Indonesia: Australia Indonesia Partnership for Health Systems Strengthening - Program Technical Specialist

Australia Indonesia Partnership for Health System Strengthening
Position Description: Program Technical Specialist

Background

AusAID leads the Australian Government’s aid program to Indonesia, which is largely delivered from AusAID’s Country Office in Jakarta. In 2011-12 AusAID will provide $510 million in support to Indonesia. The aid program is guided by the Australia–Indonesia Partnership Country Strategy 2008–13, which has identified priority areas of infrastructure, education, health, governance and disaster management.

AusAID’s current engagement in the health sector in Indonesia is well targeted to assist Indonesia to meet its Millennium Development Goal targets. AusAID support includes a focus on maternal and neonatal health, HIV/AIDS and emerging infectious diseases (animal health and human health) programs. Globally, there is renewed recognition of the importance of strengthening health systems, including through development assistance, to complement vertical disease-based programs.

The Australian Indonesia Partnership for Health Systems Strengthening (AIPHSS)

The AIPHSS was developed jointly with the Indonesian Ministry of Health to address some of the systemic challenges that hinder the delivery of better primary health care for the poor, in order to meet the challenge of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It has a specific focus on addressing health workforce and health financing issues that constrain access to quality primary health services and appropriate referral for the poor.

The AIPHSS program will be delivered through two components: first, through grant funding to the national Ministry of Health for implementation of national, provincial and district activities and coordinated by a Program Management Unit within the Ministry of Health; and second, through an Implementing Services Provider (ISP) contracted by AusAID.

The Ministry of Health grant will be based on annual workplans developed by districts, provinces and technical units within national Ministry of Health. The ISP will support the Ministry of Health through the provision of technical assistance and training and will be a flexible resource to respond to emerging health policy and systems issues.

The ISP will also channel support to a Health Policy Network of Indonesian and regional health systems research and policy organisations to produce and communicate evidence for policy on health care for the poor, including from the AIPHSS itself and to provide technical assistance where requested. In addition the ISP will establish and manage a Civil Society Challenge Fund to support activities of key non-government organisations working to ensure health policy and systems prioritise access to services for the poor.

The Program Manager in the Ministry of Health has responsibility for overall management of the program including the ISP component. All plans and activities will be approved by an oversighting Technical Working Group and Program Steering Committee led by the Ministry of Health.

The Program Technical Specialist

AusAID is seeking to engage an experienced and highly motivated person to fill the role of Program Technical Specialist (PTS) for the AIPHSS program.

The PTS will be directly contracted by AusAID, and AusAID will be responsible for managing their overall performance in coordination with the Ministry of Health.

This position will be a two-year contract with possible up to two-year extension subject to satisfactory performance, will which be reviewed through an annual 360° performance assessment administered by AusAID, and the Ministry of Health.

Location and reporting structure

The PTS will be located in the AIPHSS Program Management Unit in the Ministry of Health, Jakarta and will report to the Program Manager leading that unit.

Roles and responsibilities

The PTS will be responsible for providing technical advice and support primarily to the Program Manager in the planning and implementation of the AIPHSS program.

The program will require consistent, high-level technical inputs and liaison between Ministry of Health counterparts in several technical divisions, universities, civil society and development partners. It is necessary that the PTS presents a clear and consistent position on primary health care policy and health system strengthening for the poor.

The PTS role involves facilitating further communication and collaboration between the national and subnational levels of government to support policy and program outcomes relevant to AIPHSS, and will support the Program Management Unit in ensuring that ISP inputs meet the needs of the program participants at the national, provincial and district levels. This will involve significant periods of time visiting the provinces and districts in which the program will be operating.

Duties will include the following:

Assisting the Program Manager in coordination and presentation of workplans and progress reports to the Technical Working Group and to the Program Steering Committee for approval

Ensuring annual workplans are aligned with the Ministry of Health’s priorities and consistent with AIPHSS objectives and international best practice

Providing international best practice technical advice on health systems strengthening to the Ministry of Health at the national, provincial and district level and supporting Ministry of Health to identify and apply innovative ways to improve their health systems

Assisting the Program Manager to identify additional assistance required to facilitate the effective operation of the program governance and management bodies

Ensuring that activities delivered by the ISP and Program Management Unit are consistent and mutually reinforcing, and monitoring and providing feedback to the ISP on technical assistance to ensure that it meets program needs

Supporting the Program Manager in liaison with the AIPHSS Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in relation to program performance and absorption of grant funds

Assisting and mentoring staff.

It is acknowledged that no individual technical specialist will have expertise to address all issues that will arise through the AIPHSS. The PTS will therefore be able to commission additional support directly from the ISP following consultation with and agreement of the Program Manager. This support will need to be separately identified in quarterly reporting, with the PTS and Program Manager providing the oversight and performance reporting on these inputs to the program.

The PTS will not represent AusAID in dialogue and decision making with the Government of Indonesia. AusAID will be separately and directly represented in all AIPHSS governance structures and decision-making with the Government of Indonesia and stakeholders to ensure policy consistency and a suitable level of representation with those stakeholders. This is especially important if the scope of the program changes, or resourcing needs to be increased where implementation is accelerated.

Selection criteria

Essential:

(i) Demonstrated skills and experience in delivering effective technical advice to partner governments in the area of health system strengthening as part of a bilateral and/or multilateral development assistance program in a low or middle income country.

(ii) Demonstrated ability to support development programming to deliver on improved health outcomes for the poor, including knowledge of and skills to translate health analytics and global best practice in health system strengthening into effective interventions to support health system reform in low and middle income countries.

(iii) Previous experience in the formulation of health policy and health sector reform initiatives.

(iv) Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Desirable:
(v) Excellent spoken and written Bahasa Indonesia.

(vi) Advance university qualification in health financing, health systems or health workforce issues, or related area or equivalent experience.

Remuneration

Remuneration will be in accordance with the AusAID Adviser Remuneration Framework professional discipline/job level C3. Further information on the Adviser Remuneration Framework can be found on the AusAID website: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/Publications/Pages/3994_1809_6357_1618_6763.aspx