SENIOR NATIONAL STTA – STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT AND PISTR ADVISOR

E4H FED TA: Development of the Pakistan Immunisation Sustainability, Transition and Local Vaccine Production Roadmap (PISTR) 2026–35

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.

Goal and Objective(s)

PISTR completion and validation: Provide senior in-country support to complete and validate the PISTR through supporting data collection and verification, stakeholder consultations, contextual and political-economy input, and co-leadership of the final validation process, while the International Health Financing Expert retains responsibility for the financial model, investment case and final technical analysis.

Post-completion advocacy and uptake: Lead high-level advocacy, presentation and stakeholder engagement to position the final PISTR on relevant government and partner agendas, build ownership and support follow-up, and identify the key decisions, institutional owners, partners and sequenced next steps required to take the roadmap towards implementation and ensure responsible TA closure.

Scope of Work: The Senior National Strategic Engagement and PISTR Advisor will complement the International Health Financing Expert by leading the in-country engagement, consultation, validation and strategic advocacy required to complete, position and support uptake of the PISTR. The International Health Financing Expert will retain technical leadership for the financial model, investment case and final technical analysis. Pasted markdown.

A. In-country support for PISTR completion and validation

• Facilitate access to and follow-up on Federal and provincial data and information required for the PISTR financial model, investment case and roadmap, including verification of key assumptions with relevant government counterparts.
• Lead and facilitate in-person consultations with M/o NHSR&C, M/o Finance, M/o Planning, M/o Commerce, DRAP, provincial health departments and other relevant stakeholders.
• Consolidate stakeholder feedback, contextual information and validated data/assumptions, and coordinate these inputs with the International Health Financing Expert for incorporation into the PISTR.
• Co-lead the stakeholder validation and consensus-building process for the PISTR, financial model and investment case, including follow-up on agreed revisions and actions.

B. Strategic advocacy, political economy and enabling environment

• Assess the stakeholder and decision-making landscape around immunisation sustainability, Gavi transition and local vaccine production, including key institutional interests, decision points, approval pathways and potential implementation bottlenecks.
• Develop and lead a focused PISTR Advocacy and Engagement Plan, identifying priority decision-makers, forums, key messages, sequencing and required follow-up.
• Lead senior-level engagement with relevant Federal and provincial government institutions to build ownership of the PISTR and position immunisation sustainability and local vaccine production on relevant policy and decision-making agendas.
• Prepare concise, audience-specific presentations, briefs and engagement materials for senior government stakeholders, drawing on the PISTR, financial model and sensitivity analysis.
• Support engagement with M/o Finance, M/o Planning and M/o Commerce on the staged domestic financing pathway set out in the PISTR and its implications for medium-term financing and implementation.
• Support dialogue on PPP, Viability Gap Funding, long-term government off-take arrangements and other financing options emerging from the PISTR. Financial terms and instruments will remain government decisions, and technical modelling will remain the responsibility of the International Health Financing Expert.
• Facilitate M/o NHSR&C–DRAP and other relevant stakeholder dialogue on regulatory and institutional readiness for WHO-standard local vaccine production, including identification of key gaps, priority actions and partner-support requirements.
• Support identification and prioritisation of the policy, regulatory, financing and institutional actions required to create an enabling environment for sustainable domestic vaccine production.
• Support resolution of institutional, political-economy and coordination bottlenecks affecting finalisation, endorsement and subsequent uptake of the PISTR.

C. Private-sector, technology-transfer and development-partner engagement

• Support M/o NHSR&C to define transparent, government-led criteria and process arrangements for engagement with potential private-sector, manufacturing and technology-transfer partners, including appropriate conflict-of-interest safeguards and alignment with applicable PPP/procurement requirements.
• Facilitate structured consultations and roundtables with potential investors, manufacturers and technology-transfer partners, documenting interest, key conditions, constraints and areas requiring further government or partner action.
• Support M/o NHSR&C in developing an indicative shortlist of potentially suitable private-sector and technology-transfer partners based on the PISTR PPP framework, for further government assessment and consideration through applicable PPP/procurement processes.
• Engage relevant development partners to identify potential technical, financing, convening or implementation support for PISTR priorities and document areas requiring follow-up.

D. Final PISTR positioning, ownership and next steps:

• Following validation and finalisation, lead the presentation and strategic positioning of the PISTR at NICC, the ADB meeting on local vaccine production in November 2026, and other relevant government, partner and high-level forums, with technical support from the International Health Financing Expert as required.
• Use these engagements to build understanding and ownership of the final roadmap and identify potential government and partner roles, areas of support and follow-up actions.
• Work with M/o NHSR&C to clarify immediate post-PISTR actions, responsible institutional owners, required decisions and approvals, partner roles and priority follow-up.
• Document key decisions, stakeholder positions, outstanding issues and sequenced next steps to support continued government-led implementation and partner engagement beyond completion of the TA.

Timeline and Days: The proposed LOE is 35 days from October 2026 to December 2026, including up to 10 days of in-person travel/engagement within the overall LOE. subject to final mobilisation, contracting and confirmation from client.

Requirement

Technical Expertise & Competencies

Senior national expert with an advanced qualification in public health, health policy/management, health economics, public policy or a related field; at least 15 years of relevant experience in health policy/health systems, including substantial senior-level government engagement, advocacy and stakeholder management in Pakistan. Strong understanding of Federal and provincial decision-making processes and demonstrated experience navigating complex institutional/political-economy issues. Experience in immunisation, health financing, PPP/private-sector engagement and/or local manufacturing is highly desirable.