Post Type: National, Project contract
Child Safeguarding Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people

Reporting to the Senior Systems and Governance Lead, the Health Equity Specialist is responsible for ensuring that gender equity and social inclusion concerns for health are incorporated in all stages of the project cycle. The Health Equity Specialist will liaise with technical, managerial and finance teams and developing strategies for incorporating equity concerns from gender, caste and ethnicity, geography and other aspects of exclusion.

Specifically, the Health Equity Specialist will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide input to the strategic vision and direction to the Project to promote equitable and sustainable health outcomes through the project and the counterpart (MOH and other authorities at federal, provincial and local level).
• Support the development of Project Strategies and Annual Plans, periodic reports and other deliverables and ensure input from partners from the health equity perspective.
• Develop and maintain the in-depth understanding of equity issues and initiatives, including national and/or global policies, donors, key players in government, USAID, INGOs and national civil societies.
• Ensure the conceptualization and design of cost-effective, innovative and high-quality programming with focus on hard to reach and marginalized mothers and children of Nepal and that supports immediate and lasting change for them.
• Ensure that health equity initiatives are relevant to mothers and children in Nepal in general and project area in particular.
• Take lead in ensuring that health equity concerns are incorporated in different stages of the project from situation assessment, planning implementation, reporting, to evaluation
• Take the lead and or/ assist in conducting gender and social inclusion (GESI) situation analysis for the project together with other thematic specialists to identify/prepare/update project focus to promote health equity.
• Build capacity of project staff (including partners and counterpart) in GESI as appropriate.
• In close consultation with other project team members, explore and encourage the development of innovative health equity initiatives to address key issues of mothers, newborn and children.
• Review performance against agreed program objectives and indicators from health equity perspective
• Take lead in generating evidence, learnings, and documents and disseminates the health equity best practices within and beyond a project
• Share GESI learning experiences, where appropriate, with and among key national stakeholders including the government.
• Ensure that information on health equity initiatives, lessons learned, good practices is accessed and used by the project team
• Represent the project in network and coalition forums, private and public GESI meetings, seminars and conferences as necessary
• Engage in relevant national and global networks on GESI.

Qualification And Experience:

• Master degree in Public Health or Women’s/Gender study, Development Studies, Sociology with health-related experience
• 5 years work experience with at least 3 years of relevant work experience in similar field.
• Awareness of national and international equity issues in health and practical ways to promote equity, sustainability, and accountable health programming
• Proven experience to maintain close working relationships and coordination with stakeholders including USAID-funded partners, other technical component leads and other local stakeholders and partners
• Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, a definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in
• Proven written and oral presentation skills in English