Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org
The central contribution of the HNP Global Practice to the World Bank’s twin goals is to enable the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in which all people are effectively covered by essential health services, and nobody suffers undue financial hardship because of illnesses.
Regional context: South Asia (SAR)
The World Bank Group serves eight client countries in the South Asia Region, home to nearly 1.8 billion people. Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income countries to IDA countries to fragile and small island and landlocked states. Over the past few years, work has focused on the response to the COVID-19 crisis. In FY22, the region delivered $10.7 billion in financing for client countries and a wide range of ASAs and engagements with countries. The focus for the post-pandemic recovery lies on economic recovery and prudent fiscal and debt management; private sector expansion and job creation; climate resilience and improving human capital. The region will continue to support progress on structural reforms and invest in inclusion, gender equality, productive jobs, climate resilience and digital economy.
For more information on the South Asia Region (SAR): https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sa
Country context: India
With a current population of over 1.3 billion people, India is slated to be the world’s most populous country by 2025 and the third largest economy in the world by 2030! In recent decades, the country has made notable progress on sustaining rapid economic growth and reducing poverty and vulnerability. However, progress on improving population health has been mixed. India’s health system performance has varied widely over time periods, states, and indicators. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that India’s hard-won gains in health outcomes are fragile.
Regarding health system performance, India lags behind both global and regional comparators. Two key issues stand out. First, childhood stunting rates of 35 percent are among the highest in the world. Second, India’s health system also fares poorly in terms of providing financial risk protection against catastrophic and impoverishing medical expenses.
The COVID-19 lockdown exposed the lack of pandemic preparedness, and health coverage for the informal sector.
In recent years India’s World Bank HNP portfolio has grown significantly, with 11 projects currently under implementation amounting to over four billion dollars in IBRD/IDA resources, and others in the pipeline for the coming year. In addition, we have a vibrant and multi-faceted policy engagement in HNP with both the central government and state government levels as well as different development partners.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/india/overview
South Asia has been the fastest-growing region in the world in recent years. This has led to impressive declines in poverty and to improvements in key HNP outcomes such as life expectancy and under-five mortality rates! With the right facilitative policies in place, most countries in the region are poised to reap a potential demographic dividend. Nevertheless, key challenges remain and new ones are emergent across the region: inequalities remain large and persistent, malnutrition remains a huge problem, financing for health remains largely out-of-pocket, and health systems are ill-equipped to face a growing burden from non-communicable diseases and from new risk factors related to urbanization and air pollution.
We have an active and growing portfolio in the region, with lending operations, technical assistance, and analytical work focusing on improving health financing, service delivery, and governance both from within the sector and via support for multi-sectoral engagement. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted South Asia's major weaknesses in public health, including disease surveillance and diagnostics, as well as in health service delivery in terms of quality of care and surge capacity.
The HSAHN team includes around 28 staff based in SAR countries and Washington DC. To strengthen the team, the WBG is recruiting a locally-recruited Health Economist based in Delhi. The Health Economist will support the World Bank’s HNP portfolio, including the ongoing policy dialogue with counterparts and partners, preparation of analytical products, and the preparation and supervision of operations in the sector, as well as engagement on the broader human capital agenda.
http://sarhnp.worldbank.org/
Duties & Responsibilities:
The Health Economist will report to the HSAHN Practice Manager in Washington DC and will be responsible for the following tasks and duties mainly in India, but possibly in other countries in South Asia or other regions:
• Provide strategic and operational support to the HNP agenda in India and as required, take leadership responsibilities as well;
• Support implementation, as needed, of the Bank’s HNP portfolio in India, which focuses inter alia, on service delivery redesign, quality of care, health financing and financial protection, public health preparedness, nutrition, and adolescent girls empowerment, as well as engagement with other sectors such as Agriculture, Rural Development/Social Protection and Education to reduce stunting among children and improve nutrition outcomes, and Environment colleagues on air pollution, etc;
• Contribute to high-quality analytical and advisory services to support the Bank’s engagement in India;
• Provide inputs in health economics/health financing/health systems to support teams developing and managing HNP lending operations;
• Contribute to policy advice to federal and state governments in India in systems reform; offer international comparative perspectives and recommend policy options and implementation strategies;
• Participate in meetings convened by the Ministry of Health with development partners and donors to represent the World Bank as requested by the HNP team;
• Coordinate with the HNP team to ensure that the follow-up actions to be undertaken by the World Bank are executed; and
• Respond to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties.
Selection Criteria
• Graduate degree in Economics, Public Health, Health Economics or related field (Master’s degree required, PhD or equivalent would be an asset). Candidates without a core qualification in at least one of these domains need not apply.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the areas of public health, health system management, or health economics, in preparation and supervision of major Bank-funded projects, and/or Trust Funds, or similar experience from other multilateral development institutions.
• Strong knowledge of and experience with the health sector in India - including institutional set up, health policies and programs, challenges, and priorities.
• Demonstrated expertise in policy dialogue and the ability to interact effectively with Government officials and a range of stakeholders at various levels.
• Prior experience in an international development institution (public, NGO or private) or academia is preferred.
• Familiarity with statistical analyses, econometric methods, and related software, preferably STATA.
• Demonstrated track record of synthesizing complex analytics and results into user-friendly outputs, including PowerPoint presentations, Policy Briefs and Working Papers.
• Proven analytical skills linking strategic thinking and quantitative analysis, and the ability to inform high-level policy dialogue through strong communications (including writing) skills, including data visualization skills.
• Diplomatic and client-engagement skills, and proven success working as a team member.
• Proactive and results-focused work style with strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to function well independently and handle multiple tasks, meet changing priorities and deliver high-quality analysis and work on-time.
• Experience in successfully working as a member of a multi-professional and multi-cultural team; as well as possessing diplomatic and client-engagement skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, in English and good oral Hindi skills are essential with ability to prepare documents on complex subjects, speak and write persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
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This vacancy is archived.