Consultant - Public Financial Management / IFMIS And Health Expenditure Tracking Expert

Organizational Context

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) supports Member States in strengthening health systems for universal health coverage. The Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Department, specifically the Health Financing and Governance (HFG) unit, focuses on areas like health financing policy and public financial management for health. This consultancy is part of a three-year initiative to improve the financing of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Africa.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to provide technical leadership and conceptual guidance to develop a framework for linking Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS) and public financial management (PFM) systems with Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) expenditure tracking in selected African countries. The initiative seeks to strengthen the availability, quality, and use of SRHR expenditure data to inform policy, enhance accountability, and support sustainable financing for SRHR services. The role will involve analyzing national PFM and IFMIS structures, developing a methodology for mapping expenditures to the System of Health Accounts (SHA 2011) framework, and designing a practical expenditure tagging system to identify and classify health and SRHR expenditures within government budget and expenditure systems.

Responsibilities

The consultant will conduct an analytical review of IFMIS and public financial management systems in pilot countries, analyzing charts of accounts, budget classifications, and accounting guidance to identify opportunities and constraints for tracking SRHR expenditures. A key responsibility is developing a conceptual framework for linking IFMIS data to SHA 2011 classifications and designing a practical, multi-level tagging system for health and SRHR expenditures that balances operational feasibility with analytical usefulness. The consultant will also collaborate with an IT consultant to define functional specifications for an automated extraction tool, support the design of workflows, and participate in pilot testing. Finally, the role involves documenting institutional arrangements, data governance, and leading the drafting of technical guidance papers for estimating cross-sectoral health and SRHR expenditures, along with preparing technical notes and supporting dissemination efforts.

Work Experience

A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in public financial management, budgeting systems, government accounting, IFMIS, or expenditure tracking is required. Demonstrated experience working with ministries of finance and/or health on budget analysis, expenditure tracking, or financial reporting systems is essential. Experience conducting analytical reviews of charts of accounts, programme classifications, or public expenditure systems, and proven experience in low- and middle-income countries, preferably in Africa, are also required. Experience with National Health Accounts (NHA) or System of Health Accounts (SHA 2011), and linking PFM systems to sectoral expenditure analysis, is desirable.

Skills

Strong understanding of public financial management systems and government budgeting processes. Excellent analytical and conceptual skills. Ability to translate technical financial information into operational guidance and practical tools. Strong coordination and stakeholder engagement skills. Excellent writing and presentation skills. Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities under tight timelines. Demonstrated ability to work effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams. Excellent command of English (written reports); working knowledge of French is required.

Explore related opportunities