Introduction

The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has obtained financing channeled through the World Bank (WB) for the financing in the amount of USD20million towards the implementation of the Health System Strengthening Project to support the Government of Saint Lucia's initiative to improve the accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness of health service delivery within the health sector.

This financing supports the GOSL strategy for achieving National Health Insurance in addition to the implementation of an essential benefits package, enhancement of Primary Health Care in terms of service delivery and improvement of health infrastructure and the health sector’s preparedness and response for public health emergencies. Activities conducted under the Project will take place alongside ongoing developments, including the rollout of the essential benefits package, which is expected to be conducted in phases, will take upcoming transitions and expenditure pressures into consideration.  The Financing Agreement and Project Appraisal Document provides further details on the project activities.

The Financing Agreement requires that the Government of Saint Lucia establish a Project Implementation Unit with staff satisfactory to the World Bank for the implementation of the Project which includes financial management, procurement, safeguards and monitoring and evaluation. 

The Department of Health recognizes that the development and implementation of an effective communications plan is important to achieve the buy-in of both internal and external stakeholders and to generate awareness of project activities to support achievement of expected outcomes. It is therefore imperative that the services of a Communications Officer be contracted to bolster the project management team and to complement the capacity of the Department of Health and Wellness to oversee and facilitate the implementation of the Health Systems Strengthening Project

Objective of the Assignment

The objective of this assignment is for the design and implementation of a communication strategy to inform personnel within the health sector (internal stakeholders), users of the Primary Health Care facilities and the wider public (external stakeholders) of the project activities to be implemented under the Health System Strengthening Project. 

Scope of Services

The individual consultant is required to undertake the following:

To prepare an outreach strategy to the community to raise awareness of the existing client feedback and Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRMs) available through the project through which beneficiaries can share feedback.

 To develop within the framework of the project an internal and external communications and information strategy and carry out communications activities to promote and share information about the PHC project

To develop a communication strategy specific to the project and as much as possible integrating existing Communication Plans already in existence.

To produce public relations materials, edit and layout reports and other promotional material, and assist with planning, publicizing project activities and milestones

To prepare and/or edit communications materials relevant to the project inclusive of speeches, press releases, articles, scripts for public service announcements and interview discussion points.

To collaborate with communications partners and service providers including advertising agencies, and publishing houses.

To organize and participate, as required, in communication activities and events, including press conferences, interviews, and press visits.

To act as the Communication Focal Point of the project including management of press and other media inquiries

Be responsible for the day to day management and coordination activities related to the management of the visibility of the project. This will require that the Communication Specialist liaises with technical teams at World Bank and the Department of Health and Wellness to ensure timely implementation of project activities.

The consultancy is full time and will be substantially performed on-site at the Department of Health and Wellness.

In particular, the Communication Specialist will work closely with the team of the Department assigned to the Project and will be required to report to the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Wellness.

Specific Scope of Services

The specific responsibility and specific tasks of the Communication Specialist are as follows:

1. Review all present and past material generated by the Department of Health and Wellness in developing the strategy (determine areas for integration with other existing strategies)
2. determine the extent to which existing products can be utilized and incorporated in the development of new material as part of the project’s communications plan.
3. Undertake consultations with the management to assess the internal and external communications needs as will be required in the development of the project's communication plan.
4. Develop and update regularly the communications a strategy
5.  Develop a communications plan to promote and share information spec
6. Coordinate and manage the preparation, publication, and dissemination of information of the project in coordination and collaboration with Bureau of Health Education. This shall include helping to determine the best medium and communication tools to be used to achieve dissemination goals and target audiences.
7. Produce public relations materials; edit all complex communication meant for public consumption, as well as facilitate and assist with the planning, publicizing, and carrying out special complex events. This should also be inclusive of, but not be restricted to, press kits, factsheets, brochures and graphics.
8. Develop and edit communications material including speeches, press releases, articles, interviews, magazines, newsletters and presentations.
9. Conduct and/or coordinate any other assignments related to knowledge management, marketing, communications, branding, and outreach as may be required to effectively monitor and evaluate various communications tools and activities, to measure the impact on achieving the overall objectives.
10. Organize and participate in communications activities and events including staff education activities, press conferences and press visits.
11. Manage press and other media inquiries.
12. Participate in relevant trainings and workshops; organize and facilitate trainings and workshops as necessary.
13. Contribute articles and/or reports and other content as it relates to information on the project communicated via the Department of Health’s website and social media platforms.
14. Assist in tracking and effectively communicating the results and impact on project interventions via web-based tools or any other means for effective reporting and demonstration of the project’s value impact.
15. In collaboration with the Corporate Planning Unit, prepare the annual plan of activities including target groups and expected outcomes.
16. Advise and regularly report to the Project Coordinator, Permanent Secretary, on project implementation activities, program plans and recommend project implementation strategies.
17. Report and provide feedback to the Project Coordinator on project strategies, activities, progress and challenges.
18. Prepare quarterly reports including narrative, status, financial on progress for management, Project Implementation Unit and other relevant bodies, in accordance with approved reporting formats for the project.
19. Work with the relevant stakeholders and other government agencies (GIS, NTN, BHE) in developing products for project visibility and its strategic outcomes.
20. Accompanying field visits to target regions implementing the Results-Based Financing (RBF) Pilot to provide inputs and guidance to ensure visibility and update stakeholders on progress of the intervention.
21. Use social media and other interactive tools to give project visibility (highlight project achievements, challenges and successes
22. Assist with the development of instruments that may be used for beneficiary feedback and citizen engagement
23. Work with the health facilities to define the citizen engagement/GRM tools they are using and prepare a strategy with outreach and consultations to health services beneficiaries under the project to confirm their use of the citizen engagement/GRM tools 
24. Any other related duty as assigned.

