The SPO, Human Resources for Health (HRH), is part of a team of Program Officers who share the goal to build performance-oriented and equitable health systems capable of improving India’s health outcomes and sustaining these gains. This, we believe, is critical to India’s achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Success of the SPO is measured by the team’s innovation, intelligent risk-taking, and progress towards this goal. The SPO, HRH, brings specialized expertise in health workforce planning, development, and management. Health sector workforce is defined by WHO as “all people engaged in actions whose primary intent is to improve health”, which includes a broad spectrum of roles -- community health workers, nurses, physicians, midwives, pharmacists, epidemiologists, lab techs, managers, informatics specialists, social workers, supply chain staff, etc. The foundation’s HRH focus in India is on healthcare providers -- specialist doctors, general practitioners, nurses, midwives, multi-purpose health workers, and community outreach workers (e.g. ASHA, outreach ANM, Anganwadi worker) – and public health management cadre that can help to alleviate the demands on these scarce resources. India’s public health system suffers problems of quantity, quality, and distribution of healthcare providers at almost all levels. Key questions include: What data systems and methods should be developed for better workforce needs estimation, mapping, and planning? How should cadres of healthcare providers and administrators/managers be defined so as to shift tasks and utilize existing resources on highest value-adding activities? For a given cadre, are roles and responsibilities clear and well-matched to capabilities? What policies and recruitment procedures can help to ensure quality intake? What novel approaches to pre-service and in-service training for clinical and managerial competence development can improve performance, motivation, retention, and growth? What are cost effective and scalable productivity tools? The SPO HRH will work closely with ICO SPO Health Systems Performance Management (with expertise in performance management and incentive systems), ICO SPOs Health Systems Strengthening (with expertise in Indian public health system and HRH-related functions), ICO SPOs Policy (with expertise in government policy-making processes), and other team members across ICO and other foundation offices, to formulate actionable answers to these questions.
This is a newly created role. The foundation’s health system strengthening efforts have over time increased emphasis on HRH. We are seeking to amplify and accelerate this shift by introducing the role of SPO, HRH.
The SPO will both originate investments and advise on investments originated by ICO Health System Strengthening (HSS), Health System Performance Management, and Policy Program Officers. S/he will be knowledgeable about global workforce issues and initiatives and will bring international expertise to (co-)develop and manage investments that support innovative approaches to improve quantity, quality, and distribution of HRH in India, with emphasis on Bihar and UP. This role also entails building strong relationships and acting as expert advisor to external partners, particularly government and government’s supporting institutions. S/he will manage relationships with national and state government, grantees, and development partners as needed to ensure coordination and collaboration for greater collective impact.
This position reports to the India Country Health Director and will work most closely with the ICO Bihar initiative team, UP initiative team, and Policy team.
- Contribute to foundation’s Integrated Health Strategy for India, by helping to evolve bodies of work related to HRH, with particular emphasis on strengthening Bihar and UP health systems and diffusing successful models and practices nationwide
- Work in teams to develop, advise, and manage well-scoped, well-structured investments (grants and/or contracts) to execute against these bodies of work related to HRH, aiming for innovative approaches that can be scaled in the public sector
- Collaborate with ICO Bihar initiative team, UP initiative team, and Policy team, offering expert input and review on investments the provide technical support / technical assistance for strengthening HRH
- Work closely with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, professional bodies, and supporting institutions such as NHSRC to help shape their policies and approaches to HRH that impact national and state level outcomes
- Provide impactful thought leadership on HRH that can shape national policies and practices
- Work in partnership with foundation colleagues in India and Seattle to build and manage relationships with global agencies, donors, government, researchers, implementers, and other external partners to develop innovative results-driven plans and interventions
- Collaborate with the Measurement, Learning, & Evaluation (MLE) team at ICO to ensure high quality results frameworks, monitoring, and evaluation of grants and to enhance use of data to improve program performance and to inform strategic decisions and future investments
- Use data and learning from foundation-supported investments and global evidence to consult with grantees and other partners to ensure continuous learning that shapes strategy, policy, and programs.
- Organize partners meetings, convene technical and strategic consultations as needed
- Conduct thorough analyses of grants and contracts, grantee progress reports; write high quality briefing documents that synthesize results and learnings for leadership and the ICO Health Team.
- Extensive experience in designing and implementing HRH structures, policies, and practices in public sector, preferably in developing country setting
- Passion for solving complex problems related to administration and delivery of health care, with emphasis on access, quality, and equity
- Experience managing complex and high stakes change processes requiring significant change management expertise
- Experience in engaging government, donors, and implementing partners to develop and effectively manage strategic partnerships
- Experience working in developing country setting. Knowledge of India, particularly as relates to health administration and delivery, strongly preferred.
- Proven ability to structure and manage high-return, well-risk-mitigated grants, with clear milestones and outcomes
- Demonstrated ability to work in a highly matrixed and diverse work environment, with strong collaboration and diplomacy skills
- Excellent analytical thinking and communications skills, including writing and public speaking skills
- Familiarity with policy, advocacy, and strategic communications for advancing programmatic goals
- Results-driven and self-motivated with ability to inspire the pursuit of excellence
- Ability to travel up to 40% of time domestically and internationally
- 15 years of relevant experience