Social Health Protection Technical Officer - P3

Introduction

PROSPECTS: Improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities

Forcibly displaced persons face trauma, limited opportunities and protection risks, while host communities pursue development amid pressures from large, prolonged inflows. As displacement becomes protracted, responses increasingly promote durable, dignified and inclusive solutions. PROSPECTS, launched by the Netherlands, brings together IFC, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Bank to jointly support both groups through coordinated, comprehensive programmes and integrated services. The overall objective of PROSPECTS in Egypt is to improve the living standards and inclusiveness of refugees, asylum-seekers, and vulnerable host communities by contributing to the expansion of socio-economic opportunities through better education and mainstreamed protection interventions.  In the area of social health protection, PROSPECTS supports the inclusive enrolment of refugees, asylum-seekers and vulnerable host communities into Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance system, including through operational mechanisms for enrolment, monitoring of access to health services, and evidence generation for sustainable scale-up.

Haya Karima: Addressing Multidimensional Poverty in Egypt

The Egyptian Government has undertaken major legislative and policy reforms to strengthen social protection and expand coverage, with a combination of non-contributory programmes such as Takaful and Karama and contributory programmes. On the latter, Egypt is implementing the Universal Health Insurance Law No. 2/2018, with the objective of achieving national coverage by 2032 through sustained investment in social health insurance. This complements the Social Insurance and Pension Law No. 148/2019, which seeks to extend contributory protection to informal economy workers. NOSI currently provides benefits to 4.7 million recipients and covers 10 million people, while an inter-ministerial committee and a dedicated NOSI unit are developing mechanisms to expand coverage.
The EU-supported Haya Karima Action aims to reinforce Egypt’s efforts to address multidimensional poverty by integrating health and social protection interventions, improving equity and strengthening system resilience. Supported by UNICEF, WHO and ILO, it will enhance service delivery, financing, monitoring and institutional capacities over three years. Within this framework, the position will support social health protection interventions under PROSPECTS and Haya Karima, focusing on inclusive enrolment, informal economy coverage, and UHIA’s institutional, actuarial and financial sustainability capacities.
The incumbent will support the provision of technical inputs in line with ILO standards, policies and principles on social health protection to the assigned projects with regard to social health protection scheme design, financing and management, including for the extension of coverage to workers in the informal economy and the inclusion of refugees, asylum-seekers and vulnerable host communities.

Reporting lines

The Social Health Protection technical officer will report directly to the Director of the DWT/CO-Cairo, and will receive technical guidance from the Social Protection DWT Specialist . The incumbent will work closely with the projects' teams and engage with all staff and/or technical experts working on social protection activities in the ILO Cairo office and the Social Protection Department in HQ.

Description of Duties

1. Contribute to the provision of technical support to ILO constituents and other relevant stakeholders pertaining to the social health protection area as required for the project delivery across its different components with a view to promoting the Decent Work Agenda. This includes support on (i) design, implementation and monitoring of operational mechanisms and pilot interventions to facilitate the enrolment of refugees and asylum-seekers into Egypt’s Universal Health Insurance system and to monitor their effective access to health services in selected governorates, (ii) development, piloting and assessment of strategies and operational options for extending social health protection coverage to workers in the informal economy, including enrolment arrangements, contribution collection mechanisms and institutional coordination and (iii)  health financing, fund management, investment strategy, actuarial analysis and the financial sustainability of the Universal Health Insurance system.
2. Support policy-oriented, comparative research and analysis that takes into account gender and diversity considerations in the area of social health protection. Contribute to research related to social health protection interventions, draft terms of reference for research consultants and monitor and coordinate their work,  ensuring compliance with ILO policies and project strategies, ILO programming guidelines, country/action programmes, and Office procedures and practices
3. Provide technical inputs into the development, peer review and editing of policy briefs, working papers, reports, publications and other knowledge products related to social health protection and contribute to their dissemination. 
4. Participate in the identification of capacity development needs of constituents in relation to social health protection and make proposals on how to address them. Prepare related training and learning materials and activities in collaboration with the International Training Centre in Turin (ITC-ILO) and/or with other relevant partners as applicable for UHIA, workers’ organizations and other stakeholders on social health protection design and administration . Deliver training to these diverse audiences using innovative methods and communication tools, and leveraging the use of digital technologies. 
5. Undertake missions and/or field visits in relation to the projects' implementation.
6. Support resource mobilisation efforts for new projects and activities, including leveraging opportunities for collaboration with partners and proposing new initiatives/activities, in the field of social health protection.
7. Help organise and participate in national, regional, international and UN Inter-agency, social partners meetings, stakeholder working groups dealing with health sector, social protection and other relevant topics, consultations and forums to engage with potential and existing partners to explain and promote the social health protection technical agenda and present the ILO approach on social health protection.
8. Perform other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor.

Required qualifications

Education

An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in social science, economics or related fields. A first-level university degree (Bachelor's or equivalent) in one of the afore-mentioned fields or other relevant fields with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the required experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

• At least five years of relevant professional experience on social health protection, health insurance, health financing and/or universal health insurance reforms 
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: design and implementation of extension of coverage to workers in the informal economy; inclusion of refugees, migrants or other vulnerable groups in social health protection schemes; actuarial health analysis and financial sustainability assessment; and institutional strengthening of health insurance authorities. 
• Previous sound experience in conducting analytical work with practical implications on the extension of social health protection would be an advantage, specifically in medical care, sickness, or maternity benefits would be a plus.

Languages

Excellent command of English. Knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage.

Competencies

In addition to the ILO core competencies, Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to change, taking responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, and Collaboration, this position requires:

• Proven ability to take ownership of all responsibilities, to act with integrity and transparency by maintaining social, ethical and organisational norms, and to meet all commitments within the prescribed time, cost and quality standards.
• Ability to develop training materials, alternative courses of action, project proposals, policy, and procedural matters and present them at high-level meetings.
• Ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies.
• Ability to draft reports and prepare guidelines relating to programme development and implementation.
• Ability to participate effectively in technical missions and to provide technical inputs for the ILO Decent Work Agenda.
• Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools and qualitative and quantitative techniques.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write accurate reports and to build networks to obtain cooperation with partners.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to promote a knowledge-sharing and learning culture in the office, and to focus and guide others to meet objectives at individual and group level.
• Proven commitment to a rights-based approach.