Country: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas 
Supporting Institution: Inter-American Development Bank 
Programmes: Program to Support the Health Sector to Contain and Control Coronavirus and to Mitigate its Effects in Service Provision & Programme to Support the Health System Strengthening of The Bahamas
Project Number: BH-L1053 & BH-L1055
Loan Number: 5179/OC-BH & 5296/OC-BH
Sector: Health
Deadline: 29 August, 2023

Consultancy: Operational Policy Specialist Consultant  
Consultancy Location:  Nassau, The Bahamas
Reports to:  Chief Medical Officer – Ministry of Health & Wellness

The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) of The Bahamas has received financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), toward the cost of the Program to Support the Health Sector to Contain and Control Coronavirus and to Mitigate its Effects in Service Provision & the Programme to Support the Health System Strengthening of The Bahamas and intends to apply part of the proceeds for the consulting services of an Operational Policy Specialist Consultant.  The successful individual will work as a part of the MOHW on a contractual basis and report to the Chief Medical Officer (or other designated alternate). The successful individual will also work collaboratively with other leaders from across the Ministry of Health and national health system stakeholders, as well as with other ministries and international partners. The successful individual will support the Ministry with the development of operational policies and procedures to support digital health solutions (e.g., EMR, surveillance, telehealth). This contract is expected to be completed in a two-year period starting in October 2023.

Main responsibilities:

The main objective of this consultancy is development and implementation of an Operational Policy framework with the level of robustness required to drive effective, efficient and reliable operation of the Digital Health ecosystem (including but not limited to EMR, surveillance, telehealth) while ensuring the confidentiality of sensitive medical records in line with international standards. 

The Consultant will:

• Own and execute the design, development, implementation, and testing of the Operational Policy framework (governance, services / processes establishment);
• Critically review existing legislation, policies, processes, and procedures to determine areas requiring strengthening and provide recommendations to improve efficiency or effectiveness;
• Benchmark existing legislation, policies, processes, and procedures against the leading jurisdictions, and those in the region;
• Prepare written analyses of current and proposed legislation or other legal documents to determine their impact on specific groups or industries;
• Write reports and conduct research on specific issues or topics on request;
• Design, develop, implement, maintain and promote processes, procedures, and guidelines to improve and increase the effectiveness of the Operational Policy initiatives and operations in the Ministry;
• Design and execute an Operational Policy awareness program;
• Conduct knowledge sharing sessions among other technical personnel on lessons learnt or new findings;
• Establish meaningful measures & metrics for team performance and SLAs/OLAs;
• Plan for the business continuity and disaster recovery of operations;
• Engage key stakeholders to gather opinions about current issues affecting them;
• Coordinate with other department heads / stakeholders on technical matters;
• Produce monthly reports on progress etc.
• Other duties as assigned;

The successful candidate should have the following background/skills:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in medical sciences, communication, public policy, political science, economics, statistics and business administration or related field. Master’ degree or higher is preferred.  Skills in data analytics is a definite advantage.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years of experience as an Operational Policy Specialist. Experience working in the legislative or executive branch of government. Experience with statistical software programs, such as R, STATA, or SAS. Evidence of policies and procedures developed during 5 prior engagements. Experience working in Caribbean/Latin American Region is an advantage.
• Languages: Advanced writing, communication, and presentation skills in English.
• Core and technical competencies: Understand, interpret, and explain laws, regulations, and policies to individuals and groups. Excellent professional interpersonal skills. Results-driven, self-motivated, self-directed. Flexibility to adjust pre-agreed schedules. Ability to function well in a team-oriented work environment and on projects at various levels within organization. Ability to communicate complex and technical issues to diverse audiences, verbally and in writing, in an easily-understood, authoritative, and actionable manner. Flexible, exhibit initiative and have the ability to think strategically and innovatively. Familiarity with APA style guide

The Ministry of Health & Wellness now invites eligible Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. A Consultant will be selected under the National Competitive Bidding Selection procedures set out in the IDB’s: Policies for the Selection and Contracting of Consultants financed by the IDB and it is open to all eligible bidders as defined in these policies.  Only Short-Listed Individuals will be contacted.

Further information can be obtained by e-mail:  MOHWPEU@BAHAMAS.GOV.BS. All CVs and qualification documents must be submitted Re: Operational Policy Specialist Consultant to E-mail:   MOHWPEU@BAHAMAS.GOV.BS on or before 5:00 pm on Tuesday, 29 August, 2023. 

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