Health Specialist/Epidemiologist

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 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. 

Indonesia has charted remarkable progress on its path toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), though challenges remain, especially in lowering maternal mortality rates, reducing stunting prevalence, and curtailing tuberculosis. Regional and income-related inequalities in health outcomes also persist, highlighting the importance of good governance and health information systems to better target resources.

The Indonesia program supports a growing health security and infectious diseases portfolio, which includes lending (PforRs and IPFs), Technical Assistance, and Knowledge and Analytics. Key highlights are below:

• Indonesia’s Supporting Primary Health Care Reform (I-SPHERE) aims to strengthen the performance and quality of Indonesia’s primary health care nationally, with an additional focus on Eastern Indonesia. It is a US$150 million program with a focus on supporting primary care reform by improving data use and accountability, strengthening the accreditation of primary health care facilities, and enhancing performance-based financing through JKN and inter-government transfers.
• The National Tuberculosis Response Program for Results (TB PforR) focuses on improving accountability of the subnational governments in TB program, increasing the involvement of the private sector especially at the primary level of care, and the use of digital technologies. The PforR uses health system approach to address longstanding challenges of the TB program, and is co-financed by the Global Fund. The PforR supports the GOI to advance the implementation of key reforms in complex areas that require the Bank’s TA, especially at subnational levels. The incoming government has signaled that TB will be one of their main priorities and there is scope to scale up activities in this area.
• A new Health Systems Strengthening operation, focused on addressing health infrastructure requirements at all levels of the Indonesian health system, with a World Bank financing of US$ 1.5 billion, and co-financing from AIIB, ADB and IsDB amount to an additional US$ 2.5 billion, is effective since December 2023. A key component of this program focuses on public health laboratories and strengthening the infectious disease surveillance and the associated diagnostic capability across the country.
• The analytical work undertaken through Reforms to Strengthen UHC in Indonesia program of analytical work supports the GOI’s efforts to accelerate and sustain progress towards UHC. The program includes activities to document lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, innovations in health financing and health service delivery that strengthen resilience and health emergency response, and support to the reform and redesign efforts of the TB program, among other activities. The Global Fund, Global Financing Facility, Government of Australia, Government of Japan, German KfW and the Gates Foundation co-finance this Programmatic Advisory Services and Analytics (PASA) and its technical assistance activities to support the aforementioned operations.
• The Health Nutrition and Population Practice is looking to hire an ET Consultant-Health Specialist to support its growing portfolio of operations and analytical work.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• The ETC-Health Specialist will report to the Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice responsible for the EAP HNP portfolio.

The ETC will have the following key responsibilities:

• As a team member, closely support health and nutrition lending operations and analytical work of the Indonesia health and nutrition program, with a special focus on communicable diseases (including tuberculosis) and health security, engaging with client ministries and internally within the World Bank;
• Support the World Bank Indonesia Health team in delivering high-quality technical assistance activities by tracking, facilitating and co-organizing relevant capacity-building activities, with a special focus on communicable diseases and health emergency preparedness and response;
• Organize, support and contribute to analytical work of assigned operations;
• Partake in and contribute to technical dialogue with government counterparts at the national and sub-national levels and with other relevant partners in relation to the assigned World Bank operations;
• Undertake field missions to different parts of Indonesia as and when necessary, in order to support project implementation and perform analytical work related to the assigned operations;
• Support health team efforts in working closely with other GPs, the Country Management Unit, and external partners in the health portfolio;
• Draft and review operational documents such as Aide Memoires, Implementation Status Reports, and updates to WB management and partners;
• Contribute to the development, writing and dissemination of case studies and papers on lessons learned;
• Contribute to the development of regular reports, management briefs, and other formal communications using the World Bank system;
• Respond to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties;
• Support other HNP programs in EAP based on guidance from the Practice Manager.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, health economics, health financing, public policy and management, business administration, or a professional clinical degree (i.e. medicine, nursing). Candidates without a core qualification in at least one of these domains need not apply.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in one or more of the following areas: communicable diseases, epidemiology, public health, health emerge ncy preparedness, tuberculosis control, emerging infectious diseases, health systems, surveillance, health economics, program management, service delivery, monitoring and evaluation, and operations research in health. Experience in two or more of these areas is advantageous.
• Experience with the Indonesian health sector will be an advantage, as will experience working in communicable disease control, including in Tuberculosis program implementation/management.
• Experience in countries in South East Asia and the Pacific is an added advantage.
• Prior experience working with international organizations is desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=28793&site=1