Community Health Systems Consultant

The 3MDG Fund places a special emphasis on health systems strengthening and has been contributing to the Ministry of Health and Sports (MoHS) efforts to develop a more effective and responsive health system. One of the priorities of Myanmar’s National Health Plan (NHP) 2017-2021 is extending service delivery to communities.  This will be done through a combination of outreach and community-based services.  As planned in the MoHS’s NHP Annual Operational Plan (AOP), a number of activities will be undertaken to develop a comprehensive, institutionalized approach to the Village-based Health Workforce including development of the national policy.  The 3MDG Fund will be contributing to the MoHS efforts by supporting some of the AOP activities through this consultancy.

Myanmar is one of UNOPS leading offices in Asia, acting as fund manager for three of the largest development programmes in the country, namely the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG), the Livelihood and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) and the Joint Peace Fund (JPF). Also, UNOPS Myanmar is Principal Recipient for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Myanmar and Cambodia, and for the Global Fund¹s Regional Artemisinin-resistance Initiative targeting drug-resistant malaria in the Greater Mekong sub-region. UNOPS provides procurement, infrastructure and project management services to a wide range of organisations in the country, including the Government of Myanmar, international development partners, other UN agencies, NGOs and INGOs. UNOPS Myanmar plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG) supports the provision of health services in Myanmar and contributes towards the country’s efforts to achieve the three health-related Millennium Development Goals. These goals include reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, and health systems strengthening.

This consultancy will support implementation of activities from the MoHS’s Annual Operational Plan focusing on extending service delivery to communities through Village-based Health Workers (VBHWs).

Activities and tasks may include:

1) Conducting a situational analysis to better understand different VBHW arrangements in place (based on selected regions which represent various contexts in Myanmar).  This may involve a combination of:

-  desk review of relevant documents,

-  interviews with MoHS staff at central and sub-national levels;

- interviews with partners with significant experience of implementing community-based programs;

-  workshops at State / Region level;

-  use of data gathered through other related assessments and processes (e.g. Inclusive Township Health Planning assessments and processes; costing for the Essential Package of Health Services, etc.)

- field visits to areas where health services are provided by VBHWs and interviews with VBHWs and basic health staff. 3-5 field visits may be conducted to selected regions in Myanmar which represent various contexts in Myanmar.  

2) Developing options how community-based services can complement outreach and facility-based services in different contexts (e.g. hard-to-reach areas, or areas where a range of actors provide services or support, including EHOs, NGOs, etc.)

3) Reviewing operational, financing, governance and regulatory implications under each option.

4) Others, as defined by 3MDG’s Fund Management Office in consultation with the MoHS.

The outputs of these activities are expected to feed into the development of the national policy for Village-based Health Workforce.  

a.     Education

• Master's Degree in public health, health policy or a related field is required.  Additional two years of similar experience with a Bachelor’s Degree is considered as equivalent.

b.     Experience

• A minimum of 7 years' relevant experience in a field related to implementation, monitoring and evaluation of health programs, is required.
• Demonstrated Ability to conduct independent research and analysis, identify issues, analyze options and recommend solutions would be an asset.
• Extensive knowledge and experience in community-based programming in different countries is required.
• Experience of working in Myanmar (particularly in hard-to-reach areas) and familiarity with the National Health Plan would be a great advantage.

• Excellent communication and report writing skill in English is required, evidence by published academic articles and/or program reports.
• Experience in qualitative research methods is desirable.

c.      Language

• Fluency in English is required.

• 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.
• 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 supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

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