OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Health Financing Specialist will have responsibility for strengthening health financing mechanisms and capacity for financial planning and sustainable management systems and improving data use for decision-making and policy formulation. The Health Financing Specialist will assist the MSPP and Departmental directorates to ensure operational planning and ensuring timely implementation by decentralizing accountability and streamlining certain financial procedures. He/ She will then support Haiti’s efforts for long-term financial sustainability by helping MSPP departments finance their strategic plans by developing proposals for direct or “basket-funding” opportunities.

The health financing specialist would specifically focus her/his level of efforts on the costing of the PSP in MSPP facilities in “targeted areas”. S/he would provide technical support to SDSH Financial and Technical staff at department level to perform the data collection process, input the data into CORE Plus and analyse the data. In addition, s/he would involve the MSPP in this costing activity and support the MSPP in developing a National Health Care Financing Strategy. Upon request from the MSPP s/he would be part of health financing activities carried out by the MSPP, i.e., national health account exercise. S/he would also coordinate further economic evaluation studies based on costing data gathered during costing exercises.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Support the MSPP to set up a Performance Based Contracting Unit that will manage the PBF contracts between the MSPP and the Departmental Directorates,
2. Provide technical assistance to the MSPP in the design and implementation of a National Health Care Financing Strategy including diverse resource mobilization mechanisms for the health system, provider payment mechanisms and other key health financing activities, e.g., National Health Account, Sector Wide Approach framework
3. Analyze systematically the interface between MSPP financial flows and GOH-allocated resources at the department and service delivery point levels;
4. Design mechanisms to overcome inefficiencies that arise when management decisions are made without full understanding of financial resource flows.
5. Work with the GOH to conduct and use cost revenue analysis for planning by providing technical assistance to the GOH to carry out studies and analyses, including a cost analysis and an assessment of the private sector’s potential to contribute to health care financing;
6. Work with the Ministry of Health and Departments to implement mechanisms to generate, plan, manage and be accountable for funds;
7. Support financial management of national and departmental directorates management teams aligned with the Public Financial Management agenda that the Ministry of Finance developed,
8. Provides step-by-step instructions for conducting a financial management assessment, developing consensus on needed improvements, and integrating recommendations into work plans;

The Health financing specialist responsibilities will evolve over time as the scope and activities in the field expand.

EXPECTED OUTPUT

1. Documentation to set up the PBF contracting Unit in MSPP (concept paper and work plan)
2. Costing / Health Financing Work plan until June 2012
3. Unit cost of most common PSP services in a sample of MSPP Health Facilities in targeted areas
4. Concept paper on piloting capitation system in MSPP Health Facilities
5. TOR of a working group within MSPP in charge of developing the National Health Care Financing Strategy
6. Outline of the National Health Care Financing Strategy
7. TOR of one Economic Evaluation Study of health programs or interventions to serve decision making in public health area and based on costing results

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Health professional degree-level training and a Masters degree in Health Policy, Planning and Financing/Masters degree in Public Health in Developing Countries is strongly preferred.
2. At least five years of experience and progressively increasing responsibility in the area of health care financing related to health care service delivery, particularly at the primary health care level in developing countries.
3. Strong track record in managing operations and coordinating people, agencies and resources through a task network
4. Experience in USAID-funded health projects, particularly with HIV/AIDS programs, is highly desirable.
5. Strong interpersonal skills are required.
6. Strong drafting skills are required.
7. Fluency in reading, writing and speaking English
8. Fluency in reading and speaking French.
9. Experience in LAC is required, experience in Haiti is desirable.