Senior Advisor

Job Description

Senior Advisor, Ministry of Health  

About Seed Global Health 

Seed Global Health (Seed) envisions a world in which every country is strengthened by a robust health workforce that can meet the health needs of its population. We partner to train nurses, midwives, and physicians, building health teams that can provide high-quality care and save lives. We do this by strengthening clinical care delivery, improving health workforce education, and supporting policies that enable health professionals to succeed. Seed is dedicated to creating lasting change in the health systems of our partner countries: Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. To ensure that these changes are durable, we form deep local partnerships that inform our work at both the individual and systems levels. Together, we are creating a multi-generational impact to not only treat today’s problems, but solve for tomorrow’s.  

About Ministry of Health  

The Ministry of Health (MOH) is the government institution responsible for providing healthcare services to the public sector and regulating healthcare in the private sector. The ministry aims to provide national affordable healthcare to enable the population of Sierra Leone to attain and maintain a satisfactory level of health. Their vision is to ensure that all people in Sierra Leone have access to affordable quality healthcare services without suffering undue financial hardship, while their mission is to build a resilient and responsive healthcare system that provides and regulates comprehensive healthcare services in an equitable manner through innovative technology and collaborative partnerships, while guaranteeing social and financial protections.

Although the Ministry is making progress in healthcare service delivery with declines in maternal mortality ratio, infant and child mortality rates, including under-five mortality rate, the health indices remain unacceptably high, with poor health status of the citizenry as depicted by average life expectancy of 54 years.

To improve the functionality of the Ministry and the entire health sector, an independent review of the management and functions of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the entire health sector was conducted at the direction of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. This was due to a Cabinet Conclusion dated 10 June 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Sierra Leone, with coordination and oversight support of the Public Sector Reform Unit (PSRU), conducted the Independent Management and Functional Review (IMFR).

The office of the Minister will require an experienced executive to track and report to the Minister on the progress of implementation action plans, assisting the Minister in managing the processes and relationships required to achieve the recommendations of the independent management and functional review of the Ministry and the health sector objective under the Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), 2019-2023.

Position Description

The Ministry of Health is in search of a consultant to serve as Senior Advisor who will drive the implementation of strategies to achieve the Ministry’s goals. The Senior Advisor will play a crucial broad and multidimensional role in operationalizing short, medium, and long-term quality of care initiatives. The Senior Advisor will work with the Minister of Health and Sanitation to support bottom-line healthcare planning and financing, strengthen health information management, monitoring, and evaluation for accountability and learning, guide staffing and talent management, support change management and management for results, and ensure effectiveness and efficiency of health systems.

The Senior Advisor will be responsible for fast-tracking interventions and streamlining operational processes while providing strategic leadership to fulfil the Ministry’s mandate of providing quality health care services to the population. Additionally, the Senior Advisor will provide technical leadership and strategic guidance to the MOH in implementing the recommendations of the functional review conducted by the WHO. Working closely with the MOH core management team, the Senior Advisor will expedite operational interventions that enhance the health system’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Position Summary 

The Senior Advisor for the Ministry of Health is responsible for providing strategic and operational support to the Minister of Health and Sanitation in the delivery of their mandate. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that the Minister’s office functions efficiently and effectively, and that the Minister is kept informed of key developments and issues related to the health sector. The Senior Advisor will also work closely with other senior officials within the Ministry of Health, as well as with external stakeholders, to ensure that the Minister’s priorities are advanced.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Advisor will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities:

• Manage day-to-day operations of the Minister’s office including scheduling, correspondence, and briefing preparation
• Oversee the work of the Office of the Minister’s staff, their performance management, and professional development
• Develop, maintain relationships with and liaise with internal and external stakeholders including other government departments, media, and senior government officials, stakeholders, and members of the public on behalf of the Minister
• Advise the Minister on policy matters and assist in the development of policy proposals
• Provide leadership, direction, and effective operational strategies for designing, implementing, and evaluating healthcare policies and programs
• Monitor and analyze key developments and issues related to the health sector, and provide regular updates to the Minister
• Collaborate with program managers and stakeholders to identify implementation challenges, monitor progress of implementation, facilitate communication and collaboration, identify gaps and make recommendations for improvement
• Coordinate preparation of progress reports and support capacity building initiatives for program teams in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) and Human Resources for Health team
• Work closely with and support the Advisory team serving as a conduit for feedback to the Minister, where needed
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies, and regulations related to healthcare delivery in collaboration with the office of the Permanent Secretary and work with stakeholders to identify and implement innovative approaches to healthcare service delivery
• Provide technical leadership and strategic guidance to the MOH core management team in implementing recommendations from the functional review carried out by the WHO including coordination of actions and ensuring tasks are facilitated promptly
• Lead the design and implementation of operational delivery strategies, tools, plans, and procedures to enhance operational processes improvement, effectiveness, and efficiency
• Oversee the Minister’s travel arrangements and represent the Minister at meetings and events when necessary
• Work closely with other senior officials within the Ministry of Health to ensure that the Minister’s priorities are advanced and report back on progress to the Minister
• Lead special projects and initiatives as assigned by the Minister
• Participate in relevant technical working groups, committees, and task forces as required and provide regular reports to the Minister of Health and Sanitation on the progress of operational interventions and actions being implemented
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Minister of Health and Sanitation.

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Education, Qualification and Experience 

The ideal candidate for this position will have the following qualifications and experience:

Education, Qualification 

• A Bachelor’s degree in health management, public health, or a related field. Possession of an MD, MB, BS or MB, ChB degree is an added advantage
• A Master’s degree in a related field such as Public Health, Business Administration, or other relevant fields 

Experience

• At least ten (10) years of experience in a senior management position in the healthcare sector.
• At least ten (10) years of experience in a leadership role in a complex and fast-paced environment, preferably in the health sector. Experience working in a government or public sector organization is an added advantage
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing healthcare operations, policies, and programs 
• Strong understanding of the health sector, including health system strengthening, health financing, and health service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, operations, and strategic planning.

Skills Experience 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, persuade and negotiate at all levels 
• Personify health diplomacy
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Proven leadership and management skills, with a track record of delivering results.
• Ability to grasp critical issues and distil them into clear and manageable priorities 
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team 
• Ability to develop and drive strategy and innovation

Reporting Line  

The Senior Advisor will report directly to the Minister of Health and will work closely with the MOH core management team, including the Permanent Secretary, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Directors, and Program Managers. 

Deliverables 

The Senior Advisor will be responsible for delivering the following:

• An operational plan that aligns with the MoH’s strategic objectives and outlines the specific activities and milestones required to achieve them.

• • A performance monitoring and evaluation framework that measures progress against agreed targets and benchmarks and identifies areas for improvement

• Regular reports to the Minister of Health on the status of operational activities and recommendations for improvement.

Duration and Appointment 

The appointment of the Senior Advisor will be for a fixed term of one year (1) year, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

Conflict of Interest Experience 

The Senior Advisor will be required to disclose any potential conflict of interest that may arise in the course of their duties and responsibilities.

Amendment  

These terms of reference may be amended by the Minister of Health as deemed necessary

Compensation

Seed is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type, including without limitation on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, and local law.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Send CV and cover letter to afannah@seedglobalhealth.org