Terms of Reference (TOR) for Local Consultancy

Seed Global Health is supporting the Ministry of Health to contract an individual consultant to provide technical leadership and hands-on support for the development, costing, validation and finalization of the National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031.

CONSULTANCY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ZAMBIA NATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH (HRH) STRATEGIC PLAN (2027–2031)

1. Preamble / Introduction

The Zambia Ministry of Health’s core mandate is to improve the health and well-being of the Zambian population by providing equitable access to cost-effective, quality healthcare services. This includes developing and implementing healthcare policies, programs, and regulations, and collaborating with other sectors to address the social determinants of health. The ministry also aims to achieve universal health coverage and contribute to the nation’s socioeconomic development by fostering a healthy and productive citizenry.

The Ministry is leading the development of the National Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Plan 2027–2031. The Strategic Plan will provide the national framework for strengthening the availability, distribution, competence, performance, retention, governance and sustainable investment in the health workforce in support of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Primary Health Care (PHC).

The development of the Strategic Plan will be Ministry-led and nationally owned, under the overall leadership of the Ministry of Health and the technical guidance and oversight of the National HRH Technical Working Group (TWG). The process will involve consultation with relevant Government institutions, health sector stakeholders, cooperating partners and other relevant actors.

The Ministry of Health, with facilitation and support from Seed Global Health, therefore seeks to engage a suitably qualified Local Consultant to provide technical leadership and hands-on support for the development, costing, validation and finalization of the National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031.

2. Background for this consultancy

Health is a fundamental human right. The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health, is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage and strengthening Primary Health Care through an adequate, competent, motivated, equitably distributed and sustainable health workforce.

The National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan 2018–2024 provided a framework for investments in health workforce governance, education and training, recruitment, deployment, retention, performance management and health workforce information systems. While significant progress has been made, Zambia continues to face health workforce challenges, including shortages, uneven distribution and low motivation, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

To inform the next strategic planning cycle, Zambia undertook a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA), generating evidence on workforce supply, population health needs, labour market dynamics, education and training capacity, financing and workforce projections up to 2037. The findings of the HLMA, together with outcomes and consensus emerging from the National Health Workforce Policy Dialogue, provide an important evidence base for the development of the next HRH Strategic Plan.

The National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031 will therefore be developed as a country-led, evidence-informed, participatory, prioritized, costed and implementation-oriented strategy. It will translate evidence on the health labour market and workforce projections into strategic priorities, interventions, investment requirements, implementation arrangements and monitoring and accountability mechanisms.

The Ministry of Health will retain overall leadership and ownership of the Strategic Plan and the strategic planning process. Seed Global Health is supporting the Ministry in strengthening health workforce planning and will facilitate the engagement of technical expertise for this assignment.

3. Objective

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical leadership and hands-on support to the Ministry of Health in the development of a comprehensive, evidence-informed, costed and implementation-oriented National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan (2027–2031)

4. Specific Objectives

Conduct a comprehensive HRH situation analysis and strategic assessment in consultation with the National HRH Technical Working Group.
Support evidence-informed HRH priority setting and strategic framework development
Develop the National HRH Strategic Plan (2027–2031), including operational planning, monitoring and evaluation framework, and implementation plan
Develop the costed implementation and workforce investment framework
Support validation and finalization of the HRH Strategic Plan through the Ministry of Health

5. Scope of Work: Consultant Roles and Responsibilities

The consultant will provide technical leadership and hands-on support to the Ministry of Health throughout the strategic planning process. The assignment will be implemented as a Ministry-led and nationally owned process under the overall leadership of the Department responsible for Human Resources and Administration and the technical guidance and oversight of the National HRH Technical Working Group.

The process will comprise four phases: (1) Situation Analysis and Strategic Assessment; (2) Priority Setting and Strategy Development; (3) Operational Planning, Costing and Budget Alignment; and (4) Validation and Finalization.

Phase 1: Situation Analysis and Strategic Assessment

The consultant will consolidate available evidence to define Zambia’s health workforce context, priority needs, and strategic challenges.

Key responsibilities

Conduct a desk review and synthesis of the HRH Strategic Plan (2018–2024), Health Labour Market Analysis, national policy documents, sector plans, and relevant regional and global HRH frameworks.
Analyse population health needs, service delivery priorities, stakeholder expectations, and health labour market dynamics including workforce supply, demand, education, distribution, retention, migration, governance, financing, and information systems.
Identify key achievements, gaps, opportunities, and strategic issues requiring policy and investment response in the new HRH Strategic Plan.
Prepare a situation analysis report

Phase 2: Priority Setting and strategy Development

The consultant will facilitate the translation of evidence into strategic options and support the Ministry of Health and National HRH Technical Working Group to agree strategic priorities and choices.

