Programme Management Advisor - Value for Money (short-term consultancy)

UNOPS Myanmar

Myanmar is one of UNOPS’ leading offices in Asia, acting as Fund manager for three of the largest development programmes in the country, namely the Access to Health Fund (Access), the Livelihood and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) and the Joint Peace Fund (JPF). In addition, UNOPS is Principal Recipient for the Global Fund in Myanmar and for the Global Fund’s regional artemisinin-resistance initiative targeting drug resistant malaria in the greater Mekong sub-region. UNOPS provides procurement, infrastructure and project management services to a wide range of organizations in the country, including the Government of Myanmar, international development partners, other UN agencies, NGOs and INGOs. UNOPS plays a critical role in ensuring that the quality of services provided to its partners meets stringent requirements of speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Access to Health Fund

The Access to Health Fund is a multi-donor USD 215 million Fund supported by the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA. The Fund was designed in 2018 and started operations in 2019 to provide support for health needs in Myanmar.  

The Access to Health Fund focuses on improving access to health services for vulnerable populations, mainly in Myanmar’s conflict-affected areas. It will do so through supporting Township Health Departments and Ethnic Health providers, and promoting integrated delivery of MNCH, Nutrition, TB and Malaria services.  Similarly to its predecessor the 3MDG Fund, Access to Health will continue supporting health system strengthening through multiple direct grants to National Programs and State Health Departments, as well as investments in Ethnic Health Organisations.

Value for Money (defined as maximizing the impact of each dollar spent on the Fund’s pursued goals, on shaping key health sector actors’ behavior, and on the health sector’s cost-efficiency, to prepare the country for Universal Health Coverage) is an important consideration both in the Fund’s operations and in the implementation of Access-supported health activities.  

The Access to Health Fund’s predecessor (the 3MDG Fund) undertook a number of Value for Money assessments and special studies; Value for Money was also integrated into 3MDG Fund’s operations from the grant management and procurement perspectives.  What was lacking was a consistently operationalized Value for Money Framework at all levels, executive responsibility for Value for Money, and sufficient technical capacities in this area within the Fund Management Office.  Review of 3MDG Value for Money implementation will provide useful lessons learnt for ACCESS.

In developing the Value for Money Framework for Access to Health it will be important to take into account the Fund’s more complex scope and a more resource-constrained situation, both in terms of human and financial resources, as well as all of the following:

1. The focus of the Fund’s Strategy on vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas
2. Extensive geographic coverage of the Fund and greater coverage of EHO-served areas (i.e non-Government-controlled and mixed-controlled areas) 
3. Limitations in availability and quality of routinely-collected program data on health services, particularly in non-Government controlled and mixed-controlled areas
4. Limitations of Implementing Partners in financial reporting capacities
5. Challenges of conducting surveys and special studies, particularly in conflict-affected areas. 

2. Aims of the Consultation 

The consultation will be looking into three areas:

2.1. Analyse the Access to Health Fund’s current decision-making approach (including a high-level review of the current portfolio, interventions, and delivery modalities) to determine whether it sufficiently takes into account Value for Money considerations, identify gaps in the approach, and make recommendations on how the Fund could use its resources to maximises health outcomes for target populations;

2.2. Define a Value for Money framework for the Fund which will:

a)     Ensure that key Value for Money considerations are integrated into the Fund’s management of grants and programmes

b)     Formalizes the Fund’s approach to promoting Value for Money in its decisions

c)     Improve the Fund’s identification of and action towards weak Value for Money performance in supported programmes

d)     Ensure Value for Money in programmes is improved over time

e)     Be aligned and integrated with the Fund’s M&E Strategy 

The Value for Money Framework for the Fund, aligned with DFID’s 4E framework, will be developed in close collaboration with the M&E and Strategy Units of the Fund Management Office and in consultation with Fund donors. The Framework should clearly set out how Value for Money principles will be operationalised by different actors (FMO, IPs) and how Value for Money will be assessed (indicators and data requirements).  It will be specific, useful and implementable over the lifetime of the Fund.  The Framework should clearly identify the prerequisites for its implementation, such as required capacities of the FMO and IP staff, and data requirements. 

The Framework will cover the Fund’s 2020-2023 operations. The Consultancy will need to make recommendations on the Framework’s ownership within the Fund, VFM oversight, as well as the frequency of data collection and reporting.

2.3. Identify ways for the Access to Health Fund to continuously learn (including from failure) and improve its Value for Money proposition.

3. Tasks and Duties

Under the overall supervision of the ACCESS Fund Director, the Consultant will carry out the following key duties and responsibilities:

1. Document review (some of the key documents include the Description of Action, Strategy of Access to Health Fund, Monitoring & Evaluation Strategy, DFID’s Approach to Value for Money, 3MDG Value for Money assessments, 3MDG Final Evaluation Report, 3MDG Project Completion Review by DFID, latest 3MDG Annual Report)

1. Internal consultations - with the Fund Director, Programme, Strategy, Monitoring & Evaluation, Procurement, Program Management Office unit members
2. External consultations – with Donor representatives on the Fund Board, the MOHS, and relevant partners implementing Access programmes
3. Develop a Value for Money Framework,  in close collaboration with FMO Units
4. Participate in addressing stakeholder feedback on the draft Value for Money Framework
5. Finalise the Value for Money Framework based on inputs of internal and external stakeholders;
6. Review the Fund’s approaches, interventions, and delivery modalities, in particular given the focus on vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas, and provide advice to the FMO as to whether they are likely to result in strong Value for Money during the Fund’s lifetime
7. Provide recommendations on areas in which the Fund could improve its Value for Money proposition (Note: at this early point in the life of the Fund, there can be no meaningful assessment of results; the advice sought under this point will be structural in nature).

4.     Deliverables

The consultation will be expected to deliver on the three points under section B, namely:

1. An Analysis of the Access to Health Fund’s current decision-making approach
2. A Value for Money Framework
3. Guidance/advice on the Fund’s learning in the area of VFM.

Education

●       A Master degree in Health Economics, Health Finance, or other relevant area is required.

●       A Bachelor’s degree in combination with additional two years of similar experience may be accepted in           lieu of a Master’s degree.

Work Experience

●       Minimum 7 years of relevant experience at senior level in the health sector.  Breadth of experience (e.g           work in different roles as a program implementer, funds manager and technical advisor) would be                   considered a strength.

●       Minimum 5 years of experience in developing and/or advising on development of Value for Money                   Frameworks and mechanisms.

●       Experience with multi-donor health funds is a significant asset. 

●       Experience developing Value for Money or cost-effectiveness approach in other conflict-affected low-             resource settings is desirable.

●       Understanding of Myanmar’s context, and experience with Myanmar’s health system is a significant               asset.  Languages

●       Excellent skills in both written and spoken English are required.

Contract type:          International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA) - Retainer Contract level:         IICA 3
Contract duration:   Maximum 25 working days


For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx  

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

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Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.