Global Health Workforce Programme MEL Consultant

Terms of Reference

Global Health Workforce Programme MEL Consultant

THET is a global health charity working in partnership with governments, health institutions, and international bodies to train health workers and strengthen health systems across 31 countries. We do this through grants management and capacity building, alongside research, convening and advocacy towards the goal of Universal Health Coverage. At the centre of our approach, is the model of Health Partnerships, long-term relationships between UK and LMIC health institutions, which improve health services through the reciprocal exchange of skills, knowledge, and experience. At the heart of our work is vision of a world where everyone has access to healthcare.

Find out more at www.thet.org

The Global Health Workforce Programme

The GHWP MEL Consultant will carry out activities for the inception stage of the Global Health Workforce Programme (GHWP).

Funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and managed by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET), this grant will develop the health workforce (HWF) in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, supporting them to build stronger, more resilient health systems for post-pandemic recovery and to make progress towards universal health coverage.

Grants for UK-LMIC and cross-LMIC partnerships will be awarded to respond to national HWF priorities identified through a scoping assessment. With a strong focus on building local ownership and sustainability, these partnerships will contribute to the following programmatic outcomes:

1) Improved number and quality of training opportunities for health workers.

2) Improved leadership of the health workforce, including improved policies and regulation.

3) Improved retention and wellbeing of the health workforce.

4) Policy makers and practitioners engaged in learning about successful HWF targeted interventions.

THET will be awarding 15-20 strategic grants of £200,000-£350,000 that feed into country scoping priorities in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, totalling £5m. Furthermore, 10-20 smaller grants of £50,000 will be available for projects that tackle specific areas such as innovation, rural health facilities, leadership opportunities for women and protected groups, and the climate crisis. Grants will be available to UK-LMIC and LMIC-LMIC health partnerships.

THET will provide grant management, stakeholder engagement, communications oversight, MEL, in-country support and coordination, secretariat and event organisation.

Our Technical Director – Health System Strengthening (TD-HSS) will lead on the scoping studies, provide technical expertise to grant holders on health systems strengthening, and oversee the documentation, research and sharing with LMICs and other donors of what works for health workforce interventions in LMICs. TD_HSS will be the key interface with the health workforce elements that the WHO will be leading on, ensuring maximum synergy/ joint working/ sharing of learning across the programme.

This document serves as a Terms of Reference for the type of work the GHWP MEL Consultant should expect to carry out as part of this.

Assignment

Objectives/Deliverables

WORKSTREAM 1: PROGRAMME MEL SET-UP

• Attend weekly steering group meetings.
• Attend biweekly technical meetings.
• Develop programme level Theory of Change using existing programme documents and scoping report data.
• Update and finalise the programme level logframe using existing programme documents and scoping report data.
• Lead on the finalisation of a list of core logframe indicators for use across the grantee MEL frameworks.
• Develop core VfM indicators using existing programme documents and scoping report data.
• Develop MEL Framework templates for grantees – adapting existing THET tools and in line with the programme logframe.
• Identify and develop key MEL tools for grantees – adapting existing THET tools.
• Establish reporting schedule for grantees to THET and for THET to DHSC.
• Support the development of Evidence/Learning brief templates for grantees.
• Liaise with the reporting database administrator to support the set-up of the database for the programme.

WORKSTREAM 2: GRANTEE SELECTION AND MEL SUPPORT

• Support grant application and review process from a MEL lens.
• Contribute to grant selection panel.
• Develop communication of MEL expectations for grantees.

WORKSTREAM 3: MEL HANDOVER

• December: develop and deliver handover programme for new MEL Manager on all aspects of MEL for the GHWP.
• December: Work with new MEL Manager to develop workshop for THET grant managers on provision of MEL support for grantees.

Proposed Timeframe

50 consulting days in total, from 9th October to 15th December 2023 and taking into account the Consultant’s prior commitments. Please note there will be a degree of flexibility within this, with some weeks requiring more capacity, others much less. The timing of deliverables will always be agreed in advance with the Consultant.

Contractual Responsibilities

Reports to: THET Head of Research, Evidence and Learning, based in the UK. The Consultant will be responsible for managing their workload and conducting the activities in a timely and efficient manner as set out in this document. Given the number of activities and the small amount of time, the Consultant will agree with the Head which aspects to prioritise. The Consultant will also have regular reporting points with the Director of Programmes and GHWP Programmes Manager, largely through biweekly meetings, and will be expected to keep them informed on progress and key issues.

The contract is for 50 days over 3 months. The Consultant will receive a daily rate of £300, which totals to £15,000 for the whole programme. The consultant will invoice THET on a monthly basis. Please note that this is non-negotiable and will cover all expenses apart from project-related travel and communication expenses. Where reasonable travel and communications expenses are incurred, the Consultant will be remunerated following submission of timely and accurate receipts.

Receipts must be kept, where possible, in order to claim for support costs. Consultants will not be expected to use their own funds to cover project-related costs.

Key Working Relationships

• Edward Tonkin – Head of Research, Evidence and Learning
• Richard Skone James – Director of Programmes
• Mathilde Wangen – Programmes Manager
• Louise McGrath – Deputy CEO
• Margaret Caffrey – Technical Director – Health System Strengthening