Terms of Reference / Job Description

Primary/community health expert

Health Result Based Financing Technical assistance project

Overview

Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation, under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance;
• Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
• Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development;

• Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 390 million euros and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France’s activities are part of France’s international cooperation policy and official development assistance.

Active since 2019 in Rwanda, Expertise France Rwanda implements 6 projects, primarily funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a total amount of €50M. The agency’s main areas of intervention in Rwanda are:

• Economic and financial governance
• Sustainable development, climate and agriculture

• Health and human development

Project description

To support Rwanda’s Health Sector Strategic Plan V (2024–2029) to address maternal mortality (203 deaths per 100,000), chronic malnutrition (33% stunting), and non-communicable diseases (50% of deaths) while prioritizing climate resilience and gender-responsive care, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is developing a Results-Based Financing (RBF) loan in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), and the Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN).

AFD’s anticipated loan will use results-based payments conditioned on key performance indicators to strengthen Rwanda’s health system, building on existing RBF mechanisms to enhance access to climate-resilient, gender-responsive healthcare. This loan envisions a specific focus at district level in the Northern Province, targeting four districts: Musanze, Gakenke, Rulindo, and Gicumbi.

The RBF program is designed to target two MOH priorities:

• Increasing qualified healthcare professionals within a strengthened health system
• Enhancing access to high-quality primary healthcare addressing maternal/child health, NCDs, mental health, nutrition, and emergencies

To support the anticipated RBF implementation, AFD has requested Expertise France to provide technical assistance through residential experts to be seconded to key divisions or departments within RBC and MOH, as well as at district level. This planned support would focus on four strategic areas: Decentralized Healthcare, Health System Governance and Management, Biomedical and Health Infrastructure, and Climate Resilience.

The technical assistance project will be implemented over a period of 30 months. Under the management of a team leader, the team would consist of 8 Technical Experts, and would be supported by Expertise France’s Kigali-based Project Support Unit (PSU) for administrative, finance, HR and procurement, as well as Paris-based HQ for public health technical support.

The role

The Primary/Community Health Expert will assist the Ministry of Health in the successful implementation of the primary health care strategy, with a specific focus on supporting the community healthcare reform deployement. Whenever necessary, the primary/community health expert will work jointly with RBC divisions involved in the community healthcare reform. His/her main responsibilities will be:

• Support the review, development and implementation of policies and strategies to improve Primary health care services particularly at community level
• Design and implement community health strategies that address local health needs and priorities, with a specific attention to the RBF program in Musanze, Gakenke, Rulindo, and Gicumbi districts
• Support the design and implementation of training programs to enhance the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals at community level
• Develop and strengthen community health worker programs and training curricula aligned with RBF objectives
• Analyze PHC data to forecast future needs and provide advice on improving quality of comprehensive services at community level
• Contribute to the establishment of standards and monitoring the performance of PHC services to ensure high-quality care
• Working with international organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders to support PHC initiatives
• Conduct research to identify gaps and evaluate the effectiveness of PHC programs
• Facilitate community engagement and participation in health planning and decision-making processes
• Support the integration of maternal, child health, NCD, mental health, and nutrition services at community level Ensure that relevant results information is available for monitoring, evaluation, decision-making, learning, and reporting.

Profile

Qualifications

Master’s degree in Public Health, Global Health, Community Health, Nursing, or related field

Professional experience

• At least 5 years of experience in PHC delivery and public health programs at community level
• Strong understanding of community mobilization and engagement strategies
• Experience in training and capacity building for community health workers
• Knowledge of integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) and other primary care protocols

Skills

• Monitoring and evaluation competences;
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with an excellent capacity to translate technical concepts to a wide variety of audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills, including government, NGOs, and community organizations.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving skills and strategic mindset.
• Initiative-taking and sense of responsibility.
• Proficiency in office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Perfect command of English and Kinyarwanda; fluency in French is an asset.

Additional information

Desired start date: September 2025

Application deadline: August 24, 2025

Remuneration: competitive remuneration will be offered according to Expertise France’s salary scale and the candidate’s qualification and experience.