Senior Health Specialist at World Bank

The Senior Health Specialist or Senior (Health) Economist will have the following key responsibilities, inter alia:

•  Lead the teams in policy dialogue, communications and interactions with government counterparts, country stakeholders as well as development partners;
•  Provide implementation support, as needed, to the Bank’s HNP portfolio in West and Central Africa, which includes: (a) several Health system Support Projects aiming at: (i) improving health service delivery and governance; and (ii) responding to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH) needs ; (b) Regional Projects such as REDISSE and Covid-19 emergency response projects; (c) future Investing in Human Capacity strengthening as well as Early Years and Fertility operations;
•  Lead the technical discussions and monitoring of the Bank portfolio in Ghana in close collaboration with the relevant government agencies and development partners in the countries;
•  Develop sector-specific inputs for various operational products/outputs (e.g. sector/country briefings, background reports, portfolio performance reviews, etc.);
•  Produce and review sector-specific policy and other documents on the country;
•  Lead missions of the health team; and
•  Respond to ad hoc tasks and information requests from internal and external parties;
•  Mentor junior staff in the country office as well as in the unit.

The work will be substantive in nature, requiring frequent missions in the field and interactions with various internal and external counterparts. The selected candidate will be based in Accra, Ghana.

• The Senior Health Specialist or Senior (Health) Economist will report to the Practice Manager (Health Nutrition and Population) for West Africa. Based in Accra the selected Senior Health Specialist or Senior Economist will work closely with the respective Task Team Members, from other GPs and the Human Development Program Leader. The Senior Health Specialist or Senior Economist will be subject to all World Bank regulations and guidelines applicable to staff in the respective country office.

Selection Criteria

•  Graduate degrees (Master’s degree required, PhD or equivalent would be an asset) in public health, epidemiology, health economics, health business administration or professional degree (medicine). Candidates without a core qualification in at least one of these domains need not apply. Candidates with combined degrees will have an added advantage.
•  Strong international experience or minimum of 8 years as senior specialist or senior program management positions in one or more of the following areas: health systems, health economics, public health program management, health financing, service delivery, epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, operations research in health, results-based financing. Experience in two or more of these areas is advantageous.
•  Prior experience in an international development institution (public, NGO or private) is preferred. Ability to function effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix environment is essential.
•  A drive for results, including a proven track record of high standards/accountability for work products, meeting deadlines, an ability to prioritize tasks within his/her work program and strategies for working collectively with others on the team to deliver products of the highest caliber.
•  Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
•  Fluency in French and English (excellent oral and written communication skills) is essential, with ability to prepare documents on complex subjects, speak and write persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely.
• In addition to the above, the selected candidate is expected to demonstrate the following WBG core competencies:
•  Integrative Skills – Understands core issues and knows where to get additional expertise when needed.
•  Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Understands policy making process and role of the health sector in that process. Can find relevant information and examine similar policy questions in multiple regions and to distill operationally relevant recommendations and lessons from this analysis for clients.
•  Policy Dialogue Skills – Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings/points of view verbally and through reports and papers.  Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.
•  Client Orientation – Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
•  Drive for Results – Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
•  Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion – Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.