The posting
Position Summary
The Health Services and Systems Performance Monitoring and Verification Specialist(s) will conduct independent verification of health service delivery and health systems milestones across the different levels of Uganda's health system. Verification assignments may extend from communities and health facilities to districts and local governments, referral hospitals, the Ministry of Health, and other relevant national-level institutions. The Specialist will assess whether reported milestone achievements are supported by sufficient, reliable, and verifiable evidence and whether agreed requirements, policies, standards, and performance expectations have been met. The role requires expert-level knowledge of health service delivery and health systems, strong field verification and assessment skills, and sound professional judgement to interpret evidence within the operational context of Uganda's health system.
Key Responsibilities
1. Verification Planning and Preparation
- Review assigned milestones, indicators, achievement criteria, and verification requirements and contribute to appropriate verification approaches and field plans.
- Review verification tools, evidence requirements, sampling approaches, and relevant technical standards and guidance before undertaking verification.
- Participate in verification planning, orientation, team preparation, and allocation of verification assignments.
2. Field Verification of Health Services and Health Systems Performance
- Conduct verification at the level of the health system relevant to each milestone, including communities, health facilities, districts and local governments, referral hospitals, the Ministry of Health, and other relevant national-level institutions.
- Verify reported milestone achievements using appropriate methods, including review of source documents and records, observation, interviews, system and record reviews, physical verification, and other approved verification methods.
- Assess whether reported achievements are supported by adequate, reliable, and traceable evidence and meet agreed milestone requirements.
- Triangulate evidence obtained from different sources and levels of the health system to assess the validity and consistency of reported results.
- Identify and document discrepancies, implementation gaps, or other issues that may affect determination of milestone achievement.
3. Health Service Delivery and Health Systems Assessment
- Apply expert knowledge of health service delivery and health systems to assess the validity, relevance, and significance of evidence obtained during verification.
- Assess relevant dimensions of health service delivery and health systems performance, including quality and organization of services, implementation of policies and standards, health workforce, commodities and supplies, health information, referral and coordination systems, and other functions relevant to assigned milestones.
- Assess implementation of health service delivery and health systems interventions across different levels of the health system and determine whether reported results are consistent with observed practice and available evidence.
- Apply relevant national policies, guidelines, service standards, and program requirements when assessing milestone achievement.
4. Verification Quality Assurance and Documentation
- Ensure verification methods and tools are consistently applied and that findings are adequately supported by documented evidence.
- Maintain complete and accurate verification records, including source references, observations, findings, discrepancies, and supporting documentation.
- Participate in team reviews, evidence reconciliation, and quality assurance processes to promote consistency and credibility of verification findings.
- Escalate material discrepancies, insufficient evidence, or issues requiring additional technical review or follow-up.
5. Analysis, Reporting and Communication of Findings
- Analyze and synthesize evidence collected during verification and contribute to determination of milestone achievement.
- Prepare clear, concise, and evidence-based verification findings, summaries, and reports.
- Present and discuss verification findings during technical reviews, debriefs, and other verification meetings.
- Engage relevant government institutions and stakeholders to obtain or clarify evidence and resolve verification queries while maintaining the independence and integrity of the verification process.
Requirements
Education and Professional Experience
- Degree in medicine. An advanced qualification in public health, epidemiology, health systems, monitoring and evaluation, or another relevant health-related field is an added advantage.
- Expert-level knowledge and substantial professional experience in health service delivery and health systems, including practical understanding of how services are organized, managed, delivered, monitored, and supervised across different levels of the health system.
- Demonstrated experience in health program implementation, health systems strengthening, monitoring, assessment, verification, evaluation, quality assurance, supportive supervision, or related functions.
- Strong understanding of Uganda's health system and service delivery arrangements from community and health-facility levels through district and referral structures to the Ministry of Health and other national-level institutions.
- Demonstrated experience conducting field-based assessments, verification, supervision, monitoring, evaluation, audits, or similar exercises involving health service delivery and health systems performance.
- Experience working with government health institutions and engaging health managers, health workers, program teams, and other stakeholders at different levels of the health system.
Technical and Verification Skills
- Expert understanding of health service delivery and health systems and ability to assess performance across different levels of the health system.
- Strong ability to interpret health policies, guidelines, service standards, indicators, milestones, and performance requirements and apply them during verification.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct field verification using multiple methods, including document and source-record review, observation, interviews, data review, physical verification, and triangulation of evidence.
- Ability to assess the adequacy, accuracy, consistency, and traceability of evidence supporting reported milestone achievements.
- Ability to review and interpret routine health information, program data, administrative records, patient and service delivery records, supervision records, and other evidence relevant to verification.
- Ability to identify discrepancies, implementation gaps, and areas requiring further investigation and exercise sound professional judgement in determining their significance.
- Ability to document verification evidence and findings clearly and contribute to high-quality verification reports.
Professional Competencies
- Strong field assessment, analytical, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong professional judgement and ability to objectively assess evidence against established requirements and standards.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to engage effectively with stakeholders from community and facility level to senior government officials.
- Ability to work effectively as part of multidisciplinary verification teams and undertake field assignments across different locations and levels of the health system.
- Ability to manage assigned verification activities and deliver complete, accurate, and timely outputs.
- High level of integrity, independence, objectivity, attention to detail, and commitment to maintaining the credibility and confidentiality of the verification process.
