Job Details

Health Specialist/Economist

 Description

The World Bank is a leading multi-lateral institution in global economic development. The bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.

HEALTH, NUTRITION AND POPULATION GLOBAL PRACTICE CONTEXT:

The central contribution of the HNP Global Practice to the World Bank’s twin goals is to enable the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in which all people are effectively covered by essential health services, and nobody suffers undue financial hardship because of illnesses. The HNP Global Practice includes staff members in Washington, DC and many country offices.  The HNP Global Practice works with and across multiple sectors, in recognition of the fact that HNP outcomes often depend on actions that lie outside the HNP sector. The HNP Global Practice supports country and regional efforts to: (i) improve health outcomes, especially for the poor and most vulnerable; (ii) expand access to high-quality HNP services, interventions and technologies that give the most value for money; (iii) strengthen health systems for results; (iv) establish and improve health financing mechanisms that promote efficiency, equity and sustainability of investments; (v) strengthen health-relevant institutions within and outside the health sector; (vi) harness multisectoral policies and investments for better health outcomes; and (vii) develop and learn from rigorous impact evaluations.

AFRICA REGION CONTEXT:

In the Africa Region of the World Bank, there are four units that comprise the Africa HNP practice.  The Africa HNP Practice Managers have joint responsibilities for region wide HNP strategies, and staff work across unit boundaries. HAEH2, covers the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Africa County Management Units, which collectively comprise of thirteen countries and is responsible for a large program of operational and analytical work. The unit is looking a Health Specialist/Economist to be based in Nairobi Kenya. 

Country Context
Currently our work program in Kenya covers various areas including reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), health systems strengthening for UHC, health financing, non-communicable diseases, pandemic preparedness and health emergencies, local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and vaccines among others.  The World Bank current portfolio in Kenya has 3 operations and several analytical products.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The Health Specialist/Economist will report to the Practice Manager (Health, Nutrition and Population) for Eastern and Southern Africa (HAEH2). For day-to-day operational work, the Health Specialist/Economist will support the HNP Task Team in Kenya. The Health Specialist/Economist will be subject to all World Bank regulations and guidelines applicable to staff. The Health Specialist/Economist will make intellectually sound and operationally relevant contributions to the WBG work support on health in Kenya. S/he will have the following main responsibilities:

•Support implementation of World Bank operations at national and county level;
•Play a critical role in the evolving work program of analytical and advisory services related to strengthening capacity for local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and vaccines in Kenya and the East and Southern African region;
•Represent the World Bank at consultation meetings and other activities relevant for the sector;
•Contribute to sector-specific or cross-sectoral inputs for various operational products/outputs (e.g. sector/country briefings, background reports, portfolio performance reviews, etc.); and
•Carry out such tasks as the Practice Manager assigns to support the development of the World Bank’s health portfolio in Kenya.
Specifically, the Health Specialist/Economist will be expected to:
•Provide implementation support, as needed, to the World Bank’s HNP portfolio in Kenya, which includes: (i) Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Program Using the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (HEPRR); (ii) Building Resilient and Responsive Health Systems (BREHS); and (iii) Kenya COVID-19 Health Emergency Project.
•Support the Government of Kenya to monitor and track progress on the implementation of activities under the above indicated projects; identify bottlenecks; and propose remedial actions.   
•Provide technical support to the Government of Kenya and other countries in the region, focusing on regulatory and quality control of pharmaceutical manufacturing and vaccines. 
•Provide technical and implementation support to the Ministry of Health and Counties for the BREHS project and work closely with the Global Financing Facility (GFF) on the country-related support.
• Plan and provide timely reports on all project implementation support missions.
•Contribute towards the design and implementation of analytical work primarily related to pharmaceutical manufacturing in the region and to provide support, as needed, for the Kenya PHC Trust Fund.
The Health Specialist/Economist will work closely with the respective Task Team Leaders from HNP GP and other GPs as well as with staff of the Country Management Unit (CMU).  

Selection Criteria

Applicants must have:
•A bachelor’s degree in medicine or pharmacy or a closely related field, with an advanced degree in Public Health, Global Health, Health Policy or any other relevant discipline;
•A minimum of 5 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Kenya and other countries in the region;
•Strong understanding of regulation and quality control of pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, including aspects related to Good Manufacturing Practices;
•Experiences working with the Government of Kenya at both national and county level;
•Demonstrated ability to lead and function within and across teams in operational and analytical work;
•Excellent written and oral communication. Able to synthesize, analyze, and effectively present material from a wide range of sources; and
•Ability to function well independently and handle multiple tasks, meet changing priorities, and deliver high-quality analysis and work on-time.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

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