GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
INTEGRATED HEALTH PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION UNIT – IHPAU
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
TO HIRE AN EXPERT TO ASSESS THE PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC) SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY AND TO REVIEW AND UPDATE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS (CHW) SUSTAINABILITY PLAN AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REFORM STRATEGIES
Duty Station: Freetown, Sierra Leone, with frequent field visits to districts and rural communities
Reports to: Director of Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health (MoH)
Duration:8 months. This is a short-term, high-impact assignment focused on strategic support, propose system enhancement mechanisms and laying a foundation for implementation by the Ministry.
1. Background
The Ministry of Health (MoH) is undertaking transformative reforms to revitalize Sierra Leone’s Primary Health Care (PHC) system and progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Key to this effort is the optimization of the Community Health Program (CHP), particularly focusing on its sustainability, strengthening service delivery at the primary level, and enhancing integration with initiatives such as the Sierra Leone Social Health Insurance (SLeSHI) scheme and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services.
Despite notable progress, including the development of a draft CHP Sustainability Plan and related reform efforts, MoH recognizes the need for technical expertise to review and improve or re-design, consolidate, align, and drive thee reform initiatives of core operational processes into coherent, actionable strategies. The Technical Advisor will support this process through targeted systems assessments, high-level advisory services, and facilitation of policy alignment and institutional capacity-building.
2. Objectives of the Assignment
- Conduct a comprehensive PHC systems assessment, identifying bottlenecks, enablers, and areas for reform.
- Provide strategic guidance and technical advice on the redesign of core operational processes of community health program and primary level of care that brings enhancement of organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Facilitate the development of an integrated PHC Strategy and Roadmap aligned with UHC goals.
- Support the review and operationalization of the CHP Sustainability Plan.
- Strengthen national and district-level institutional capacity through mentorship and knowledge transfer.
- Develop operational framework for the alignment with ongoing financing and governance reforms, including integration with SLeSHI.
3. Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities
A. PHC Strategy, Assessment, and Policy Support
- Provide technical leadership on the comprehensive assessmentof Sierra Leone’s Primary Health Care (PHC) system using a systems-based and performance-oriented lens. The assessment will cover service delivery, infrastructure, financing, health workforce, governance, accountability, and vertical integration of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services.
- Apply relevant PHC performance frameworks (e.g., WHO PHC Measurement Framework) to assess domains such as accessibility, quality of care, people-centeredness, resilience, and equity.
- Identify key bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and fragmentation pointsacross PHC delivery levels and recommend viable solutions to address them.
- Map the alignment (or misalignment) of current PHC practices, tools, and structures with UHC goals and national health reform priorities.
- Support the development of a robust and context-specificPHC Strategy and Implementation Roadmap, incorporating findings from the assessment and aligned with broader national policies (e.g., Health Sector Strategic Plan, UHC targets, SLeSHI reforms).
- Prepare technical briefs, policy notes, and strategic recommendations to inform senior leadership at the Ministry of Health, including the Honourable Minister and Directorates.
- Where needed, advise on the institutionalization of PHC system tools, frameworks, and data use approaches that can be scaled by MoH post-consultancy.
B. Community Health System Optimization
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the draft CHW Sustainability Planand related CHP reform initiatives.
- Identify feasibility gaps, enablers, and barriersto operationalizing the CHW Sustainability Plan within the national health context.
- Analyze CHW roles, workload, incentives, and financing mechanisms to inform a sustainable and professionalized CHW model.
- Propose clear, costed, and scalable pathwaysto enhance long-term sustainability of CHWs, including (but not limited to):
- Integration with PHC and health insurance reforms (e.g., SLeSHI),
- Supportive supervision structures and workload rationalization,
- Career progression and formal recognition of CHWs,
- CHW performance monitoring tools and incentives.
- Facilitate technical discussions and validation sessions to refine and prioritize reform optionsfor implementation.
C. Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
- Conduct structured engagement sessions to ensure stakeholder input, buy-in, and ownership of the PHC and CHW reform agenda.
- Support the mapping of stakeholder roles, responsibilities, and ongoing initiatives to identify synergies, overlaps, and coordination gaps.
- Facilitate joint technical working groups, policy dialogue platforms, and consultative meetings to validate findings, co-create solutions, and ensure alignment of reform strategies with stakeholder expectations.
- Develop stakeholder communication and feedback mechanisms to ensure two-way learning and continuous alignment throughout the assessment and reform process.
- Ensure inclusion of frontline voices, including CHWs, peer supervisors, PHU in-charges, and community leaders, in the design and validation of reform options to enhance relevance and feasibility.
D. Capacity Transfer and Institutionalization
- Work closely with national and district-level teams to embed tools, processes, and knowledge products developed during the consultancy within existing MoH systems.
- Co-develop supervision frameworks, performance tracking tools, indicator dashboards, and reporting templates aligned with PHC and CHW reform priorities.
- Provide hands-on coaching and mentorship to MoH staff, DHMTs, and relevant directorates to build their technical and operational capacity for ongoing implementation and monitoring.
- Design and deliver tailored training sessions, workshops, and knowledge exchange events to strengthen institutional memory and reform continuity.
