OBS Health System Experts (Roster)

1. Background and Justification

Purpose of the Position
The purpose of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies roster is to establish a pool of high level expertise on core health systems functions and issues that can be deployed rapidly and flexibly for future assignments to help meet the Observatory’s work plan commitments and support Member States.

The experts on the roster will work at varying levels of seniority to contribute to evidence generation and knowledge brokering across a number of technical areas and issues. They will help provide senior policy makers with the tailored evidence they need to take better informed health system decisions.

2. Job Description

Objectives of the Programme and of the immediate Strategic Objective
The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies is at the forefront of international evidence generation and knowledge brokering for health policies and systems. Its mission is to support and promote evidence-informed health policy-making through comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the dynamics of health systems and policies in Europe.

The Observatory’s aim is to generate evidence and broker knowledge so that policy makers can take better health systems decisions and improve population health. Its objectives include
• Describing and analysing health systems and the changes they undergo;
• Mapping trends and making comparisons (including with relevant countries outside Europe) to support European policy making;
• Mobilizing experience from practice across Europe to give insights into policy issues;
• Working in partnership with governments, international organisations, academics, policy-makers and practitioners to provide evidence and evidence-informed policy options to national and European policy-makers;
• Employing (and developing) a range of knowledge brokering tools to communicate effectively with policy-makers;
• Feeding evidence into the wider health policy debate.
The Observatory is a partnership hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. It includes the Governments of Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom; the Veneto Region of Italy; the French National Union of Health Insurance Funds (UNCAM); the World Health Organization; the European Commission; the World Bank; the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE; and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
The Observatory consists of a Steering Committee, senior management team and staff. Its core Secretariat is in Brussels and it has offices in London at LSE and LSHTM and Berlin (TUB).

Organizational context
The members of the roster form a strategic and senior Observatory resource. They will work closely with the Secretariat in Brussels and the Observatory hubs and directly with senior policy makers in a dynamic and high pressure international environment. They will deliver a mix of inputs as appropriate\: providing technical guidance; advising on and participating in analytic and knowledge brokering activities; mobilizing their existing research and networks to address policy questions; communicating evidence; and working with decision makers from governments and international organizations to bridge the evidence policy divide. They will liaise with Observatory staff and with other of its experts with the overall guidance and support of the Director and senior staff. Roster members will advise the Observatory Secretariat, Partners and Steering Committee when required and support the Observatory in its work with WHO (the European Region and Headquarters), European Commission, Ministers / Ministries of Health, related ministries, international agencies and academic institutions.

Summary of Assigned Duties
Experts on the roster will be invited to take on specific, clearly defined assignments in the health system areas for which they have been selected and which fit their specific profile and expertise. These will range widely from presenting evidence, to participation in a policy dialogue, to delivering a research project. Duties will be to\: 

1. Provide expertise in two or more of the following key health system areas

1.1 Health financing (including the economics of health, paying for services, instruments and mechanisms, investment in health, value for money and sustainability)
1.2 Service delivery (including integrated care, patient centred health systems, primary care-hospital care-social care pathways, and caring for ageing populations)
1.3 Governance (at provider, health system, inter-sectoral and EU levels and including regulation universal coverage, AMR, public health and health in all policies)
1.4 Health systems performance assessment (including measurement and management, quality, patient safety, responsiveness, efficiency and equity)
1.5 Health workforce (including skill mix, planning, retention, mobility, and informal care)
1.6 Innovation in organization and technologies and implementing change (innovation strategies; scaling up and rolling out; the transferability of policy options)
1.7 Knowledge brokering (including working face to face with senior decision makers in governments and agencies, providing advice on evidence based options, writing, editing and publishing on health systems issues).

