Health Systems Lead

Project: Samartha: Enhancing Gender and Human Development Outcomes through Systems Strengthening
Location: Kathmandu

Type: Full-time

Reports to: Team Leader

Start Date: 10 November 2025 (subject to funding approval from the donor)

End Date: 31 March 2026

ORGANISATION PROFILE

Adam Smith International (ASI) is a global advisory firm that works with governments, international development partners, and the private sector to deliver long-term, transformative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Operating across more than 30 countries, ASI specialises in governance, economic reform, climate resilience, and inclusive development - applying rigorous analysis, technical expertise, and locally led strategies to achieve sustainable impact.

PROGRAMME BACKGROUND

Samartha: Enhancing Gender and Human Development Outcomes through Systems Strengthening is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) funded programme implemented by Adam Smith International. The programme works in close partnership with the Government of Nepal and aims to enhance the capacity of provincial and local governments to deliver social sector services.

This programme will focus on improving the systems and capacity of local government to deliver its social service mandates with a specific focus on improving access to quality health and education services, especially by women, girls and marginalised communities. This will be complemented with national policy support in the Health and Education sectors to ensure sector policies and resource allocations align to support Nepal in building responsive and resilient Health and Education service delivery systems. Through systems strengthening, Samartha aims to enable more equitable, accountable, and inclusive development outcomes.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Health Lead will provide strategic and technical leadership for the health component of the Samartha programme. S/he will oversee the design, coordination, and delivery of health system strengthening interventions at federal, provincial, and local levels, ensuring coherence, quality, and alignment with government priorities and Samartha’s objectives.

Working closely with the Team Leader, Programme Management Unit and other thematic leads, the Health Lead will guide the programme’s technical direction, facilitate policy engagement, and ensure evidence-based decision-making across health interventions.

This position requires a senior public health professional with deep understanding of Nepal’s federal health governance, proven experience in systems reform and capacity strengthening, and a strong track record of donor coordination and strategic leadership.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

Strategic Leadership and Technical Oversight (40%)

• Provide overall strategic direction, vision, and technical guidance for the health systems strengthening portfolio within Samartha.

• Lead the design and adaptation of technical approaches, ensuring interventions address systemic barriers to equitable, high-quality, and inclusive health service delivery.

• Ensure coherence and complementarity across the programme’s thematic interventions at all levels - federal, provincial, and local.

• Support integration of cross-cutting themes - GEDSI, governance, and resilience into all health-related activities.

• Oversee development and rollout of practical toolkits, frameworks, and methodologies such as promoting health equity, quality of health services and respectful care.

• Facilitate coordination across technical teams (education, governance, GEDSI, and IEL) for integrated service delivery and system strengthening.

• Ensure health components are well-aligned with evolving national priorities, policies, and donor frameworks.

• Develop knowledge products, policy briefs, and technical guidance

• Provide high-level technical backstopping and mentorship to health team operating at federal, provincial and cluster level.

Stakeholder engagement (40%)

• Coordinate with the Federal Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) including Department of Health Services, provincial ministries, and key health sector coordination bodies as detailed in Samartha’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Communications and Policy Influencing Strategy.

• Represent Samartha in national-level health coordination platforms, technical working groups, and policy dialogues.

• Foster strategic partnerships with development partners, civil society, and other FCDO-funded initiatives to promote synergies and avoid duplication.

• Support harmonisation of local innovations with national frameworks, ensuring scalability and sustainability.

Innovation, Evidence, and Learning (20%)

• Provide technical guidance to the Innovation, Evidence, and Learning (IEL) team to integrate data-driven insights into health programming.

• Promote adaptive learning, innovation, and continuous quality improvement in the health component.

• Support monitoring and evaluation of health outcomes, ensuring strong linkage between programme results and national health system performance indicators.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Education and Professional Background

●      A master’s degree in Public Health, Medicine, Health System Management, Health Policy (doctoral degree desirable)

●      At least 12 years of progressive experience of working in leadership roles in public health programme design, resource mobilisation and promoting inclusive health programming at scale.

●      Strong experience working with federal, provincial and local governments and well versed with Nepal’s health governance structure

●      Demonstrated experience leading or advising large-scale donor-funded programmes in the health sector, ideally with FCDO or similar bilateral/multilateral agencies.

Skills and Competencies

·       Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills.

·       Proven leadership and team management skills with the ability to inspire, coach, and build capacity.

·       Excellent coordination, communication, and representation skills with government and development partners.

·       Strong technical expertise in health system strengthening, quality of care, behaviour change theories and models and inclusive health service delivery.

·       Excellent written and verbal communication in English and Nepali

Other Requirements

·       Willingness to travel across provinces and municipalities.

·       Strong commitment to gender equality, inclusion, and local ownership.

·       Ability to operate effectively in a complex, evolving, and politically sensitive environment

TERM OF REFERENCE (ToR)

A detailed Terms of Reference outlining the scope of work, responsibilities, and expected deliverables will be shared with shortlisted candidates during the recruitment process.