Roster for Experts Pool: Health Economists and Health Financing (With the possibility of multiple duty stations for deployment as required, remotely)

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF. Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities. Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

UNICEF’s mission is to uphold the rights of every child, with equity as the cornerstone of its programmes, advocacy, and operations. The Global Programme Division (GPD) provides strategic leadership, policy direction, and technical expertise, linking global standards with country-level implementation. To strengthen this support, UNICEF has established Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Nairobi, Panama, Amman, and Bangkok, which deliver high-quality, demand-driven assistance in policy reform, programme design, public finance, workforce development, institutional strengthening, and humanitarian response, while contributing to global standards.
In this context, UNICEF has created a new cross-cutting team called the Inclusive Health Economics, Financing, and Policy Innovation (IHEFPI) team to lead its technical assistance under the Financing for Scale pillar. Health economists within UNICEF’s Centres of Excellence offer strategic policy advice to governments, using health economics and financing strategies to promote equitable and sustainable outcomes for children and women. By aligning evidence and policy with national priorities, the IHEFPI team helps governments increase fiscal space, evaluate affordability, enhance financial protection, and scale up cost-effective interventions. The IHEFPI team addresses persistent challenges to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health-related SDGs, including: (i) low and unequal health investment and high out-of-pocket spending; (ii) inefficient and fragmented financing; (iii) fiscal constraints and economic volatility; (iv) fragile and conflict-affected settings; and (v) gaps in scaling cost-effective interventions. Its work spans economic evaluations, modelling, efficiency analysis, health technology assessments, and fiscal space analysis, guiding reforms, resource allocation, and investment strategies. By generating evidence, benchmarking financing models, and co-designing solutions with governments, the IHEFPI team ensures that health investments are equitable, efficient, and financially sustainable. This work strengthens countries’ institutional capacity and contributes to resilient, sustainable health systems for children and women.
The purpose of this advertisement is to create a pool of trained experts in health economics and health financing who can provide technical expertise in areas supported by the IHEFPI. Selected experts will work in close collaboration with UNICEF Centers of Excellence and Country Offices, as well as external partners, to deliver specialized expertise in response to country and programme needs.

Scope of Work:
The Technical Expert/Consultant will work and provide technical guidance in the following areas:
1.Technical Advisory on strategic planning, policy formulation, and review
•Offer expert guidance and technical leadership to governments in designing, costing, and financing health and immunization strategies.
•Contribute to the development and cost analysis of national health strategies, including key priority areas such as national immunization strategies, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health strategies, and health systems strategy.

•Generate evidence using economic tools (e.g., Integrated Health Tool, National Immunization Strategy costing application, etc.) to assess impact and project costs of health and immunization strategies, including scenario planning.

2.Evidence generation, health economics research, and knowledge management

•Perform cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses to guide investments in key health and immunization interventions. Use widely accepted economic models and modeling methods such as LiST, Spectrum, UNIVAC, Markov models, and other decision support or analytical techniques, including newly developed or customized economic models.

•Conduct efficiency analyses of health and immunization programs using data from processes like health sector Resource Mapping and Expenditure Tracking (RMET), national surveys (such as MICs, DHS, etc.), and globally recognized health expenditure and outcomes databases (such as GHE Observatory, NHA, WUENIC, WDI).

•Develop investment cases and support the use of evidence to advocate for expanding health and immunization interventions

 

 

Minimum Qualifications required

Education:

Advanced university degree in a relevant field: Health economics, public financial management, public administration

Additional qualifying experience may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree.

 

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

a)Expertise in health economics and health financing with experience in resource-limited environments

•Junior consultant: 2-5 years’ experience

•Mid-level consultant: 5-10 years’ experience

•Senior consultant: > 10 years’ experience.

b)Experience in all or some of the following:

I.Cost analysis within the health sector

II.Economic evaluation within the health sector

III.Public Financial Management within the health sector

IV.Interfacing with national ministries of health and other multi-stakeholders and multi-cultural settings

V.Resource tracking (budgets and expenditure)

VI.Development and implementation of research in health economics and health care financing

VII.Advocacy and resource mobilization

c)Good understanding of health systems

d)Strong analytical skills and experience synthesizing information from multiple sources.

e)Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively.

Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment

 

Evaluation Criteria

A) Technical Evaluation (maximum 75 Points)

Based on the technical proposal to be submitted by candidates, the technical proposal shall be evaluated on:

-Evidence of past work in any of the covered areas (report, evaluation of employer etc...) (20)

-Satisfactory oral conversation- (method questions during oral interview for implementing deliverables (30 points)

-Recommendation letter from past employers explaining the consultant strengths (10 points)

-Evidence of solid commitment to the philosophy of the center of excellence: build local capacity, experience in transferring skills, data and skills sharing etc. (15points)

 

B) Financial Proposal (25 Points)

 

HOW TO APPLY:

The application to be submitted through the online portal should contain three separate attachments:

1. A Cover letter explaining the motivation for applying and explaining the qualifications and skillset of the candidate (to be uploaded online).
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) (to be uploaded online).
3. A financial proposal indicating professional daily all-inclusive fee 

Important Note: Please do not indicate financials anywhere else in the online application form

Without all the above documents your application will be considered incomplete and invalid and will not be considered further.

Any attempt to unduly influence UNICEF’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant.

• Joint applications of two or more individuals are not accepted.
• Please note, UNICEF does not charge any fee during any stage of the process.
• UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds including persons living with disabilities to apply.