Punjab Team Lead – E4H Programme 

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

Responsible to lead the Punjab team for setting strategic direction, the design, the achievement of programme outputs at the provincial and district level and day to day execution of the Punjab implementation work-plan and dealing with any issues that might affect achievement of the work-plan milestones and targets. As the Punjab Team Lead in the Health & Population (H&P) Department in Punjab, his/her primary role will be to support the H&P department and other relevant line and district departments/ entities in strengthening the health system through the implementation of outputs 1 to 3 and cross-cutting priorities of the Evidence for Health programme. He/she will work collaboratively with other development partners and third-party monitoring mechanism (Integrity) to harmonize and align outputs of E4H, ensuring that efforts are streamlined and coordinated towards achieving common goals.

Working closely with and under guidance from the Palladium Programme Management Team, the Team Lead also curates and coordinates Technical Assistance (TA) inputs, oversees the day-to-day operations of the provincial project office, and ensures seamless internal communication and workflow.

Responsibilities/Scope of Work

Strategic

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with key government stakeholders relevant to the programme and provide advocacy of programme purpose and outputs amongst government and other stakeholders including advice on effectiveness in terms of achieving governance and institutional reform objectives.
• Implement the programme’s governance arrangements, quality assurance and contracting and ensure key stakeholders are aware of the commitments they must make to ensure the required output and outcomes are achieved.
• Guide and oversee the delivery of the Punjab workplan including work inputs of provincial and district coordinators, and l consultants on STTA assignments, and long and short-term pool of consultants to ensure delivery of the Punjab workplan as it translates into the engagement and quality of deliverables and achievement of KPIs.
• Leads the preparation and timely submission of quarterly and annual reports, ensuring consistency with the programme log frame and delivery against output and outcome targets ensuring internal coordination mechanisms for tracking log frame indicators and timelines are followed.
• Foster a One Team approach and build synergies with the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federal and Punjab components of the Programme. Seamlessly facilitates and communicates with the wider E4H team, ensuring technical coherence, knowledge exchange, and alignment across provincial and federal levels.
• Support the resolution of any conflicts or inconsistencies in programme approach at the earliest possible moment, and support to Punjab advisers on appropriate steps to reconcile or remove such problems in line with Palladium’s Project Management Manual, policies and procedures.
• Support identification of measures or modifications to programme workplans necessary to keep the project on course for successful achievement of outputs and outcomes. Discuss any modifications with relevant advisers and the Senior Management Team as appropriate.
• Provide technical and logistical support to all consultants’ input in the Punjab work-plan; supervise complex technical inputs and processes.
• Seek to build synergies between the programme and other relevant reform initiatives at the Punjab level and promote joint lesson-learning from the programme for the government, the E4H team, FCDO, and other donors for wider application in Pakistan.
• Curates and manages TA inputs across all outputs, including identifying needs, developing TORs, quality-assuring deliverables, and aligning with evolving provincial priorities.
• Liaises regularly with other development partners to ensure coordination, complementarity, and a harmonized approach to strengthening health systems.

Management

• Monitor implementation of the Punjab workplan, in coordination with the Technical Backstopper and Programme Manager, and report regularly on progress to the Programme Director and FCDO using agreed processes and formats and quality standards.
• Ensure consolidated and timely reporting of provincial-level developments and progress against the agreed workplan, indicators, and milestones according to agreed processes, formats, and schedules.
• Day-to-day line management of advisers and regular meetings with E4H advisers and others as required, to review progress and issues arising.
• Prepare for and attend Punjab steering committee meetings and report as required on progress against workplans.
• Support the assessment of political and contextual issues likely to affect implementation of the Punjab workplan, including any problems or risks likely to affect achievement of outputs and outcomes.
• Facilitate lessons learning from the programme for government, E4H team, FCDO, and other donors, for broader application in Pakistan.
• Facilitate annual reviews, third-party monitoring, and external evaluation of the programme.
• Manages the seamless functioning of the Punjab project office, ensuring effective internal communications, staff coordination, logistics, and problem-solving.

Reporting

• This role report to the Programme Director.
• Works closely with technical guidance from the Technical Director and Technical Backstopper.

Key Skills and Competencies

• 15+ years’ demonstrated expertise in Punjab’s public service/government, with evidence of experience within the public health sector and governance reforms broadly.
• Evidence of up-to-date understanding of Punjab’s political economy, and how to navigate ongoing complexity.
• Evidence of robust networks across key stakeholders in the DOH and Punjab health and health-adjacent departments/agencies. Proven ability to interact and engage with senior government officials.
• Existing and strong relationships with Punjab development partners.
• Proven experience successfully managing teams to achieve intended results.
• Demonstrated understanding of institutional change/reform approaches and methodologies.
• Strong written English capability and proven capacity to complete deliverables to high quality standards.
• Strong communication skills including the ability to succinctly communicate technical information for diverse audiences.