- Support the development and documentation of standard operating procedures (SOPs), guidance notes, and user manuals for PHC and CHW-related interventions.
- Facilitate regular reflection and learning sessions with MoH and partners to adaptively manage the reform process and sustain momentum.
- Prepare and hand over a comprehensive transition package, including datasets, tools, and final recommendations, to enable effective continuation by national teams post-consultancy.
E. Documentation and Dissemination
- Lead the development of high-quality knowledge products that synthesize key findings, lessons, and reform options emerging from the PHC assessment and CHW system analysis.
- Prepare concise technical briefs, policy memos, and strategic summaries tailored to different stakeholder audiences (e.g., Ministerial leadership, partners, DHMTs, community actors).
- Document stakeholder consultations, validation workshops, and technical engagements to ensure traceability of input and alignment across the reform process.
- Develop a final report that integrates the situational analysis, reform options, stakeholder feedback, and implementation roadmap.
- Design and deliver engaging presentation materials, including slide decks, visual dashboards, and summary handouts, for dissemination events and validation meetings.
- Support the Ministry in organizing and facilitating dissemination forums at national and district levels, ensuring inclusive participation and alignment.
- Ensure that all tools, reports, and communication materials are archived and shared with designated MoH focal persons to maintain institutional memory.
4. Deliverables
| Thematic Area | Deliverables |
| Inception report | ● Introduction that contains summary of the health system context, particularly primary healthcare and community health program structure; articulate the assignment’s purpose, scope, and expected outcomes; outlines the proposed methodology, work plan, and identifies any initial insights or risks |
| Assessment & Analysis | ● Situational analysis report of the PHC system (based on WHO or similar frameworks)
● Review brief of the CHW Sustainability Plan ● Bottleneck analysis matrix for PHC and CHW systems ● Comparative memo on international best practices for CHW sustainability ● Stakeholder and system mapping outputs ● PHC system dashboard or indicator summary (e.g. Excel or DHIS2-compatible format) |
| Stakeholder Engagement | ● Stakeholder mapping and engagement summary
● Key informant interview (KII) summaries and consolidated feedback log ● Technical consultation reports (e.g., from TWGs or district dialogues) |
| Strategic Outputs | ● Redesigned operational processes document that covers service delivery, referral systems, the health workforce (including professionalizing CHWs), logistics and supply, health information including the digital system, …
● Draft PHC Strategy and Implementation Roadmap ● Final PHC Strategy and Roadmap (costed, prioritized) ● Strategic options paper for CHP financing and sustainability plan. ● Operational framework developed to guide alignment of PHC and CHW reforms with ongoing financing and governance initiatives, including integration with SLeSHI. |
| Capacity Transfer | ● Training materials and SOPs for supervision, monitoring, and CHW integration
● Mentorship log and capacity transfer summary ● Institutional handover package including tools, templates, and user guidance |
| Documentation & Dissemination | ● Final technical report covering the entire scope of work
● Policy briefs and advocacy notes ● PowerPoint presentation for dissemination ● Workshop reports and attendance summaries ● Archive of all deliverables submitted to MoH |
5. Qualifications and Experience
- Advanced degree (Master’s or higher) in Public Health, Health Policy, Health Systems Management, or a closely related field.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experiencein primary health care systems strengthening, community health, and health sector reform, preferably in low-resource or post-conflict settings.
- Proven track record in:
- Designing and conducting PHC system assessments using systems-based and performance-oriented frameworks;
- Leading CHW program reforms focused on sustainability, workforce development, and integration with national health systems;
- Supporting the development of national strategies, implementation roadmaps, and policy reform processes.
- Demonstrated experience working with government ministries and engaging diverse health stakeholders, including donors, DHMTs, civil society, and community-level actors.
- Familiarity with health financing models (e.g., national insurance schemes), digital health platforms (e.g.,HMIS, DHIS2), and SRH service delivery.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative analysis skills, with ability to synthesize complex findings into actionable recommendations.
- Exceptional communication, facilitation, and capacity-building skills, including mentoring national counterparts and preparing high-quality technical products.
6. Application Process
Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection Method set out in the “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” dated July 2016 and revised in November 2017, August 2018, November 2020 and September 2023.
Contact Information
Applications should be submitted electronically to the following email address: awsuma@mohsihpau.gov.sl for the attention of hawanix20@gmail.com by: 4:00 pm Local Time, Tuesday 2nd September 2025. (Note: only scanned copies of original certificates should be submitted).
Application should be addressed to:
Alpha Umaru Jalloh
Team Lead / Funds Management Specialist
Integrated Health Projects Administration Unit (IHPAU)
Ministry of Health,
Address: 23 Cantonment Road, Off King Harman Road
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Remuneration:
- To be determined by employer Project
IMPORTANT NOTE: Only email applications sent to the above email address will be included in the pool of applicants to be assessed by MoH. No hand deliveries will be accepted. Please also note that your CV should contain your full contact details such as residence address, working mobile telephone number, working email address, as well as those of your three referees.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview and selected candidates will be required to sign a contractual agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health.