Stop TB Partnership –TB Financing Advisor, Kazakhstan

UNOPS hosts the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership (STBP) Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. The vision of the STBP is to realize the goal of elimination of tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem and, ultimately, to obtain a world free of TB by ensuring that every TB patient has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure; stopping transmission of TB; reducing the inequitable social and economic toll of TB; and developing and implementing new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools and strategies. The STBP is uniquely positioned to support the development and further implementation by partners of the Global Plan to End TB, acting as a coordinator and catalyst for the broad range of partners engaged in the fight against TB.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National TB Program (NTP) of Kazakhstan are implementing important transformations in the TB care delivery system in order to expand people-centered approaches, improve the service performance and increase efficiency. While the Government is committed to allocate substantial financial resources for TB prevention and care, the ongoing structural reforms in the health care system, in particular, implementation of the mandatory health insurance, require further improvements in the financial planning, allocation and provider payment mechanisms, in order to ensure efficient and high-quality TB services.

The objectives of the USAID-funded technical assistance project in Kazakhstan are to: support the NTP in the expansion of DR-TB interventions; identify programmatic gaps and assist in bridging them through the provision of coordinated technical expertise; improve effectiveness and coordination in the implementation of the Global Fund grants; and facilitate resource mobilization for TB control.

Under the guidance of UNOPS / STBP’s Team Leader, Country and Community Support for Impact, and in close coordination with USAID, the Advisor will provide strategic guidance and technical support to the NTP in the implementation of innovative approaches, regulations and practices related to financing, allocation and provider payment mechanisms in TB care. The Advisor will also support the NTP in identifying key programmatic gaps that require additional technical support and in ensuring the effective and coordinated implementation of the relevant components of the Global Fund TB project.

The Advisor will undertake the following functions:

• Inform the NTP and partner agencies working in TB field on the up-to-date evidence, innovations and international best practices in health financing, allocation and provider payments; and provide other relevant capacity building support as required.
• Support the NTP in mapping the key systemic challenges and programmatic gaps in the provision of patient-centered TB care, related to financial arrangements, service delivery systems and health system resources. In collaboration with USAID and other partners, identify the ways for bridging these gaps through provision of additional technical expertise in priority areas.
• Provide strategic advice and technical expertise in the design and implementation of new approaches and compensation schemes for provider payments for TB and Drug Resistant TB cases in line with the criteria set by the Mandatory Health Insurance Fund;
• Lead and coordinate the development of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) for different categories of TB cases treated, including cost recovery modeling and forecasting for medical facilities at different levels of care;
• Provide technical support for piloting the new mechanisms, including those for outpatient treatment and case management of TB and DR-TB patients;
• Advise on upgrading the management information system to accommodate for the new financing and allocation mechanisms in TB services with appropriate linkages to programmatic performance and quality improvement;
• Guide the NTP in monitoring and evaluation of the innovative interventions, documenting and disseminating the good practices and lessons learned;
• Facilitate effective communication on and coordination of the health system strengthening interventions for TB across the national stakeholders and international partners: USAID and its subcontractors, the Global Fund, WHO, the World Bank and others.

The primary point of contact for the Advisor in the country will be the Director of the National Scientific Center for Phthisiopulmonology (NSCP) in Almaty. The Advisor shall work in close cooperation with and receive support from her/his point of contact, other officers of the NTP and the STBP’s resident TB Advisor in Kazakhstan, as well as USAID TB team officers at the Regional Mission in Almaty and in Washington. The Advisor shall develop written plans of activities with specific deliverables in cooperation with the national counterparts and above officers.

The duty station for the assignment is Almaty, Kazakhstan. In agreement with the NTP, the Advisor will be based at the NSCP. She/he will undertake duty travel in-country and abroad, as required.

Track record of economic analyses in health care, development and implementation of payment schemes and mechanisms for health care provider institutions.

Experience in implementation of health insurance is highly desirable.

Experience working with disease control programs, in particular in financial aspects of TB programs, in Eastern European and Central Asian countries is a strong asset.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA) 
Contract level: IICA-3 (ICS11 - P4 equivalent)
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

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With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.