Job Description

Health Systems Strengthening and Transition Advisor - Namibia Consultant

Namibia is preparing for transition to full government funding and ownership of the national HIV response, marking a significant milestone in the country's public health sustainability journey. As one of the highest performing high HIV burden countries, Namibia has made substantial progress toward epidemic control. However, continued donor dependency across key health system functions including service delivery, human resources for health, supply chain management, and health information systems poses risks to the long-term sustainability of these gains, absent a well-managed transition.

This consultancy is meant to assist the U.S. Government (USG) and Government of Namibia (GRN) in planning the responsible technical and financial transition of HIV programming. This process will also advance the U.S. America First Global Health Security (AFGHS) agenda and is strategically aligned with key tenets of the strategy, including co-investment, innovation, transition, and the journey to self-reliance.

This consultancy is intended to support the USG in planning and facilitating a deliberate, phased transition of HIV program financing and implementation responsibilities to the GRN, including transformation of existing programming for better alignment with national programming and responsible wind-down of programming that the national program will not continue. The engagement will assess key health systems components such as governance, financing, service delivery, human resources, health information systems, and supply chain management, to identify gaps, risks, and opportunities in moving from a donor-dependent model to a country-owned, country-led, and sustainably financed HIV response.

Objective of the Assignment

• Assess Current State: Support the comprehensive assessment of Namibia's HIV program during implementation planning across key health system components; governance, financing, service delivery, human resources for health, health information systems, and supply chain management to determine the extent of donor dependency and readiness for transition.
• Identify Gaps and Risks: Identify critical gaps, risks, and vulnerabilities that could disrupt continuity of HIV services or jeopardize programmatic gains during the transition from USG to Government of Namibia (GRN) financing and management.
• Support development of the GHSD Implementation Plan and budget:
• Strengthen GRN Capacity: Recommend targeted capacity-building interventions to enhance the GRN's ability to independently plan, finance, manage, and monitor the national HIV program.
• Support Sustainable Financing: Evaluate domestic resource mobilization options and financing mechanisms to support long-term, country-led financing of HIV services.
• Facilitate Stakeholder Alignment: Foster consensus and coordinated action among USG interagency partners, GRN Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), implementing partners, and civil society on transition priorities and timelines.

Scope of Services

• Support USG and GRN co-planning and implementation process.
• Provide feedback on proposed implementation in relation to w GRN's institutional and policy frameworks for HIV programming and oversight.
• Provide technical guidance on support for strengthening public financial management systems to absorb and manage transitioned program funds.
• Evaluate the GRN's capacity to maintain and scale HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services without USG direct implementation support.
• Assess current health workforce capacity, including numbers, skills, and distribution of personnel supporting HIV programs.
• Identify workforce gaps resulting from the phase-out of USG-funded positions.
• Review the functionality, ownership, and sustainability of HIV-related data systems (e.g., electronic patient record systems, DHIS2).
• Recommend a monitoring and evaluation framework to track transition progress against key milestones.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

The consultant shall provide the following technical services in support of Namibia's HIV program transition from USG to Government of Namibia (GRN) financing and management:

• Develop and submit a detailed workplan and methodology for USG approval prior to commencing substantive work.
• Co-facilitate meetings bringing together proposals from all USG/GRN transition planning groups and support leadership team in planning.
• Advise USG and GRN health leadership on transition-related activities, providing context from the GC8 proposal.
• Coordinate all data collection activities, interviews, and site visits with relevant USG and GRN focal points in advance.
• Maintain regular communication with the USG point of contact.

Reporting, Supervision and Coordination

• The consultant shall report administratively and technically to the Department of State POCs through the designated contract manager or supervisor identified in the contract award or letter of engagement.
• The consultant may not communicate final positions or submit official materials to external parties unless expressly authorized in writing by the DoS.

Minimum Quality and Performance Expectations

• All deliverables shall be written in clear professional English and submitted in editable formats acceptable to the Department of State.
• All drafts shall demonstrate internal consistency between narrative, data, indicators, activities, budget, and annex references.
• All deliverables shall be technically robust, evidence-informed and aligned with official guidance applicable to the Funding Request process.
• The consultant shall ensure that comments from the Department of State are tracked and disposed of through a response matrix or similar mechanism when requested.

Administrative, Ethical and Contractual Provisions

• Confidentiality: The consultant shall protect confidential information received through the assignment and shall not disclose or reuse such information without written authorization from the U.S. government.
• Ownership of work products: All reports, drafts, matrices, trackers, notes, presentations, datasets assembled for the assignment and final outputs produced under this contract remain the property of the Department of State.
• Conflict of interest: The consultant shall disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest at the time of proposal submission and again if circumstances change during implementation.
• Travel and logistics: Travel, accommodation, workshop attendance, and any reimbursable costs, where applicable, shall be governed by the signed contract or purchase order and prior written approval requirements.
• Payment basis: Payments should be linked to satisfactory completion and written acceptance of agreed deliverables, as set out in the contract.
• Substitution of personnel: No substitution of key personnel shall be permitted without prior written approval from the Department of State and demonstration of equivalent or stronger qualifications.

Required Qualifications:

• Substantial prior professional experience working for or with the United States Government in Namibia
• Substantial prior professional experience working for or with civil society organizations in Namibia
• Candidates should clearly understand the current investment strategies of the Global Fund and the United States Government.
• Direct prior work experience with the Global Fund and U.S. government in Namibia for HIV foreign assistance is strongly preferred.

Period of Performance: 2 to 3 calendar months

Interviews conducted on a rolling basis.

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.