Consultant, Inter-Sectoral Policy Advocacy
Plan (HP+)

Job Description:

Health Policy Plus (HP+) is a USAID-funded five-year project awarded to Palladium (formerly Futures Group) on August 28, 2015. HP+ has a mandate across global, country, and subnational levels to strengthen and advance health policy priorities in HIV, family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH), and maternal health. It aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy development and implementation, with an emphasis on voluntary, rights-based health programs, and by strengthening in-country partners’ capacity to navigate complex environments for effective policy design, implementation, and financing aligned to their priorities. We carry forward proven approaches to preserve achievements. These approaches inform how we manage programs and engage with stakeholders, and tools and techniques improve decision making and the achievement of predetermined goals.

 

In Sindh, HP+ draws from a range of evidence-based capacity development tools and approaches, which may include workshops and training, digital learning, colleague-based learning including mentoring, seconding and on-the-job support, and short-term coaching and technical support. HP+ Pakistan applies system-based approaches that ensure all efforts contribute meaningfully to achieving results, and while institutionalizing the changes, so the production of results can continue.

 

Position Summary:

HP+ Pakistan is seeking a short-term consultant to support Sindh’s Population Welfare Department’s (PWD) Plan Implementation Unit (PIU), responsible for execution of the Costed Implementation Plan, in being the champion for population and development issues among government departments, development partners and other stakeholders. The consultant would work with PWD/PIU to enhance its capacity to sensitize and inform relevant government departments about the impact of population growth on Sindh’s overall development to encourage them to integrate population and development issues into their own strategies.

 

This position is based in Karachi; travel to nearby districts may be involved for meetings. HP+ will provide office space and will cover travel and accommodation costs for any travel outside of Karachi related to this consultancy.  

 

Key Responsibilities:

The consultant will be primarily responsible for working with HP+ and PIU to expand the current Costed Implementation Plan’s (CIP) Inter-sectoral Policy Advocacy Plan to reflect the role of the CIP as a flagship document in addressing population growth and development in Sindh. The plan will provide a framework to support PWD/PIU to raise awareness about the impact of a rapidly growing population on Sindh’s socioeconomic development and will include an action plan that will be developed in close consultation with the PIU.

 

Specific responsibilities include:

 1.       Meetings with senior officials from other departments: (estimated LOE: 10 days)

In collaboration with senior leadership in PIU/PWD, the consultant will meet with the Secretaries and relevant decision makers (technical officials) from other departments to:

• Identify knowledge gaps among non-FP focused agencies about the impact of rapid population growth on Sindh’s development particularly in their respective sector.
• Discuss establishing a mechanism to incorporate population messages into their work.
• Gather suggestions from interviewees for potential strategies and activities that PIU can undertake with them for an increase in FP and for generating support among provincial and local leadership for prioritizing, managing, and resourcing efforts to address population issues.

 2.       Collaborative finalization of Sindh’s inter-sectoral advocacy plan for population and development: (estimated LOE: 10 days)

The consultant in collaboration with PWD/PIU will organize a one day consultative meeting with stakeholders (UNFPA, Departments of Health, Education, Environment, Labor, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture, USAID IPs, and key civil society organizations to get their consensus on the Inter-sectoral Policy Advocacy Plan drafted following individual meetings with other departments. The plan will identify clear roles and responsibilities for government and civil society. A social sector forum chaired by PWD will be established at the end of the meeting to direct and coordinate population-related activities, ensure unified messaging and oversee implementation of the policy advocacy plan.

 

The inter-sectoral policy advocacy plan will help improve PWD/PIU’s coordination and linkages with other government departments and partners. These can also provide support for sector-focused events at the provincial and district levels. It will also outline steps that PWD/PIU can take over the next several months to reposition family planning as a development issue that impacts all sectors.

 

Qualifications and Skills Required:

• 8-10 years’ experience in policy advocacy
• Experience working with the Sindh government and in-depth understanding of how the system works
• Demonstrated experience with facilitating high level meetings
• Excellent analytical and writing skills – unedited, original writing samples may be requested
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Urdu essential; fluency in Sindhi preferred

 

Deliverables:

All deliverables must be approved by the technical monitor. Multiple drafts may need to be submitted before the technical monitor approves the deliverable. Payments based on approval of deliverables.

 

Deliverable	Due Date	LOE
Work plan with details of persons and organizations to meet	10 Aug	10 days
Develop an action plan following individual meetings with other departments	6 Sep, 2017
One day consultative meeting with stakeholders for consensus on the Inter-sectoral Policy Advocacy Plan	13 Sep, 2017	10 days
Establish a Social Sector Forum to direct and coordinate population-related activities, ensure unified messaging and oversee implementation of the advocacy plan	13 Sep, 2017
Final report package: Summary report of consultative meeting Final inter-sectoral policy advocacy plan with action steps including clear roles and responsibilities for government and civil society Recommendations	27 Sep, 2017

 

To apply, please send cover Letter and CV to [email protected] with ‘Consultant: Inter-Sectoral Policy Advocacy Plan’ in the subject line by 5:00pm (UTC+05:00) Monday, July 31, 2017.