Project Manager, Building Social Protection Floors for All and Social Health Protection in Asia

Introduction

In Asia and the Pacific, 56.3 per cent of the population is legally covered by social health protection. Despite the central place of social health protection in social and economic development, population coverage does not translate into effective protection for all, and access to social health protection is deteriorating. More people are being impoverished by health expenditures. Overall, in South-East Asia, the percentage of the population with catastrophic OOP health spending due to out-of-pocket health spending exceeding 10% of the household budget continuously increased since 2000, from 12.7% to 16.1 % in 2019.  Availability of health care services remains very limited. Service coverage index stands at 62, below the global average (68). Funding gaps constitute major constrains to enhance social health protection: the funding gap for essential health care in Asia and the Pacific stands at 1.2% of GDP.  Gaps in social health protection coverage and insufficient investment in public health services often force individuals to rely on out-of-pocket private healthcare. These disproportionately impact groups with specific needs, such as older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, migrants, and workers in vulnerable employment. These groups are also frequently overrepresented in the coverage gaps for cash benefits. More than ever, climate change and multi-faceted crisis are putting health and lives at risks.

The importance and potential of social protection in reducing poverty and inequalities and contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable economic development is recognized in the Sustainable Development Agenda. Financial health protection is an essential mechanism to reach universal health coverage, one of the targets under SDG3 on healthier lives.
Through the pooled fund of the ILO Flagship Programme “Building Social Protection Floors for all”, with Luxembourg funds, the ILO pursues the support provided under the first phase of the ILO-Luxembourg project "Support to the Extension of Social Health Protection in South-East Asia" to increase financial health protection in the Asia region, with a focus on Lao PDR.  This support is implemented under the overall umbrella of national strategies towards UHC and the global development agenda. Under the regional component, the Project pursues its support to the establishment and implementation of a regional platform for exchange, joint research and regional training opportunities for experts, academic institutions and practitioners in the area of social health protection, established under the first phase of the project and now known as CONNECT. At country level activities will be aligned with national social health protection strategies and complement initiatives of other development partners. As a component of the Global Flagship Program strong links with the flagship programme will ensure efficient use of already developed tools, coordination with other social protection interventions and a solid yet country adapted approach built on best practices for enhanced impact. 

The Project Manager will be responsible for the implementation of the regional project as well as providing technical support to constituents in Lao PDR, and on demand to other countries in the region, in support to ILO social protection team already in place, for the improvement of their social health protection systems. He/she will ensure that the project contributes to coherent country programmes on social protection, including national plans for the achievement of the SDGs, within the overall ILO country framework and decent work agenda.

Reporting line

The Project Manager will work under the overall supervision of the Director of the ILO Decent Work Support Team for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific (DWT Bangkok) with technical backstopping of the Senior Social Protection Specialists of the DWT Bangkok. The respective ILO Country Offices will be the collaborating units. Technical inputs and support in the field of social health protection will also be provided by the Universal Social Protection Department (SOCPRO) in Geneva, support to be channelled and coordinated through the Health Policy Coordinator and the Head of the Flagship programme.

The Project Manager will supervise the project staff based in Bangkok and Vientiane.
 

Description of Duties

The Project Manager will be responsible for the design, supervision and monitoring of all activities required for the achievement of project objectives and their related outputs, in accordance with the project Implementation Plan and the Performance Plan. The incumbent will be specifically required to:

1. Develop and implement the overall project strategies and policy, and monitor, review and report on the progress of regional project monitoring plans and work plans, following the project's logical frameworks and indicators;
2. Lead the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of project's activities required for the timely and effective achievement of all project outputs in conformity with ILO policies and ILO regional priorities, and in accordance with ILO programming guidelines, and administrative and financial procedures; ensure the flow of project funds and request budget revisions, and ensure financial delivery of the project;
3. Maintain effective relationships with and provide technical services to governments, social security institutions, employers' and workers' organizations, the ASEAN Secretariat, and other project stakeholders, in view of supporting the increase in population coverage, improvement of adequacy of benefits and fostered financial sustainability and overall management of the social protection systems in ASEAN, and in particular in Lao PDR;
4. Promote ILO policies and relevant International Labour Standards related to social security for women and men, and the engagement of social partners in dialogues related to social protection at regional and country levels;
5. Conduct research and awareness raising, produce and publish technical reports and policy notes, document good practices on the extension of social health protection;
6. Develop terms of reference for consultants and supervise the development of policy-oriented research and publications related to social protection, at regional and country levels;
7. Strengthen constituents' capacity in the field of social protection by designing, implementing and monitoring capacity building and training programmes;
8. Conduct seminars, workshops, technical meetings and training courses;
9. Coordinate closely with other ILO projects in the region and countries of operation, ILO DWT-Bangkok, other ILO units and external stakeholders as appropriate to obtain technical inputs, and share project approaches and lessons learnt for replication and mainstreaming; 
10. Recruit, guide, monitor and supervise the work of project staff; promote the inclusion of gender equality and non-discrimination in all aspects of the project;
11. Ensure, in collaboration with the regional and country offices' communications officers, the efficient communication of the project results achieved by the project;
12. Collaborate in the formulation of project proposals and carry out resource mobilization activities to develop ILO portfolio in the area of Social Health Protection in the region, to complement the Project resources;
13. Carry out other duties as may be assigned under the project.
     

Required qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree in economics, social sciences, law or other relevant fields, with demonstrated expertise on social protection issues.
A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in one of the afore-mentioned fields with an additional two years of relevant experience, in addition to the required seven years of experience stated below, will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience

-    At least seven years of relevant professional experience, including at the international level, on social health protection.
-    Experience in designing, supporting the implementation and assessing social health protection policies and programmes, in support to government and social partners
-    Experience in the design and/or management of international development programmes or projects 
-    Experience in the South-East Asia region is an advantage
-    Experience in working with ILO constituents would be an asset.

Languages

Excellent knowledge of one working language of the Office (English, French, Spanish)., and good working knowledge of another one (select: one or two).

Competencies

• Demonstrated capacity to provide relevant and effective technical advice on social health protection and related topics.
• Ability to conceptualise, design, plan and implement research work including analysis of complex cross-national practices and data sets.
• Ability to participate effectively in technical missions and decent work teams;
• Ability to guide and coordinate the work of external collaborators, general service staff and young professionals in the area of specialization;
• Ability to formulate new concepts and methodologies;
• Excellent writing skills to draft reports and prepare guidelines relating to programme development and implementation and ability to provide technical support to senior specialists carrying out research, project formulation and implementation;
• Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools and qualitative and quantitative techniques;
• Good computer skills.
• The ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.