Organization: Global Health Fellows Program
Country: United States of America
Closing date: 07 Sep 2015
Global Health Fellows Program II
Technical Advisor II: HIV/AIDS Costing Advisor
Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Reporting Division, Office of HIV/AIDS, Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
Location: Arlington, VA
Duration: Two year fellowship
GHFP-II-P4-167
The Global Health Fellows Program (**GHFP-II**) is a five year cooperative agreement implemented and managed by the Public Health Institute in partnership with Global Health Corps, GlobeMed, Management Systems International and PYXERA Global. GHFP-II is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
GHFP-II’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of USAID health programs by addressing the Agency’s immediate and emerging human capacity needs. The program seeks to accomplish this goal first through the recruitment, placement and support of diverse health professionals at the junior, mid and senior levels. These program participants include fellows, interns, corporate volunteers and Foreign Service National professionals. The program then provides substantial performance management and career development support to participants, including annual work planning assistance, and ensures that professional development opportunities are available.
Looking to the future, GHFP-II also seeks to establish a pool of highly-qualified global health professionals that will ensure the Agency’s ongoing technical leadership and effectiveness. This objective is supported by an extensive outreach program that brings global health opportunities and specialized career advice to a diverse range of interested individuals, with a particular focus on those underrepresented in the field of global health.
BACKGROUND:
The United States Government (USG) has made the fight against HIV/AIDS a top priority, not only for humanitarian reasons, but because the HIV/AIDS crisis threatens the prosperity, stability and development of nations around the world. The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a US government global initiative to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease. Over the past decade, the US government has committed more than $52 billion to bilateral HIV/AIDS programs, the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and bilateral tuberculosis programs. To achieve an AIDS-free generation, PEPFAR works closely with a variety of stakeholders including partner countries, multilateral organizations, civil society, people living with and affected by HIV, the faith community, and the public and private sectors. USAID has been, and continues to be, at the forefront of the USG response in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic since inception of its international HIV/AIDS program in 1986.
PEPFAR has moved from phase 1 (2003-2007) – the emergency response phase that brought HIV prevention, treatment and care services to millions, to phase 2 (2008-2012) – the sustainability phase, where PEPFAR worked with partner countries among other partners to address the epidemic. The program is now in phase 3 (2013-present) and is focused on transparency and accountability for impact, as well as accelerating core interventions for epidemic control. PEPFAR is investing resources strategically and geographically to reach populations at greatest risk with evidence-based programs.
PEPFAR’s Impact Action Agenda focuses resources and leverages finances to address the most vulnerable populations. It is driven by the need to do the right thing, in the right place, at the right time to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A critical goal of the PEPFAR efficiency action agenda is to increase transparency, oversight, and accountability across PEPFAR and its implementing agencies to ensure that every program dollar is optimally invested and tracked. For over a decade, PEPFAR investments have helped build and strengthen partner country health systems, enhancing their capacity to deliver lifesaving HIV/AIDS services.
INTRODUCTION:
The HIV/AIDS Costing Advisor (Advisor) will be assigned to the Bureau for Global Health, Office of HIV/AIDS’s, Strategic Planning, Evaluation and Reporting (SPER) Division. S/he will focus on economic evaluation of HIV/AIDS programs and interventions, with primary emphasis on the generation of information to support efficient resource allocation decisions. Key technical emphases include supporting expenditure analysis for PEPFAR programs, costing, cost modeling, cost-effectiveness analysis and the use of cost information. The Advisor will serve as one of the Health Economics, Finance and Policy (HEFP) Team’s focal persons on expenditure analysis and costing activities within the context of PEPFAR, advancing OHA"s vision for the use of cost information in collaboration with OHA technical teams and country programs.
The Advisor will receive day-to-day programmatic and technical guidance from the Health Economics, Finance and Policy (HEFP) Team Lead who will serve as his/her onsite manager.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The HIV/AIDS Costing Advisor will be responsible for:
- Providing technical assistance to OHA Divisions, USAID Missions and PEPFAR country teams in the assessment, design, implementation of HIV-related economic evaluations and cost analyses.
- Providing technical assistance to OHA Divisions, USAID Missions and PEPFAR USG country teams with expenditure analysis for country/regional operational plan programming and budgeting for impact.
- Participating in the development, implementation, and analysis of economic evaluation studies at headquarters and in the field.
