Program Coordinator

NEPAL HEALTH ECONOMICS ASSOCIATION (NHEA)

Terms of Reference and Job Description

Evidence Informed Priority Setting for Universal Health Coverage in Nepal (EIPS4UHC)

FairChoices on the Path to UHC, in times of change (2026 to 2030)

1. Background and project context

The Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA), established in 1998, is a leading professional organization advancing health economics and evidence-informed health policy and decision-making in Nepal. NHEA works across health economics, health financing, priority setting, health policy, and health systems strengthening in collaboration with government, academic, and international partners.

In collaboration with the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS), University of Bergen (UiB), and with funding from NORAD, NHEA is implementing the Institutionalizing Evidence-Informed Priority Setting for Universal Health Coverage (EIPS4UHC) project (2026–2030) in Nepal. Under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Food Safety (MoHFS), the project aims to strengthen evidence-informed priority setting and support equitable access to constitutionally mandated Basic Health Services, in alignment with Nepal’s National Health Financing Strategy (2023–2033) and Nepal Health Sector Strategic Plan (2023–2030). NHEA is seeking a dynamic, motivated, and competent professional for the position of Program Coordinator for the EIPS4UHC project.

2. Terms of Reference: Program Coordinator

2.1 Purpose of the position

Under the overall leadership and managerial supervision of the Team Lead and the technical guidance of the Thematic Lead, the Program Coordinator provides day-to-day coordination and operational management for NHEA's delivery of the EIPS4UHC project.The Program Coordinator translates the operational roadmap into planned, budgeted, and monitored activities against the results framework, and ensures smooth coordination among MoHP and its entities, KUSMS, UiB, subnational governments, and development partners. The position serves as the operational coordination focal point for NHEA-led workstreams, supporting timely implementation and effective linkage between technical outputs, project management processes, and relevant policy processes.

2.2 Key responsibilities and duties

A. Planning, coordination, and project management

• Translate the operational roadmap (2026 to 2030) into annual work plans and activity schedules aligned with results framework indicators.
• Coordinate timely implementation of the policy support and implementation research workstreams led by NHEA and contribute to the shared knowledge management and partner collaboration workstream.
• Support to organize and technical facilitation in project meetings, committees, and working groups, including support to reactivate and run the Steering Committee at MoHP and the Technical Working Group within the Department of Health Services and the Curative Service Division.
• Maintain activity trackers, milestone monitoring, and risk logs, and follow up on decisions and action points.
• Coordinate timely administrative, procurement, logistical, and financial planning for approved project activities in close collaboration with the administration and finance team and in accordance with NHEA policies and procedures.
• Work closely with the Team Lead and administration and finance staff to support activity-based budget planning, monitor implementation and expenditure against approved plans, and facilitate the timely and rational use of project resources. 
• Organize and maintain the project documentation system, including a shared library of technical and administrative records and an up-to-date register of project deliverables for NHEA and the wider project team.

B. Basic Health Service Package and priority setting support

• Coordinate the revision and periodic update of the Basic Health Service Package (BHSP), including scope definition, review of alignment with the Essential Medicines List, and support to finalize and formally hand over the revised package to MoHP.
• Coordinate validation of candidate interventions with the KUSMS analytics team using FairChoices on cost, coverage, effectiveness, and equity, and support continuous update and entry of interventions into the shared database.
• Support development, validation, adoption, and use of priority setting guidance, criteria frameworks, standard operating procedures, and tools.

C. Implementation research and subnational engagement

• Coordinate provincial and local engagement, including provincial policy dialogues and demand driven support to local levels in prioritization and delivery of basic health services.
• Coordinate field implementation of implementation research studies, including logistics, ethical compliance with the Nepal Health Research Council, training of local health workers, data collection, and reporting.
• Support integration of the updated package into routine supervision, quality assurance checklists, standard treatment protocols, and the Health Management Information System.
• Liaise closely with NHEA researchers and affiliated doctoral fellows, and support documentation of their work where it contributes to project deliverables.

D. Partnerships, Communication and Reporting

• Coordinate production and dissemination of policy briefs, position papers, reports, and other knowledge products, nationally and internationally.
• Support to organize knowledge cafes, policy dialogues, workshops, and the biennial health economics conference.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the MoHFS, the Department of Health Services and the Curative Service Division, KUSMS and other partners. 
• Support to prepare and consolidate periodic progress reports, donor reports, and results framework reporting.
• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and document lessons for institutional learning.

E. Additional duties

• Establish and maintain collaborations and coordination with government, academic, and development partners as needed for effective delivery, and undertake additional roles and responsibilities as required by the project and as advised by the supervisor.
• In agreement with NHEA management, contribute to the coordination and management of other NHEA projects supported by additional partners that may commence in future.

2.3 Required qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Community Medicine or related field. 
• At least five years of relevant experience in Public Health, Clinical Medicine, Community Medicine with experience in health programme coordination or project management, preferably in health systems, health financing, or priority setting.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with government agencies, academic institutions, and development partners in Nepal.
• Experience in work planning, budgeting, monitoring, and donor reporting. 

2.4 Key deliverables

• Approved annual work plans and activity schedules.
• Functioning coordination mechanisms, including the Steering Committee, Technical Working Group, and working groups, with documented decisions and minutes.
• Timely delivery of BHSP revision milestones and priority setting outputs.
• Coordinated implementation research and stakeholders’ engagement records.
• Periodic progress reports and results framework reporting.
• A maintained project documentation library and an up-to-date register of deliverables.

2.5 Required competencies and skills

• Strong coordination, planning, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines.
• Sound understanding of Nepal's federal health system, the BHSP, and the universal health coverage agenda.
• Good analytical, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Nepali.
• Proficiency in common office and project management software; ability to work independently and demonstrate team spirit.
• Familiarity with priority setting, economic evaluation, exposure to implementation research and multisectoral coordination is desirable.

Application Process:

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit their updated CV, certificate of the highest degree relevant for the position and a cover letter expressing their interest and suitability for the position to nhea.nepal@gmail.com

Deadline: September 03, 2026

Only short-listed candidates will be called for further screening process.