Back Health Specialist/ Health Economist, Rabat, Morocco

Health Specialist/ Health Economist

Job #: req11201

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Health/Nutrition/Population

Grade: GF

Term Duration: 3 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Rabat,Morocco

Required Language(s): English, French

Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 4/5/2021 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities - the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit http://www.worldbank.org/.

Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Global Practice

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 as a result of illnesses. In the quest for UHC, the HNP Global Practice is building on progress made in the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, an array of analytical and advisory services, strategic partnerships with partner institutions and other financing agencies, and an active lending portfolio. The HNP Global Practice includes staff members in Washington, DC and many country offices. The HNP Global Practices works with and across multiple sectors, in recognition of the fact that HNP outcomes often depend on actions that lie outside the HNP sector. Accordingly, a capacity to work across GP boundaries, forge coalitions and influence multi-practice solutions is essential for achieving the major objectives of improving HNP outcomes.

Middle East and North Africa Region

The World Bank Group serves client countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Clients range from oil-dependent high-income countries to lower middle-income, IDA and FCV countries. Four years ago, in response to the region's changing circumstances, the WBG launched a new strategy focused on promoting peace and stability. To support the new economy, the WBG is expanding the MENA strategy. Three new priorities have been added to the original four pillars of renewing the social contract, building resilience for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), developing regional cooperation and supporting recovery and reconstruction. The three new priorities are: harnessing the region's human capital, leveraging technologies for a new digital economy, and developing the private sector through maximizing finance for development.

The MNA Region serves 20 countries, of which a number are active IBRD or IDA borrowers/recipients, while others are users of non-lending services, which the Region provides on either a reimbursable or a non-reimbursable basis. The two-pronged approach will be adapted to the circumstances of every country in the region, from high-income Gulf countries to middle-income countries (e.g., Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia), and fragile and conflict-affected countries (e.g., Iraq, Yemen, Libya). The MNA Region also supports state and peace building in West Bank and Gaza under the Trust Fund for Gaza and the West Bank, established in 1993. The MNA Region attaches particular importance to creating a supportive work environment, based on the values of teamwork, transparency, trust, client service, and professional excellence. MNA staff is expected to be guided by these values as well as to possess the following attributes: (i) collegiality, creativeness, resourcefulness; (ii) good listening and communications skills; (iii) intellectual and personal integrity and competence; (iv) willingness and ability to work in teams; and (v) commitment to clients. MNA has an open environment that encourages teamwork.

Country Context

Morocco is a lower middle-income country that has seen significant improvements in health outcomes since its independence. Over the past 50 years, infant-child and maternal mortality have registered a marked decline while life expectancy at birth has increased. At the same time, Morocco has been undergoing an epidemiological transition, with a declining share of disease burden being attributable to communicable causes at 15% of overall disease burden, and an increasing share of disease burden due to non-communicable diseases at 76%, with the rest attributable to injuries.

Despite progress, Morocco suffers from poor health outcomes compared to other countries in North Africa. Compared to Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. Morocco has high maternal mortality, under 5 mortality, and low coverage of key maternity services such as skilled birth attendance and antenatal care coverage. These aggregate averages mask significant spatial inequalities: according to the recent household survey results, while rural areas have recorded significant improvements, they still lag urban areas in every metric.

The World Bank is supporting the Government of Morocco in addressing the challenges in the health sector through; i) results-based financing of primary healthcare in rural areas, with a focus on NCDs as well as the Covid-19 response; ii) analytical and advisory services, including in support of a major reform of the country's health financing system and iii) technical and upcoming financial support to the cross-sectoral human development agenda with a focus on Early Childhood Development.

The HNP team for Morocco includes staff in the Country Office in Rabat, other MENA countries, and Washington DC. To strengthen the team, the WBG is recruiting a Health Specialist/Health Economist to be based in Rabat. The Health Specialist/Health Economist will support the World Bank's HNP portfolio in Morocco and the Maghreb, the broader Human Development (HD) agenda, including the ongoing policy dialogue with Government counterparts and partners, preparation of analytical products, and the preparation and implementation of operations in the sector.

Duties and Accountabilities

The Health Specialist/ Health Economist will report to the HNP Practice Manager and will be responsible for the following tasks and duties:

• Contribute to high-quality analytical and advisory services tasks (and sub-tasks) related to health systems strengthening, addressing public health challenges, linking health to broader human development topics, and/or related topics in the Middle East and North Africa context.
• Support task teams in the preparation, implementation support, of lending operations with a focus on health system strengthening, governance and management, and quality of care, the delivery of people-centered care, and strengthened primary health care, within the context of Universal Health Coverage.
• Take primary responsibility, under the guidance of project team leaders, for coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of projects, and manage reporting and coordination relationships with development partners.
• Contribute to technical health system analyses, including but not limited to analyses to diagnose health financing, human resources for health, service delivery, governance and political economy.
• Participate in and contribute to technical assistance work to support relevant capacity-building activities including workshops, seminars, etc.
• Participate in and contribute to policy dialogue with government counterparts - including at the national and sub-national levels - and with other relevant stakeholders.
• Help teams with building and maintaining partnerships and networks within the Bank (in HNP as well as other sectors) and with external partners.
• Provide limited cross-support to selected task teams working on other countries in the region as needed.

Selection Criteria

• At least a Master's degree in public health, economics, health policy or related discipline, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. A PhD, MD and experience in the health sector would be advantageous.
• Knowledge of and experience with the health sector in Morocco - including institutional set-up, healthcare delivery management, health system context and reforms, and community engagement.
• Familiarity with the World Bank or similar multilateral agency procedures and processes would be advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior government counterparts, private sector partners and representatives of development partners.
• Demonstrated track record of synthesizing complex analytics and results into user-friendly written outputs.
• Experience analyzing health financing and household survey data, including the use of statistical software and econometric methods.
• Proven analytical skills linking health topics, and the ability to inform high-level policy dialogue through strong communications (including writing) skills (in English and French).
• Strong communication and track record on successful working as a team member.
• Proactive and results-focused work style with strong problem-solving capabilities.
• Knowledge and experience working in multicultural institution is desirable.

In addition to the above, the successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following WBG competencies:

• Integrative Skills - Understands core issues and knows where to get additional expertise when needed. Task team member in integrative products and provides analytical written inputs.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Understands policy making process and role of the health sector in that process. Is able to find relevant information and examine similar policy questions in multiple regions and to distill operationally relevant recommendations and lessons from this analysis for clients.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings/points of view verbally and through economic reports and papers. Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.

Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.

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