- Serving as a technical advisor in analyzing cost data, especially pertaining to resource tracking, costing, and cost-effectiveness studies.
- Conducting evaluations, comparative analyses, and other research tasks in support of costing and health finance related projects.
- Supporting the Interagency Collaborative for Program Improvement (ICPI) based at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) with costing and expenditure analyses.
- Work effectively with GH/OHA and USG PEPFAR strategic information advisors to analyze program expenditure data and link with epidemiology and program coverage goals for HIV/AIDS services
- Preparing administration and analysis tools, and assisting with global and/or regional coordination of expenditure analysis activities.
- Participating in technical meetings, seminars and conferences as needed.
- Liaising with multiple PEPFAR technical working groups to provide technical support to cost analyses and other economic evaluation activities in groups such as the PEPFAR Finance and Economic Work Group and ad hoc modeling working groups.
- Monitoring implementing partners" economic evaluation work in the field.
- Serving as a technical resource to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) and other PEPFAR implementing agencies on OHA-led and interagency-led Health Economics activities.
- Participating in OHA"s annual planning for development of the PEPFAR Headquarters Operational Plan (HOP).
- Serving as the technical resource in one or more major activities such as field training, protocol development and/or review, data analysis and monitoring plans, , activity design, study implementation, data analysis, data monitoring, data management, paper/report writing.
- Monitoring implementing partners" economic evaluation work in the field, including fulfillment of a technical advisory role on specific projects.
- Providing technical assistance to the research team, interns, in-country colleagues among others.
- Supporting the coordination and implementation of expenditure and cost analysis across PEPFAR programs globally.
- Maintaining knowledge of state of the art costing and economic evaluation practices and serving as a technical resource for OHA, USAID, and PEPFAR.
Training and professional development (7%)
- Keeping abreast of literature and latest developments in the fields of cost analysis and resource tracking within HIV/AIDS.
- Deepening knowledge of costing, cost modeling, cost-effectiveness analysis and the use of cost information.
- Participating in interagency and intra-agency working groups as appropriate to SOW.
- Participating in professional continuing education and skills training within the purview of GHFP-II.
International travel approximately (30%).
REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master"s degree in public health, health economics, health finance, health management, health policy, or other relevant field.
- Minimum five (5) years’ experience in cost analysis, economic evaluation, capacity building, resource mobilization, data analysis and research design, management and implementation with at least two (2) years’ experience in an international or resource challenged setting.
- Demonstrated understanding of and ability to apply accepted tools, techniques and frameworks for economic evaluation and cost analysis of HIV/AIDS interventions.
- Specific technical expertise in conducting economic evaluation and analyzing costing data.
- Experience working on one or more additional areas in health; preferrably: HIV/AIDS, health systems strengthening, health policy, and statistics.
- Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills required.
- Excellent writing, editing, research, and presentation skills.
- Knowledge of public health research methodology as related to data collection instruments, data collection, analysis and interpretation.
- Knowledge of statistical methods used in data analysis.
- Knowledge of and ability to use electronic data processing systems to gather, store, retrieve and analyze data.
- Experience using MS-Excel and preferably relevant statistical software packages such as SPSS, SAS, R and Stata.
- Demonstrated experience working with a wide range of development partners, including multilateral and bilateral donors as well as private foundations and civil society.
- Demonstrated flexibility and openness in responding to changing work priorities and environment.
- Demonstrated ability to grasp knowledge of internal processes within the US Government and other health sector development partners, (e.g., thematic priorities, decision-making mechanisms, and preferred funding channels).
- Strong interpersonal communication and writing skills and ability to work with diverse teams and stakeholders.
- Strong teamwork, multi-stakeholder collaboration and management skills.
- Resourceful in resolving problems and initiating solutions.
- Ability to travel internationally.
- US Citizenship or Permanent Residency required.
SALARY AND BENEFITS:Salary based on commensurate experience and earnings history. The Public Health Institute offers a comprehensive benefits package including professional development programs.
How to apply:
TO APPLY:
All applicants are required to apply for this position through GHFP-II’s online recruitment system at https://www.ghfp.net/recruitment/, which allows you to store your CV, profile and bio data form in our database. A separate cover letter describing your qualifications and experience, interest and familiarity with issues relating to this position, and how this position relates to your career goals is required for each application. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm Eastern Time September 7, 2015.
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