2. Take part in research and analysis so as to equip the Observatory with evidence to support European Region Member States and international bodies in their efforts to strengthen health systems. This will entail a mix of the following

2.1 Scoping and horizon scanning activities to identify policy concerns; mapping existing research; and identifying policy relevant gaps in evidence
2.2 Background research including literature review, comprehensive synthesis of existing evidence and / or primary research to fill policy relevant gaps
2.3 Development of conceptual frameworks, definitions, study structures, terms of reference, templates and proposals for studies and for grants
2.4 Advancing and advising on methodologies to ensure research best meets policy needs
2.5 Mobilizing experts and research to expand Observatory networks
2.6 Authoring chapters, articles and reports
2.7 Editing, revising and supporting the delivery of chapters, articles and reports
2.8 Reviewing chapters, articles and reports to ensure quality
2.9 Supporting and / or co-leading secondary research or analytic projects.

3. Take part in knowledge brokering to share the evidence generated and to provide senior policy makers with direct access to expertise and insight that will enable them to take better informed decisions on concrete policy challenges. This will involve a range of the following

3.1 Helping to design and / or deliver strategic policy dialogues and other tailored interventions including national and international evidence briefings and symposia, so that policy makers can assimilate technical and comparative evidence and apply it in context
3.2 Helping to design and / or deliver ‘rapid responses’ to address emerging and urgent policy questions in a timely manner in writing and / or face to face
3.3 Contributing to the development, writing and revision of policy briefs that capture and share policy relevant evidence for a practitioner audience
3.4 Presenting evidence at conferences, meetings and other events
3.5 Contributing to and / or taking a role in the design technical development and delivery of the Observatory’s Summer School
3.6 Briefing and / or working directly with senior Ministry of Health figures and relevant counterparts in other ministries (finance, welfare, education) or in sub-national government, and with WHO, Observatory Partners, the European Commission and other international bodies on policy options and facilitating high level discussion to directly support decision making within the Observatory’s non-normative knowledge brokering framework

3. Recruitment Profile

The minimum academic and professional experience required to apply for the roster is outlined below. The actual grade for each individual contract will be determined in accordance with WHO guidelines on minimum requirements at the time of contract issuance.

Functional Knowledge and Skills

Describe the essential knowledge and the skills specific to the position
High level technical knowledge in one or more technical, health system function\: health financing; service delivery; HSPA; health workforce; innovation and implementation; knowledge brokering. Demonstrated knowledge of and skills in research, evidenced by involvement in research projects using a range of different methods, disciplines, approaches and publications. Skills in research management including in supervising senior academics and complex networks. Expert knowledge of and skills in the application of evidence to policy and of the policy making context in Europe demonstrated by work with senior policy makers, participation in dialogues, advice to decision makers and roles in relevant advisory boards.

A track record of independent, credible, high quality work that is fit to inform decision-making as demonstrated through proxies which show academic and policy makers’ regard specifically through invitations to make key note presentations, write leader articles or act as an examiner.

Desirable
Familiarity with the approach of the Observatory, its values and those of its Partners as shown by previous engagement with the Observatory, its networks or any similar agency or project seeking to broker knowledge in the areas of health systems and policies.

Education Qualifications
Essential
An advanced university degree in health, economics, management, social science, law or a related area.

Desirable
A doctorate that relates directly to any of the technical health system areas listed above.

Experience
Essential
A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in the field of European health systems and policies with reference to two or more of the technical areas / functions listed above and a focus on the generation of evidence to meet policy makers’ needs as demonstrated by posts held and publications.

A proven ability to lead or take a senior role in international health systems research including comparative research in one or more core health systems area as evinced by leadership of or significant contributions to research projects and consortia with a policy relevant and / comparative focus.

A minimum of 5 years’ experience of knowledge brokering and, in the shaping and provision of evidence to policy makers as demonstrated by participation in dialogues and / or the provision of advice to decision makers and / or participation in relevant advisory boards. Track record both in publishing and in presenting at international conferences.

Desirable
Experience of the provision of evidence to international organizations; experience supporting proposal development; track record of resource mobilization.



Remuneration is based on classified requirements of the ToRs of the Individual Consultant Contract with related academic and professional experience applied for the grade.