LHSS Namibia-Senior Strategic Purchasing Advisor, Windhoek, Namibia 28 views0 applications

Background

The LHSS Project is USAID’s flagship initiative in integrated health systems strengthening, with a goal to help low- and middle- income countries transition to sustainable, self-financed health systems as a means to support universal health coverage. The project will support country-level efforts to reduce financial barriers to health care, ensure equitable access to essential health services for all people, and improve the quality of health care. Equally important, it will equip host countries to sustain progress after the project ends. It will do so by ensuring that local institutions and organizations have the technical capacity and expertise to independently design, implement, and manage continued health system strengthening activities.

Opportunity

Abt Global seeks a qualified Senior Strategic Purchasing Advisor for the USAID-funded Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) Namibia Activity. In Namibia, the LHSS project supports the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) and other stakeholders to advance holistic, long-term sustainability planning. The LHSS Namibia Activity works with stakeholders to raise the profile of health financing in the MOHSS and across the Government of the Republic of Namibia (GRN); revitalize technical working groups and multisectoral platforms; and strengthen the MOHSS’s capacity to use evidence to prioritize investments. Key areas of technical support to the MOHSS and GRN stakeholders include benefits packaged design and costing, resource allocation, health priority setting, and private sector engagement.

The Senior Strategic Purchasing Advisor will support the MOHSS to implement the social contracting demonstration project and to assess additional opportunities for strategic purchasing.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Strategic Purchasing Advisor will have the following duties and responsibilities:

Provide technical support to the MOHSS to implement the social contracting demonstration project.

• Assess opportunities available to the MOHSS to further implement strategic purchasing to realize greater efficiencies in health spending.
• Work in close collaboration with the Policy and Planning Directorate, the Directorate of Finance and Logistics, the Directorate of Primary Healthcare, and the Directorate of Special Programs within the MOHSS to contract civil society organizations for the provision of selected health services at community level.
• Provide support to the MOHSS to manage the implementation of the social contracting demonstration project, including implementation oversight, the review of regular reports, processing of payments and the conclusion of the contracts, including the systematization of lessons learned and best practices.
• After the conclusion of the demonstration project, compile results and make recommendations on improvements for the tools, processes and procedures used for social contracting.
• Work with the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises to develop standard operating procedures for social contracting, which can be used by all government ministries.
• Throughout his/her interactions with the MOHSS and the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises, strengthen the capacity of the government counterparts, ensuring consistent transfer of skills and expertise. eZZZXi5 BVUcJh
• Assess the current purchasing arrangements to identify possible entry points for strategic purchasing and develop recommendations for the implementation of the prioritized strategic purchasing options to enable the MOHSS to realize greater efficiencies in its purchasing function.
• Facilitate effective coordination and communication with other key stakeholders, such as USAID, ensuring alignment on key issues relating to strategic purchasing and public financial management.

Skills/experience Required

The Senior Strategic Purchasing Advisor is expected to have the following qualifications and experience:

Master’s Degree (minimum) in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Public Financial Management or other relevant field.

• At least 15 years of relevant professional experience in managing progressively complex health systems strengthening, strategic management, and international development programs in the health sector.
• Experience in working with USAID programs is preferred (but not required).
• Recognized expertise in strategic purchasing, with practical experience in implementing social contracting with civil society organizations. Demonstrated experience in capacity strengthening and provision of technical assistance.
• Proven track record of working effectively with government counterparts at various levels.
• Substantial middle-income country experience, combining health systems strengthening and broad competencies in health financing, capacity strengthening, and other functions.
• Demonstrated leadership and management skills and ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary, multicultural teams.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with USAID, Global Fund, ministry officials, and other development partners and a proven track record of interacting with other projects, high-level host country governments and international agencies.