E T Consultant GFF Country Coordinator at World Bank Group

The World Bank Group (WBG) is the largest provider of development finance and solutions for human development working with high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries to develop country-tailored solutions for human development (HD) under the themes of education, health, social protection, jobs and gender. The HD PG coordinates with other Practice Groups to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to development challenges, and through the World Bank Regional Units is expected to deliver the strongest and most pertinent support to our client countries. 

The Human Development Vice Presidency (HDVP) at the World Bank Group is made up of the Global Practices for education; health, nutrition, and population; and social protection and jobs; additionally, the HDVP houses the gender group.  As such, HD is central to the World Bank Group’s goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and raise shared prosperity. 

The primary challenges of health development relate to health, nutrition, and demographic transitions, through an agile short-term response, and a sustainable and inclusive longer-term response that tackles inequitable opportunities and outcomes in the health sector globally, regionally and within countries.  The fundamental challenge is to preempt, prevent and mitigate the developmental impact of these challenges now and into the future.  Specific challenges include: providing equitable, efficient, accountable and sustainable financing of health coverage; providing equitable, quality, appropriate and scaled-up delivery of priority public health services according to need; mobilizing the appropriate quantity and quality of key health systems inputs related to health workers, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare technology and facilities; and strengthening models of governance for the health sector that recognize core functions for government, responsibilities/accountability of key actors and enhance competencies for governance across levels (local, national, regional and global) and sectors (public/private/civil society, as well as government sectors such as education, transport, social protection, etc.).

Health, Nutrition & Population Global Practice  

The World Bank Group (WBG) supports countries’ efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and to provide quality, affordable health services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay by strengthening primary health care systems and reducing the financial risks associated with ill health and increasing equity. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health 

The HNP Global Practice is led by a Global Director, who has overall responsibility for the GP. 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.  Accordingly, a capacity to work across GP boundaries, forge coalitions and influence multi-practice solutions are essential for achieving the major objectives of improving HNP outcomes.

Unit Context

Global Financing Facility Context
 
The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) is a multi-stakeholder global partnership housed at the World Bank that is committed to ensuring all women, children and adolescents can survive and thrive. Launched in July 2015, the GFF supports 36 low and lower-middle income countries with catalytic financing and technical assistance to develop and implement prioritized national health plans to scale up access to affordable, quality care for women, children, and adolescents. The GFF also works with countries to maximize the use of domestic financing and external support for better, more sustainable health results. The GFF is squarely focused on prioritizing and scaling up evidence-driven investments to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition through targeted strengthening of primary health care systems to save lives and as a critical first step toward accelerating progress on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The GFF has pioneered a shift from traditional development approaches to a more sustainable way forward where governments lead and bring global partners together to support a prioritized, costed national plan. Through this partnership, the GFF aims to mobilize additional funding through the combination of grants from a dedicated multi-donor trust fund (the GFF Trust Fund), financing from International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the crowding in of additional domestic and external resources. To date, the GFF has mobilized more than $2.5 billion in trust fund resources.  This approach and these resources have catalyzed high-impact investments for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition in the world’s most vulnerable countries. More information is available at: www.globalfinancingfacility.org

The GFF partnership is led by the GFF Director; the day-to-day management of the GFF team is the responsibility of the GFF Practice Manager. The GFF secretariat, which is based at the World Bank and is situated in the HNP Global Practice, works to deliver on the GFF objectives. This includes working with countries to develop quality investment cases, managing the GFF Trust Fund, technical assistance to regional teams, and support to the GFF Investors Group, the governance mechanism for the GFF.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Investment Case Development and Costing

• Ensuring that stakeholder and key constituencies participation in the GFF process is facilitated in a process that is transparent and timely. 

