Senior Health Specialist/Senior Economist - Health Value Chains

Job Posting Organization:
The World Bank Group (WBG) is a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. Established in 1944, the WBG has grown to include 189 member countries and operates more than 120 offices worldwide. The organization is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, working with public and private sector partners to invest in groundbreaking projects and utilize data, research, and technology to address urgent global challenges. The WBG launched the Knowledge Bank in 2026, which aims to reshape how knowledge is generated, shared, and applied across its operations, focusing on five key areas: People, Planet, Prosperity, Infrastructure, and Digital and AI. The People Vice Presidency, part of the WBG, emphasizes investment in human capital, aiming to provide quality health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030, cut learning poverty in half, and support women's health and economic inclusion. The Global Health Directorate leads the WBG's health agenda, partnering with governments and the private sector to strengthen health systems and improve health outcomes.

Job Overview:
The Senior Health Specialist/Senior Economist position focuses on health value chains, which are critical for ensuring the availability, affordability, quality, and resilience of healthcare in developing countries. The role involves providing technical leadership and analytical expertise to coordinate the delivery of health value chain initiatives. The successful candidate will work closely with regional teams to develop diagnostics, tools, and evidence bases that support health value chain engagements. This position is essential for addressing the challenges exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the fragility of global supply chains and the need for local and regional manufacturing capabilities. The Senior Health Specialist will also engage with various stakeholders, including governments and private investors, to translate complex market and regulatory issues into actionable guidance. The role requires a self-starter with strong communication skills and a deep understanding of health product markets and supply chains.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the principal technical reference and coordinator on health value chains for internal teams, regional operations, clients, and external partners.
• Develop and propose the technical strategy and operational priorities for the health value chains work area.
• Integrate specialist inputs into coherent, clearance-ready products, ensuring consistency and quality.
• Coordinate the delivery of operational toolkits and knowledge offers, ensuring they are piloted and revised based on feedback.
• Provide upstream, hands-on support to regional operations teams to embed health value-chain objectives in country programs.
• Lead technical policy dialogue with government counterparts on value-chain reform.
• Contribute to cross-practice coordination and broker joint arrangements with various teams within the WBG.
• Produce and curate operational toolkits, case studies, and guidance on health value chains.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to a collaborative team environment. 1
• Flag emerging market and regulatory developments that may impact the program.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in economics, supply chain management, public health, public policy, or a related field; PhD is an advantage.
• Minimum of eight years of relevant experience in health value chains and pharmaceutical policy.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and producing integrated products.
• Depth in pharmaceutical, vaccine, and medical-product markets, local and regional manufacturing, market shaping, and access-to-medicines approaches.
• Proven track record of producing analytical and operational products used by operational teams.
• Ability to build and sustain trust-based technical partnerships and convene diverse actors around a shared agenda.

Educational Background:
A Master's degree in a relevant field such as economics, supply chain management, public health, or public policy is required, with a PhD being advantageous. The educational background should combine health-sector domain knowledge with expertise in economics, market dynamics, or financing.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of eight years of relevant experience in health value chains, pharmaceutical policy, and markets within the health sector. Candidates should have demonstrated experience in leading or coordinating multidisciplinary technical teams and producing integrated products from their combined input. Experience engaging with the private sector and development finance institutions on health investments is also beneficial.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, with excellent written and spoken communication skills. Proficiency in Spanish or French is preferred and considered a strong plus, enhancing the candidate's ability to engage with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is a full-time role with a term duration of three years. It involves international recruitment, and the successful candidate may be required to travel to client countries. The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan, medical, life and disability insurance, and paid leave, including parental leave. The organization is committed to diversity and inclusion, ensuring equal opportunity for all candidates.