In undertaking the assignment, the Communication Specialist will work closely and collaborate with the Technical Team of the World Bank, the Steering Committee, relevant line Ministries and Agencies, primary project beneficiaries, stakeholders, and the Department of Health and Wellness.

Reporting Mechanism

Supervision of Communication Specialist will be the Project Coordinator.  The Communication Specialist is also required to work closely with the Bureau of Health Education within the Department of Health and Wellness for the execution of duties.

Duration

The Communication Specialist will be engaged on a full-time basis and is expected to commence the assignment in August 2020 for a period of one year in the first instance, renewable annually subject to satisfactory performance.

Engagement can cover a period of four years subject to an annual performance review with an intermediate performance evaluation in the first six months of services rendered.

The recruitment of the Communications Specialist will follow the World Bank’s procurement guidelines.

Performance Assessment

The contract inclusive of the Terms of Reference, and a detailed work plan with agreed targets will be used as the basis to evaluate performance.

Outputs and Deliverables

• Monthly progress reports on the status, challenges, indicators, ongoing contracts and the level of implementation of agreed deliverables.
• Quarterly reports
• Reports to meet the general and specific responsibilities of the assignment.

All reports and documents prepared for the assignment is the sole property of the Government of Saint Lucia.

Terms and Conditions

1. The Department of Health and Wellness shall make and provide the following to the Communications Specialist:

• Relevant documents, data, statistics and information required for the execution of the project
• When necessary, assign counterparts to assist the Communications Specialist in executing assigned duties
• Office space and available resources for carrying out the assignment.
• The Communications Specialist shall not accept any courtesies/invitations offered from any parties other than the Government of Saint Lucia.

2. Documents or data provided by the Government of Saint Lucia for the purpose of this project shall be considered confidential and should not be disclosed to any party without prior authorization.
3. The Communications Specialist shall not be a potential conflict of interest, will undertake the assignment with the highest professional standards and exercise confidentiality in the discharge of the assignment.
4. To ensure impartiality, the Communications Specialist must not in any way be affiliated with business entities that are currently providing or are seeking to provide goods and services to the Project.

Qualifications

• Degree (Masters or Bachelors) in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or equivalent
• At least 5 years of work experience in the field of public information, media and communication
• Demonstrated experience in effective oral and written communication including the development of communication products
• Sound policy understanding of the Saint Lucia Health Sector and policies and programmes is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience of ICT-based Office applications and tools (word processing, spreadsheets, and data processing, PowerPoint)
• Have good understanding of project planning, coordination and implementation and good analytical capacity
• Excellent command of communication in English and Kweyol
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a positive attitude

ABILITIES

• able to work both individually and within a team;
• able to efficiently work in an output-oriented environment efficiently and deliver results;
• ability to take initiative and work independently with limited supervision
• ability to work within stringent timelines and be deadline-driven
• flexibility in learning and applying new approaches
• Experience of working in health and social issues would be an asset.
• Analytical capabilities and cognitive skills.

COMPETENCIES

• Leading and innovating: Apply critical thinking to current approaches, identify areas for improvement and try new solutions that deliver results. Inspires and influences others to drive innovation.
• Drive for results: Assumes personal responsibility and responsibility to meet deadlines and achieve agreed results, and has the personal organization to do so. It defines challenging goals and continually seeks improvement. Acts as a trusted strategic consultant, partnering with employees to deliver results.  Understands the most pressing challenges of stakeholders and contributes to solutions.
• Collaboration within and between teams:  Contributes productively to work and team performance. Keeps others informed to ensure integration and significant results. Exhibits a sense of reciprocity and respect and resolves conflicts in a productive way. Seeks out and listens to other people's views/positions on issues to inform their own decision and share information openly.
• Creates, applies and shares knowledge: Contributes to an environment in which knowledge is created, applied and shared in a transparent way. Contributes to the unit's body of knowledge, applying lessons learned and experience. Actively invests in self-knowledge and seeks feedback. Builds personal and professional networks inside and outside the workgroup.
• Discernment and analytical decision-making: Searches and analyzes facts, data and lessons learned to support sound and logical decisions about the work of one's own and others. Shows initiative when necessary and makes timely decisions.

Work Location

The Communications Specialist will be based in the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to be established within the Department of Health and Wellness with frequent site visits to health facilities and other relevant stakeholders/agencies to support project understanding and  implementation of activities.