Senior National - IHR Advisor 

E4H FED TA: Technical Support to the International Health Regulations (IHR) Coordination Secretariat at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad

Programme Overview 

Evidence for Health (E4H) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at strengthening Pakistan's healthcare system, thereby decreasing the burden of illness and saving lives. E4H provides technical assistance (TA) to the Federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Punjab governments, and is being implemented by Palladium along with Oxford Policy Management (OPM).

Through its flexible, embedded, and demand-driven model, E4H supports the government to achieve a resilient health system that is prepared for health emergencies, responsive to the latest evidence, and delivers equitable, quality, and efficient healthcare services. Specifically, E4H delivers TA across three outputs:

Output 1: Strengthened integrated health security, with a focus on preparing and responding to health emergencies, including pandemics.

Output 2: Strengthened evidence-based decision-making to drive health sector performance and accountability.

Output 3: Improved implementation of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on ending preventable deaths.

Position Summary

The overall goal is to accelerate the operationalisation and routine working of the IHR Coordination Secretariat.

Specific objectives are to:

• Provide technical expertise to establish the Secretariat's core functions, including multi-sector and provincial coordination, and assist in policy guidelines development.
• Develop key foundational documents, including a strategic work plans, operational manuals, and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) framework and periodic IHR review mechanism in Pakistan.

Strategic Approach

Contributions to Health Systems Strengthening: This TA will fundamentally strengthen the health system by building a resilient and efficient  IHR Coordination Secretariat for coordination with one health stakeholders, national level disease surveillance platforms, public health laboratories networks, monitoring & assessment of public health events; coordinate outbreak response where needed, risk communication; implementation of priority activities including preparedness and health emergency management.

Alignment with other E4H TAs/Investments/National Standards:  The Secretariat will be a key integration point for various TA streams, ensuring they contribute coherently to national health policies and strategies, including the NAPHS 2024-28, Multisectoral Health Workforce Strategy (2025-34), and the upcoming National Health and Population Policy (2026-35).

Alignment with other donors (if relevant): The Secretariat will serve as a platform for effective donor coordination and the pooling of funds to prevent duplication and maximize the impact of external investments. By convening stakeholders through its governance platforms, it will ensure donor activities are strategically aligned with national priorities and foster collaborative partnerships that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of all external support for Pakistan's health security. The TA will collaborate especially with UKHSA, JSI, and WHO in IHR-related activities. Additionally, this TA will build strategic synergies with the ongoing and future Pandemic Fund initiatives by aligning the IHR Secretariat’s priorities with Pandemic Fund (PF)-supported preparedness and response activities and PF steering committee.

Scope of Work and Methodology

The team will perform the following functions in a phased manner;

Inception and Planning

• The inception meeting will be duly chaired by the Ministry focal point, along with the national IHR focal point and other pertinent stakeholders, including the UKHSA, US CDC focal point, and the WHO.
• Facilitate a collaborative process to develop a strategic work plan aligned with NAPHS 2024-28 and JEE 2023 recommendations.
• Develop a comprehensive plan that outlines the strategies with one health approach for enhancing preparedness and response capacities, standard operating procedures, capacity building around core capacities, roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders during public health emergency.
• Explore legal channels to better engage the multiple sectors to achieve efficiency and oversight of IHR secretariat.

Coordination and Governance Facilitation

• Provide secretarial support to convene the initial meetings of the notified and existing National IHR Technical Committee and key Technical Working Groups (TWGs - Prevent, Detect, Respond).
• Establish and maintain efficient coordination mechanisms with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), public health emergency operations centres (PHEOCs), and other relevant authorities.
• Establish coordination with provincial IHR mechanisms by establishing feedback loops between provincial secretariats and the national coordination structure. Adopt a hybrid coordination model with bottom-up approach for contextual priority setting and top-down approach for policy coherence and strategic oversight, maximising responsiveness while avoiding the inherent limitations of a purely centralised approach.
• Establish coordination with agencies at the points of entry (PoE).

Phase III: Monitoring, Assessment, and Information Sharing

• Develop an accountability mechanism for NIH to ensure the long-term sustainability and institutionalisation of the IHR Secretariat. This mechanism will clarify roles and responsibilities, define performance monitoring and reporting lines, and outline joint decision-making processes.
• Develop an annual, in-country IHR M&E plan in addition to state parties annual reporting (SPAR) to WHO.
• Compile and analyse national surveillance and response data to support the National IHR Focal Point in meeting mandatory reporting requirements to the WHO.
• Facilitate the transparent and timely exchange of information between provincial IHR secretariats and relevant national bodies.
• Draft an updated national risk communication plan to inform the public, healthcare professionals, and government agencies about the pandemic and recommended actions.
• Monitor the global health security paradigm and inform the national government on IHR practices across the world.

 Phase IV: Capacity Building

• Map existing capacities and gaps in IHR implementation nationwide.
• Coordinate and facilitate training programs to build core capacities at national and sub-national levels.
• Conduct regular simulation exercises and after-action reviews (AARs).

Focal Point: The TA team will operate under the guidance of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (M/o NHSRC) and the National IHR Focal Point.

Sustainability: Capacity Building, Institutionalisation, and/or Transition Planning

Capacity Building: The IHR operational manual will clearly outline the institutional/ministerial mandates, roles, and responsibilities of designated focal points. The resultant synergy will produce quantifiable and scalable results in each of the prevention, detection, and response domains under the IHR. Through institutional strengthening and capacity building, the TA will support the NIH in addressing existing governance and coordination challenges by introducing transparent operational mechanisms, periodic performance reviews, and formalising coordination within NIH. 

Institutionalisation: All outputs (e.g., work plans, SOPs, M&E frameworks) will be developed under the supervision of Mo NHSRC and the national IHR focal point to ensure ownership. The operational framework will be recommended for incorporation into government funding schemes, a new PC-1 or revision of the existing PC-1, whichever seems feasible to the Ministry. Additionally, a mutual accountability framework will define joint responsibilities for resource mobilisation, periodic performance reviews, and decision-making on governance and staffing. This mechanism will also serve to address and gradually improve existing governance gaps at NIH through structured oversight and capacity strengthening.

Transition Planning: The Post TA plan will include clear steps for the Secretariat to operate independently in coordination with provinces and regions.

Responsibilities

The IHR Advisor will be responsible for:

• Inception Report
• Strategic Work Plan & Operational Manual
• Meetings of the National IHR Technical Committee and key Technical Working Groups

Timeline and Days

The level of effort (LOE) for the role is 60 days from Apr 01, 2026-Dec 2026.

Requirement

Technical Expertise

• PHD/ Postgraduate degree in Public Health.
• 15+ years of experience in IHR (2005) implementation areas.

 Competencies

• Planning and delivering work
• Analysis and use of information
• Decision making
• Influencing.