NATIONAL POSITION: Health Financing Specialist

The Position:

The Health Financing Specialist post is located at the UNFPA Rwanda Country Office with an overall guidance of the Representative but reports directly to the Deputy Representative with daily engagements with the Head of SRHR Unit and other colleagues.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The Health Financing Specialist post is located at the UNFPA Rwanda Country Office and reports directly to the Deputy Representative with daily engagements with the Head of SRHR Unit and other colleagues. The successful candidate will provide strategic, technical, and programmatic support to the 4-year Strategic Investment Facility funded projects (2022-2025) on “Innovative Health Sector Investment Model for Health Posts to Achieve Universal Health Coverage in Rwanda” and oversight to the Youth Empowerment Accelerator for Health (2023-2025).

The successful candidate will act as the projects’ focal point, ensuring quality and timely implementation of the project’s activities, outreach, and day-to-day liaison with implementing partners, stakeholders, and government partners, while working in an integrated and collaborative manner with the Country Office’s Programme and operations staff.

You would be responsible for:

A.  Policy Analysis, Knowledge Generation, and Innovation

• Support the office in analyzing and interpreting the political, social, and economic environment relevant to innovative financing and in the identification of opportunities for UNFPA partnerships.
• Promote knowledge-sharing by documenting projects best practices and lessons learned and effectively share these with relevant partners to inform programming, policy and advocacy including with the Strategic Investment Facility Unit at UNFPA HQ.
• Ensure that data obtained, and analysis are shared and used to engage local and national governments, as well as regional stakeholders.
• Catalyze and scope for innovative initiatives that enhance programme quality.

Projects Planning, Management and Coordination

• Oversee the implementation of the projects including development of the Annual Work Plans (AWPs) to ensure timely implementation of the projects.
• Participate in the planning and organization of stakeholder meetings and consultations.
• Manage and monitor agreements signed with Implementing Partners to ensure they deliver quality reports on time.
• Closely follow up on budget expenditure and tracking of overall projects delivery within the set timeline and prepare budget revisions, as needed.
• Coordinate and monitor achievement of the AWP activities related to the projects by contributing substantially to the review, data analysis and write up of the narrative and financial reports and provide detailed feedback and edits.
• Provide substantive analysis and summaries to the team leader and senior management on the progress, challenges, and lessons learned regarding major aspects of the projects.
• Guide and facilitate planning activities and report production, review and clearances and participate in the evaluation and documentation of program results.
• Take appropriate actions to optimize use of project funds, financial effectiveness, and accountability of project activities.
• Oversee preparation of relevant briefing and communication materials, position papers, and talking points related to the projects as may be required.
• Coordinate partners involved in SIF projects to ensure successful and timely introduction of innovative financing instruments into the projects.

B. Project Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) function

• Undertakes periodic field visits to monitor and assess programme implementation and decides on required corrective action.
• Initiate costed mid-term and end of term evaluations plans for the projects in liaison with IPs and relevant CO units and ensure quality of evaluations products.

D. Health Financing Partnerships Development and Resource Mobilization

• Manage partnerships with implementing partners to enhance implementation, use and ownership of the information resulting from the projects.
• Support CO efforts for resource mobilization to finance the SDGs, partnership expansion including with the private sector using innovative financing mechanisms.
• Collaborate with partners, to ensure collaborative, mutually reinforcing, and consistent approaches to supporting the government and one UN efforts for promoting Innovative Financing instruments in financing the health sector.
• Coordination of the preparation and execution of the 1000 Health Post in a Land of 1000 Hills Joint Program related activities.
• Establish strategic partnerships and initiate other innovative financing proposals in support of the UNFPA Country Programme in Rwanda.
• Engage private sector stakeholders on the overall sustainable financing of the projects initiative beyond current funding.

F. Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

Master’s degree in Development Studies, Project Management, Economic Studies, Finance, Public Health, Social Sciences, Demography, or other related fields. A professional certification related to Health Financing is an added advantage.

Knowledge and Experience: 

• 5 Years of increasingly responsible professional experience in projects management and development relevant to sexual and reproductive health, gender, population, and development.
• Experience working in projects involving the private sector and promoting access to financing by Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Experience in Result Based Financing projects through a Public Private Partnership required or added advantage.
• Experience working with government, development partners, civil society organizations, private sector, and youth-led organizations, on public health issues including Primary Health Care.
• Proven ability to effectively collaborate with team members to achieve demonstrable results.
• Highly motivated, proactive, able to work independently with proven ability to exercise sound judgment and initiative, working in harmony with people from different backgrounds and cultures.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational and communication skills.
• Familiarity with UNFPA’s mandate, policies and procedures, and experience in programme and/or technical assistance with the UN System and other international development organizations will be an added value advantage.
• Proficiency in current office software applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Languages: 

Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French, is desirable.

Required Competencies: 

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity, 
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system, 
• Embracing cultural diversity, 
• Embracing change

Core Competencies: 

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

Functional Competencies:

• Business acumen
• Implementing management systems
• Innovation and marketing of new approaches
• Client orientation
• Organizational awareness

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.