Health Economist/Health Specialist

Health Economist/Health Specialist

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 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.

East Asia and Pacific Region

The East Asia and Pacific Region (EAP) is a highly diverse region, with countries of all income levels and wide differences in resource endowments, human capital, and institutional capacity. The Health Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Global Practice in EAP has a large lending and advisory services and analytics (ASA) portfolio. The HNP Practice is actively engaged in most countries in the region, often at the subnational level. The EAP HNP strategy aims to improve health outcomes and make progress towards universal health coverage, enhancing the performance and resilience of health systems in financially affordable and sustainable ways. The World Bank in East Asia and Pacific: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap

Unit Context

Solomon Islands is a lower-middle-income country of approximately 820,000 people dispersed across 90 inhabited islands and nine provinces, presenting significant challenges for health service delivery. The country records one of the lowest Human Capital Index scores globally (0.42), with high child stunting rates, a growing burden of both infectious and non-communicable diseases, weak infrastructure, and limited social safety nets — all constraining progress toward UHC. The World Bank has significantly scaled up its engagement in recent years, with a growing portfolio spanning policy advice, Development Policy Operations, and social development, including key health initiatives focused on community-based primary healthcare, medical supply chain management, and advisory support on health financing and human resources for health.

We are seeking a Health Economist / Health Specialist for a locally recruited, fixed-term appointment of four years in the Solomon Islands office. The position is based in Honiara within the East Asia and Pacific Region. The selected candidate will join a diverse and collaborative People Vertical team, contributing to the Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Practice. The role reports to the HNP Practice Manager based in Singapore and will support the health program in Solomon Islands and priority Pacific countries. For day-to-day operations, the Health Specialist will work closely with HNP Task Team Leaders for Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The ideal candidate will have the qualifications and experience to lead specific tasks, although strong early-career professionals demonstrating enthusiasm and potential will also be considered.

Duties and accountabilities: 

• Support the implementation of the World Bank’s Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) portfolio in Solomon Islands and priority Pacific countries, as well as the preparation of new operations, including leading, co-leading, or contributing to technical and project management discussions with government agencies and development partners.

• Monitor project implementation by tracking progress, following up on agreed actions, and providing hands-on support to national and sub-national government counterparts on project management, while coordinating closely with technical, procurement, financial, environmental, and social standards teams.

• Monitor sector performance—particularly service delivery—using national and sub-national indicators to inform trends and support sector dialogue.

• Conduct regular field visits to assess and verify the status and quality of project implementation on the ground and inform adaptive implementation support.

• Review, prepare and contribute to project-, sectoral-, and cross-sectoral analytical and operational documents including aide-memoires, implementation status and results reports, briefing notes, background papers and mission summaries. 

• Lead and/or support health policy dialogue, communications, and interactions with government counterparts, stakeholders, and development partners; respond to internal and external information requests regarding the World Bank’s program and priorities; and build and maintain strong relationships with senior government officials, line ministries, project implementation units, and partners.

• Contribute selectively to World Bank health engagements in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, including cross-country learning, regional analytical work, and operational support, as agreed with the Practice Manager.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in public health, community medicine, economics, accounting, finance, health policy, public policy, health systems administration, or a related discipline, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in health systems strengthening, public health (including disease surveillance and emergency response), health financing, or health service delivery.

• Strong knowledge of World Bank procedures and systems for project preparation, implementation, and operational support; experience with donor or multilateral development agency projects, including World Bank Group (WBG)-funded operations, is highly advantageous.

• Up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) sector context and policies in the Solomon Islands and broader Pacific context is an advantage.

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, rapidly analyze diverse information from multiple sources, and provide evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and sector knowledge.

• Proven ability to take initiative, exercise strong personal organization, ownership, and accountability to meet deadlines, work under pressure, and achieve results; with strong teamwork skills in multicultural environments and the ability to manage relationships amid competing demands.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare complex documents, communicate persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely; strong client orientation, interpersonal and diplomatic skills, and ability to engage effectively with high-level government officials in the Pacific; experience in lower-middle-income countries and/or the East Asia and Pacific Region is an advantage.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.