Health Systems Strengthening and Local Government Unit Specialist

Background

Panagora Group is a social enterprise dedicated to providing high-quality, high-impact international development, global health, and learning consulting. We are a dynamic, woman- and employee-owned small business partner focused on market-based and integrated local solutions that strengthen country capacity and independence; and on learning, communications, and technology solutions to accelerate and heighten the impact.

Panagora provides technical and advisory services related to monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning to USAID/Philippines. Under the USAID/Philippines, Pacific Islands, and Mongolia Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Activity (PIMMELA), we are supporting the USAID Office of Health (OH) in conducting a performance evaluation of the Improved Health for Underserved Filipinos: Family Planning and Maternal and Neonatal Health Innovations and Capacity Building Platforms (ReachHealth) Activity.

The ReachHealth Activity is a five-year project that started in December 2018 and aims to strengthen and improve access to critical health services for Filipino families. The project aids Philippine communities to reduce unmet need for family planning services and decrease teen pregnancy and newborn morbidity and mortality. The project focuses its support on geographic areas with the highest health burden, i.e. the highest levels of unmet need for family planning and teenage pregnancy.

Based on the request of USAID OH, PIMMELA will conduct a performance evaluation of the ReachHealth project. The evaluation primarily aims to assess how ReachHealth supported the Philippines in bolstering and improving access to critical health services, reducing unmet need for family planning and decreasing teenage pregnancy. The results of the evaluation will inform USAID next family planning activities and the Government of Philippines on which approaches of ReachHealth can be adopted and scaled up.

Position Summary

Panagora Group seeks a short-term technical consultant to serve as a Health Systems Strengthening / Local Government Unit (HSS/LGU) Specialist for the performance evaluation of the ReachHealth Activity. S/he will serve as a member of the evaluation team, providing technical expertise in evaluating health policy and systems strengthening, organizational effectiveness, including institutionalization, sustainability, management and coordination. S/he will participate in all aspects of the evaluation, including planning, data collection, data analysis and report writing. The evaluation is expected to be carried out between May and October 2024. The position will report to PIMMELA’s Senior M&E Director and will work closely with the performance evaluation team and PIMMELA’s Health Data Management Specialist.

Responsibilities:

· Participate in evaluation team planning, consultative, and briefing meetings with USAID OH and PIMMELA

· Carry out a virtual desk review of existing literature, project documents, and secondary data, and contribute to developing the PowerPoint presentation of initial desk review findings during the design phase debriefing with USAID OH.

· Provide technical inputs on HSS and LGU considerations to the evaluation design and work plan, including the evaluation design matrix, data analysis plan, data collection tools and protocols, and workplan timeline.

· Support in integrating USAID feedback to finalize the evaluation design report

· Contribute to the development of pre-test protocols, data quality assurance workshop, and logistics preparation for personnel involved in data collection, particularly providing HSS and LGU inputs and considerations.

· Participate in data collection by conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions with ReachHealth staff, DOH staff, local government unit officers, service delivery points health care workers, community volunteers, and beneficiaries of health services (women, men, young people)

· Participate in field visits in selected sites to perform spot checks, KIIs/FGDs, observe the FP service delivery/interventions, and conduct client interviews.

· Provide HSS and LGU specific inputs, including analysis and writing, to the evaluation draft report.

· Prepare for and attend the debriefing session with the OH, providing specific inputs where needed

· Attend a consultation forum for results validation with key stakeholders and provide HSS and LGU specific inputs to the PowerPoint for this forum

· Revise the relevant sections of the draft evaluation report to incorporate comments and suggestions from the preliminary results presentation.

· Provide HSS and LGU specific inputs to finalize the final report.

· Contribute to the dissemination of final results through a PowerPoint presentation.

· Participate in learning events to discuss results.

Requirements

· Master’s or PhD degree in a relevant discipline but with a health focus (health, public health and management, economics, public policy, development studies, social sciences)

· Background and at least 8 years’ experience in health systems strengthening and/or health policy

· Experience assessing and/or evaluating health policy and/or health systems

· Experience working with USAID, governmental, private sector, civil society organization (CSO), and non-governmental entities in developing country settings to strengthen health policies and programs/activities

· Experience in strengthening leadership and management on health programs, projects and/or activities.

· Familiarity with health procurement and supply chain management, health financing for UHC, health human resource, health local governance is preferred

· Experience in implementing and/or evaluating health systems strengthening of FP/ARH programs/projects/activities preferred

· Proficient in English

· Good writing skills, specifically technical and evaluation report writing experience

· Experience in conducting USAID evaluations of health programs/activities preferred

· Experience working in the Philippines and/or the Asia/Pacific region