Consultant to Manage Activity-Based Costing and Management (ABC/M) of Select Health Services

Palladium Group

Lesotho

Project Overview and Role:

The Government of Lesotho plans to apply activity-based costing and management (ABC/M) to several health services, including HIV, tuberculosis (TB), reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), and some noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), in the country through a collaboration with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Analytics for Advancing the Financial Sustainability of the HIV/AIDS Response (AFS) project, which is supported by USAID, will implement this ABC/M application in tandem with a Local Collaborating Institution (LCI). The main objective for ABC/M is to collect and analyze resource use and cost data related to the provision of health services at the community, facility, and above-site levels so that the Government of Lesotho and its partners can use the data to effectively allocate resources, improve monitoring efforts, and increase efficiency. A Steering Committee, chaired by Lesotho’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and composed of representatives from the diverse stakeholders across the country, will guide AFS and the LCI throughout the implementation of ABC/M in Lesotho.

Position Summary:

As part of the AFS project, Palladium is seeking a qualified Losotho consultant, based in Lesotho, to manage research efforts related to ABC/M of HIV, TB, RMNCAH, and NCD services at the facility, community, and above site-levels. The consultant will report to the Lesotho ABC/M Implementation Lead based in Washington, DC and will work closely with the broader AFS team members and Lesotho stakeholders, including but not limited to the MOH, USAID Lesotho, CDC Lesotho, PEPFAR Lesotho, public and private health facility staff, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the Consultant will work closely with the LCI which is being contracted separately by AFS to collect and analyze data for this ABC/M exercise. The assignment is estimated to require 60 total days of engagement and will be spread over a period of performance from May 2024 – March 2025.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide managerial oversight to the ABC/M exercise. Note that AFS will separately contract an LCI to collect data at 15-20 facilities across Lesotho.
Oversee the LCI to ensure that activity progress remains on track and that data collection efforts are accurate and complete.
Work with LCI to ensure smooth Institutional Review Board (IRB) process for research ethics clearance and follow up with IRB as needed for approval.
Provide support to LCI on collection of secondary data on above-site expenditures.
Provide support to LCI in conducting secondary data analysis on national and facility level health service clinical and financial data. Follow up with stakeholders as needed.
Provide support to LCI in conducting secondary data analysis on community-level clinical and financial data. Follow up with stakeholders as needed.
Participate in data collection training and piloting of data collection tools.
Assist in organizing meetings, trainings, dissemination, etc. with key stakeholders as needed.
Track progress of ABC/M implementation and provide updates to AFS on a weekly basis; communicate frequently with AFS on issues affecting data collection.

Required Qualifications:

Educational background in social sciences, public health, or economics with significant experience and demonstration of success in Lesotho conducting data collection and management for field research evaluations related to health services.
Strong existing relationships with MOH, USAID Lesotho, CDC Lesotho, and PEPFAR Lesotho preferred.
Strong management and organizational skills related to data collection with high attention to detail.
Strong experience with costing, health care service delivery, and health financing issues in Lesotho.
Experience with process mapping or patient flow analysis preferred.
Excellent English writing, oral communication, and reporting skills.
Quantitative skills, including data analysis and interpretation.
Ability to develop presentations and write summary reports.
Ability to effectively and efficiently perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities while meeting deadlines.
Ability to work successfully with diverse groups, partners, and colleagues (including frequent communication with Lesotho-based partners and Washington, DC-based AFS team).
Must be based in Lesotho.