Sr. Program Officer - Strategic Health Purchasing Advisor

Job Description

R4D’s health portfolio works to improve health and achieve equity in health outcomes for all people around the world. Whether it’s supporting the growing global movement for universal health coverage or producing on-demand research and forecasting to help countries plan their healthcare futures, R4D’s global health work unlocks new possibilities for global health actors worldwide.

Background:
Indonesia’s commitment to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) will require continued progress on improving access to high-quality services, while reducing out-of-pocket payments so financial protection is ensured. Therefore, improving the efficiency of health expenditures is critical for making progress towards UHC in Indonesia. Since late 2016, the Government of Indonesia has been carrying out an agenda to strengthen strategic health purchasing (SHP) to improve the quality of health spending. For strategic purchasing to be effective in Indonesia, a holistic approach is needed that addresses all financing sources and services and pays special attention to the purchasing arrangements and financial incentives for the delivery of priority health programs such as tuberculosis (TB).

Services in priority programs such as TB have unique characteristics that distinguish them from other health services and create special health financing issues and may require tailored strategic purchasing approaches. They have a clear public health component, which means that the consequences of failures in service delivery affect not only the individuals seeking care but have spillover effects on others in the community. TB is highly infectious and Indonesia lags behind similar countries in combating its spread. Only 32% of Indonesian TB cases are detected, compared to 60% in middle-income and 65% in East Asian and Pacific countries. There are concerns that covering TB through capitation payments is creating an incentive for PHC providers to refer TB cases inappropriately to secondary and tertiary hospitals, and to avoid case-finding and reporting. Financial incentives must align to prioritize preventive services and ensure appropriate and high-quality diagnostic and curative services.

Project Opportunity:
R4D is preparing for an anticipated TB Private Sector activity in Indonesia aimed at reducing tuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality by increasing the number of private provider clients who are correctly diagnosed, notified and receive quality TB services.

R4D is seeking a Strategic Health Purchasing Advisor to advise on TB private sector activities that will result in better health outcomes for Indonesia’s TB program, with focused attention on improving TB private sector service delivery. Strategic purchasing will be a major pillar of this activity and will be used to (1) increase private sector access to TB diagnosis and facilitate TB patient notification and (2) increase the TB treatment success rate in the private sector. The strategic purchasing advisor will be R4D’s in-country expert on strategic purchasing for this activity.

The advisor is expected to have a strong understanding and experience with strategic health purchasing in the public and private sector, evaluating different provider payment mechanisms, and using payment to incentivize better quality within the health system. While this activity is focused on the private sector, it is expected that the advisor will have experience analyzing purchasing issues throughout the health system. The Advisor will be supported by R4D’s Washington, DC based team on the overall technical direction on this work.

This position is based in Jakarta, Indonesia and will report to R4D’s Strategic Purchasing Program Director based in Washington, DC.

Please note, this position is contingent upon award. Local country nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:
The Strategic Purchasing Program Advisor will be responsible for a variety of programmatic and organizational tasks that include, but aren’t limited to:

• Provide strategic purchasing guidance, regular oversight and direction to the TB private sector (TBPS) activity’s Jakarta based staff on provider payment mechanisms to improve private sector TB service delivery
• Maintain strong and positive working relationships with clients, partners, and key stakeholders including USAID and the Indonesian government
• In collaboration with TBPS’ COP, DCOP, and other Technical Directors, develop and implement annual work plans that reflect the TB private sector service delivery priorities of USAID, the Indonesian Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders
• Providing data analytic support to the TBPS activity team on 1) quantifying current utilization rates and expenditures on TB services, 2) identifying where provider payment incentives are misaligned and improved strategic purchasing for TB may be possible, and 3) model scenarios under revised TB purchasing arrangements. While the activity’s focus is the private sector, these analyses will need to look at the entire health sector
• Help to develop and implement innovative TB provider payment pilots at the national, regency, or district level
• Organize and participate in regular meetings with the R4D technical team based in the USA and maintain frequent and clear electronic communications

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will be a highly-motivated and collaborative thought-leader with outstanding people skills and prior project management experience, who has worked on government health financing reforms, can engage effectively and independently with a multitude of partners (including senior government officials, international funders, consultants, and other stakeholders) and has excellent analytic and communication skills.

• MA or PhD in public health, health economics, public/social policy, public administration or similar field
• 7 + years of work experience demonstrating expertise in health financing (specifically strategic health purchasing and/or provider payment mechanisms) and working on health sector programming of similar size and complexity in Indonesia or other relevant South East Asian countries
• Ability to sensitively manage difficult group dynamics; ability to promote effective group problem-solving and build consensus
• Strong project and people manager, with proven experience successfully implementing complex programs
• Highly collaborative engagement style with demonstrated experience building and managing relationships, facilitating consensus, and forging compromises among senior government counterparts
• Strong writer and oral communicator; able to lead the production of highly professional work products
• Familiarity with the Indonesian health system, key actors, and JKN
• Proven abilities to set priorities, multi-task, and work independently without daily supervision
• Previous work experience with USAID, World Bank, Ministry of Health, BPJS-K, and other health governance stakeholders
• TB health programming experience is preferred, but not necessary for this position
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal, written, and oral presentation skills
• Fluency in oral and written English and Bahasa Indonesia required

Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.

About the Organization

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. www.R4D.org