Consultant - Regional Health Financing Strategy

Organizational Context

The WHO African Region faces significant challenges in health financing, with low domestic resource mobilization and declining external aid impacting progress towards Universal Health Coverage. To address this, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) is developing a Regional Health Financing Strategy (RHFS) to guide Member States in strengthening revenue generation, pooling, and purchasing mechanisms for equitable, efficient, and resilient health systems.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to serve as the lead "pen holder" responsible for drafting the Regional Health Financing Strategy (RHFS) for the WHO African Region. This involves consolidating existing evidence and analyses, facilitating discussions with technical experts, and translating policy directions into a coherent and actionable strategy document. The consultant will undertake the primary analytical and drafting work, collaborating with WHO staff who will provide technical input and validation. The ultimate goal is to develop a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy that will be presented to Member States and the Regional Committee, alongside supporting materials for their consultation and adoption.

Responsibilities

The consultant will lead the development of the Regional Health Financing Strategy (RHFS) through four phases. Phase 1 involves reviewing key documents, developing an annotated outline and conceptual framework, and facilitating internal brainstorming sessions. Phase 2 focuses on performing analyses and drafting the full RHFS, incorporating feedback from internal reviews and member state consultations, and preparing draft documents for the Regional Committee. Phase 3 entails supporting external consultations, revising drafts based on feedback, finalizing the RHFS and accompanying materials for publication, and preparing summary documents like an executive summary and policy brief. Phase 4 involves supporting the writing of the regional financial protection report, working closely with AFRO and HQ teams on analysis and monitoring.

Work Experience

Essential: Minimum of 10 years of experience in health financing, health policy development, or health system reform, with demonstrated experience drafting strategic frameworks or policy documents for international/regional bodies. Experience in developing and testing methodologies in country-specific contexts, and a sound understanding of health economics and financing. Desirable: Experience in data analysis, capacity building, a track record of research and publications, and regional experience in the African context.

Skills

Excellent analytical and writing skills; Strong ability to synthesize technical content into policy guidance; Proven facilitation and coordination skills for multi-stakeholder processes; Excellent communication and teamwork abilities; Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English; Knowledge of French is an advantage.

Explore related opportunities