• Supporting the Government Focal Point in developing a stakeholder mapping and ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are reflected.
• Supporting the Government to develop and track the implementation of the roadmap for the preparation of the Investment Case 
• Supporting the Government in convening the Country Platform meetings to develop and review the Investment Case prior to finalization and producing minutes with time-bound action plans.
• Helping to organize and support the implementation of the various pieces of analytical work that will be required for the Investment Case, including supporting World Bank missions, as needed. 
• Liaising with the GFF Secretariat Focal Point to identify technical expertise that may not be available in-country for the development of the Investment Case 
• Helping with the quality assurance of the Investment Case document, as needed 
• Identifying high-level champions that could provide political support for the Investment Case 

Investment Case Implementation 

• Supporting the GFF Government Focal point in leading a systematic process to periodically assess the validity, progress and outcomes of the priorities and reform processes of the investment case
• Aid the GFF government Focal point to map IC sub-activities and details of which actors (govt, partners) have committed to carrying those out, and tracking the advancement of the implementation plan. 
• Supporting the Government in convening the platform meetings (including making sure their participation from the full range of stakeholders) and producing minutes with time bound action points in support of the IC
• Monitoring progress of activities of the IC on a quarterly basis, through development and regular updating of a dashboard and communication with relevant actors (govt, partners).
• Working with the Government to monitor government expenditures with respect to IC and annual operational plan priorities. In this work, the consultant may be supported by a public financial management consultant.
• Supporting the GFF Government Focal Point in finalizing the Investment Case Results Framework and updating it when necessary.
• Support institutionalization resource mapping, costing and expenditure tracking using the RMET and help disseminate results.

Country Platform Functionality and Alignment

• Supporting the Government to identify and/or form a country platform in countries that are joining the GFF and ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are well informed about the GFF purpose and process. 
• Identify high level, technical and subnational country platform forums for decision making on resource allocation, tracking and course-correction for IC implementation at national and subnational levels, as appropriate by health system governance structures.
• Helping the government to iteratively map resources and stakeholder investments to support better alignment of the budget, monitoring frameworks and plans.
• Integrate monitoring of the IC with broader health sector and multisectoral, as appropriate, reviews. 
• Conducting meetings with financiers/donors/civil society/other stakeholders if needed to ensure alignment and secure additional financing for priorities over time.
• Identifying and developing opportunities to advance alignment, including through application of validated diagnostics and tools

Country Communications

• Producing and disseminating communication materials (e.g., newsletter, country brochure/factsheet) to ensure that all stakeholders are well informed of the GFF purpose and process in-country.
• Participate in biannual multi-media missions
• Produce and update a 2-page overview of GFF engagement and support in country

Support for GFF +/- World Bank processes and programs

• Support GFF Focal Point to ensure effective and timely use of BETF resources for IC development, implementation and monitoring.
• Organize meetings with partners for GFF Secretariat and WB staff involved in the GFF to improve coordination and communication on priority programs.
• Support WB Country office and Task Team Leads in their stewardship function in support of GFF co-financing, as requested.
• Provide technical assistance to the Government on key areas relevant to the GFF portfolio, as appropriate.
• Production of standardized periodic communications material of GFF activities in country for external stakeholders
• Compilation of GFF related communications material in country

Selection Criteria

• Minimum Education/Work Experience: Master’s Degree in a field revenant to the work of the GFF (e.g., Public Health, Public Administration, Economics, Health Economics or any other relevant field). At least 5 years of work experience in RMNCAHN-G and/or health systems strengthening or other areas that requires strong results-focus and coordination of stakeholders
• Demonstrated experience in effective coordination and stakeholder engagement, including government, donors, development partners, civil society, youth and the private sector. 
• Proven leadership skills, including ability to; identify opportunities for leverage; foster collaboration, trust and accountability; serve in a representational role and support administrative and convening processes
• Strong organizational skills with ability to multitask and prioritize actions with attention to detail.
• Basic ability to analyze data to advocate for evidence information decision-making, identify outliers, develop data-driven plans of action, etc.
• Proficiency with problem-solving including risk identification and management, conflict management, negotiation.
• Strong communication skills, written and verbal (in English and local working language) with an ability to adapt information for different audiences to convey project goals, objectives and operations and convey messages diplomatically.
• Knowledge of GFF-related systems in the country (e.g., health, social protection, education, etc.)
• Experience working in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health/nutrition or health financing would be an asset 
• Experience with or understanding of GFF and/or World Bank operations would be an asset.
• Knowledge of IT programs used for data collection, analysis and visualization would be an asset