devolution and changing epidemiological situation. Kenya has managed to reverse the declining trends in health outcomes faced since 2007 and also made notable gains in reducing child mortality. However, maternal mortality remains high. Further, the burden of non-communicable diseases is increasing and Kenya has higher mortality rates due to non-communicable diseases compared to global average (624 vs. 573 deaths per 100,000 population). Over half of hospital admissions in Kenya are due to non-communicable diseases.

Private sources contribute over a third of total health expenditure, with significant out of pocket expenditure, which is inefficient and inequitable. It is estimated that annually over one million Kenyans slip below poverty due to health related expenditure. Total health expenditure increased by nearly 50% in absolute terms, from Kshs.82.2 billion (US$1,046 million) in 2001 to Kshs.122.9 billion (US$1,620 million) by 2009.

However, Kenya is still not able to get the best value for the resources being spent on health due to several factors. While low Government spending on healthcare remains an important concern, the available resources are not being optimally used due to: (a) inequitable resource allocation (favoring hospitals and curative care); (b) inefficiencies in the public health system that adversely affect the poor; (c) huge out-of-pocket expenditure; (d) significant off- budget support from partners focusing on few diseases; and (d) the inability of social safety-nets to provide risk pooling for indigent populations.

World Bank’s current engagement in the Health Sector
The World Bank has been working closely with the health sector through several operations, including specific projects and sector-wide operations. The Bank’s current portfolio in the health sector has three active operations. The Kenya Health Sector Support Program is supporting nation-wide reforms to improve the delivery of Kenya essential package of health services. Jointly financed by Government of Kenya and the Danish International Development Agency, the program provides direct cash transfers to facility committees of primary health facilities to enhance the community ownership and decentralized use of resources for providing quality health services responsive to local needs. Improved efficiency and transparency in supply of essential medicines by moving away from current push to a pull system of commodity supply is another reform supported under this program. Some new initiatives to improve the performance and accountability of the health systems are also being tested. The Total War Against AIDS operation is supporting government’s efforts to provide well integrated cross-sector response to HIV prevention actively involving civil society. The East Africa Public Health Laboratory Networking Project is helping to strengthen the health systems in improving access to quality diagnostic services with priority focus on infectious diseases and cross border outbreak response by networking laboratories in the East Africa Region.

Future Direction:
Building on past achievements and current activities health, nutrition and population in Kenya, the Bank is in
the process of scaling-up its engagements in the health sector to support ongoing efforts to finalize the health
financing strategy which provides the overarching framework for the sector. In addition, Bank team is working
with the IFC to support the scale-up of performance based financing, including the feasibility of using this approach to contract with private sector. The Bank will also support the ongoing initiatives to design and implement universal health coverage, with a focus on the indigent population as envisioned in the sessional paper on universal health coverage. Finally, meeting the aspirations of Kenya’s new constitution to devolve the health systems requires considerable effort and technical cooperation. Providing such support remains a high priority for the Bank during the next 3 years.

The World Bank’s health team for Kenya includes two persons based in the Kenya Country Office in Nairobi, in addition to staff in Washington DC. The World Bank seeks to hire a Health Economist (on a locally recruited Extended Term Consultant (ETC) appointment for one year, subject to renewal for an additional one final year) with emphasis on the future directions outlined above.
The Health Economist will make intellectually sound and operationally relevant contributions to the World Bank’s work support on health in Kenya. S/he will have the following main responsibilities as a member of the World Bank’s health team:

• provide technical assistance to finalize the health financing strategy for Kenya, working closely with other partners engaged in the process;
• work with Kenyan government counterparts and partner institutions on the design and scale-up of performance based financing (PBF) innovations proposed under the Health Results Innovation Trust Fund.
• Facilitate application of PBF principles in contracting the private sector to make facilities built under the constituency development fund, jointly with the IFC ;
• work with government counterparts and other stakeholders to design and implement the health insurance program for the indigent population;
• support studies to assess the impact of new initiatives supported under the Health Results Innovation Trust Fund;
• facilitate the ongoing support being provided to devolution by the health and PREM teams, including sharing experiences;
• ensure effective coordination and engagement with Government counterparts, development partners and other key stakeholders, and provide the team with regular progress updates on emerging issues;
• plan, conduct and provide timely reports on program supervision; provide supervision
• support policy dialogue with the Ministry of health, counties and other stakeholders;
• represent the World Bank at donor coordination and consultation meetings, and other activities relevant for the sector;
• carry out any other business functions as needed by the team and its managers.

Duties and Responsibilities

The work will be substantive in nature, requiring frequent interaction with counterparts in government, within both the Human Development Sector Unit and Country Management Unit, and across operational units and sectors.
The Health Economist will report to the Sector Manager (Health Nutrition and Population) for Eastern and Southern Africa. For day-to-day work on analytical or operational programs, the Health Economist will be guided by the respective Task Team Leaders. S/he will work closely with the Human Development Sector Leader for Kenya, who is also based in Nairobi. The Health Economist will be subject to all World Bank regulations and guidelines applicable to staff in the Kenya Country Office.

Selection criteria
Advanced university degrees (PhD or equivalent preferred, Master's acceptable) in health economics, health financing, or business administration. Candidates without a core qualification in at least one of these domains need not apply. Combinations such as MD+PhD or MD + MSc are advantageous.
• Minimum of 5 years in senior analyst, senior specialist or program management positions in one or more of the following areas: health economics, results-based financing, service delivery, health systems, designing or managing health insurance programs, or operations research. Experience in two or more of these areas is advantageous. Prior experience in an international development institution (public, NGO or private) is preferred.
• Capacity to build coalitions and influence sensitive decisions with tact. Ability to work in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues. Ability to function effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix environment

Required Competencies
• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills - Possesses a demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs; understands underlying statistical concepts.

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Understands policy making process; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.

• Policy Dialogue Skills - Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders.

• Integrative Skills - Working to develop an integrated view across all facets of current sector.

• Technical and Quantitative Skills as an Applied Development Microeconomist (HD) - Has experience in conducting independent research and analytical work related to: (i) human development economics, (ii) policy design for anti-poverty strategies; (iii) risk and vulnerability; (iv) monitoring and evaluation of government programs.

• Client Orientation - Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.

• Drive for Results - Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization to do so.

• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.

• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner. Strong communication skills, verbal and written, in English. Fluency in Kiswahili is an advantage but not mandatory

• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work

How to Apply:
http://web.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=8454041&piPK=8454059&theSitePK=8453353&JobNo=131041&contentMDK=23158967&order=descending&sortBy=job-req-num&location=NBO&menuPK=8453611&JobType=Consultant&JobGrade=EC2

Deadline:12/05/2013