Key responsibilities

Support HRH TWG-led stakeholder engagement and consensus-building to identify priority HRH challenges and strategic choices informed by evidence, population needs, equity, feasibility, resource availability, and UHC/PHC priorities.
Develop the strategic direction of the HRH plan, including vision, goals, guiding principles, strategic objectives, priority interventions, outcomes, indicators, and targets.
Prepare the HRH strategic framework and results matrix aligned with national health priorities, workforce projections, and global commitments.

Phase 3: Operational Planning including Costing and Budget Alignment

The consultant will translate the strategic priorities into an implementable, costed, and resource-aligned plan.

Key responsibilities

Develop the implementation framework defining priority actions, timelines, institutional responsibilities, governance arrangements, and coordination mechanisms.
Estimate resource requirements and develop workforce investment scenarios based on HLMA projections, including financing needs, resource gaps, and sustainability considerations.
Support alignment of HRH priorities with national planning, budgeting, and health financing processes.
Develop the monitoring, evaluation and review framework, including performance indicators, targets, reporting arrangements, and periodic review mechanisms.

Phase 4: Validation and Finalization

The consultant will support finalisation of the HRH Strategic Plan and establishment of mechanisms for performance monitoring and accountability.

Key responsibilities

Facilitate technical review and validation through the National HRH Technical Working Group and relevant stakeholders.
Incorporate stakeholder feedback and ensure coherence with national health sector priorities and implementation arrangements.
Prepare the final validated National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031 package, including the implementation plan, investment framework and monitoring and evaluation framework.

6. Expected Deliverables and Timelines

The consultancy will be delivered in four phases, each culminating in a defined deliverable within a stipulated time frame.

Phase 1: Spanning Weeks 4–6, the consultant will produce the HRH Situation Analysis and Strategic Issues Report, providing a consolidated evidence synthesis on the key strategic HRH issues facing the country.
Phase 2: Spanning Weeks 8–10, the consultant will produce the Draft HRH Strategic Framework and Results Matrix, capturing the agreed strategic priorities, vision, goals, strategic objectives, priority interventions, results framework, indicators and targets.
Phase 3: Spanning Weeks 14–16, the consultant will produce the Draft Costed HRH Strategic Plan and Investment Framework, comprising the complete draft strategy, including the implementation framework, institutional arrangements, monitoring and evaluation framework, costing, resource requirements, and financing scenarios.
Phase 4: Spanning Weeks 18–20, the consultant will produce the Final Validated National HRH Strategic Plan (2027–2031), comprising the final HRH strategy package, including the implementation plan, investment framework, and monitoring and evaluation framework.

7. Required Qualifications

The consultant should have:

University degree in Public Health, Health Policy, Health Economics, Human Resources for Health, or related field.
At least 10 years of demonstrated professional experience in health systems strengthening, HRH policy, planning and strategy development
Demonstrated experience in health workforce analysis, HRH strategic planning, costing, and workforce investment planning.
Demonstrated experience supporting Ministries of Health, WHO or international health development organizations in HRH planning or related strategic processes.
Excellent analytical, facilitation, stakeholder engagement, consensus-building and technical writing skills

8. Governance, Reporting and Institutional Arrangements

The Ministry of Health is the client, lead institution of the development of the National HRH Strategic Plan and will provide overall leadership for the development process.

The consultant will report primarily to the Ministry of Health through the Department responsible for Human Resources and Administration and will work in close consultation with the National HRH Technical Working Group.
Seed Global Health will provide facilitation and administrative support in relation to the consultancy, including facilitating the procurement and contracting arrangements.
The National HRH Technical Working Group will provide technical guidance and oversight, review key outputs, support stakeholder engagement and ensure alignment with national priorities.
Relevant Government institutions, health sector stakeholders and cooperating partners will be engaged as appropriate through the Ministry-led consultation and validation process.

9. Duration and Duty Station

Duration: Approximately 3-4months (approximately 30 working days, output based), commencing on August,2026 and concluding on December, 2026
Duty station: Lusaka, Zambia

10. Guiding Principles

The development process will be:

Country-led and nationally owned
Guided by the National HRH Technical Working Group
Evidence-informed and based on HLMA findings
Inclusive and multisectoral
Aligned with WHO strategic planning principles
Focused on UHC and PHC priorities
Costed and linked to investment decisions
Results-based with monitoring and accountability mechanisms

11. Submission guidelines

Understanding and interpretation of the TOR in their terms
Methodology to be used in undertaking the assignment
Time and activity schedule.
Profile of the Consultant
Samples of two most recent related assignments completed within the last five years, provided as appendices.

Financial

One-page financial proposal

Note: The consultant will invoice Seed Global Health against agreed-upon milestones. Provide a detailed cost proposal and breakdown in Zambia Kwacha for the consultancy.

12. How to Apply

The technical proposals together with financial proposals must be received electronically through bamboo on or before 27th August, 2026.

About Seed

Seed Global Health (Seed) envisions a world in which a robust health workforce strengthens every country to best meet the health needs of its population. We partner and invest deeply in the health workforce and health systems in Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. We educate and train health workers across a variety of cadres and specialties, strengthen the quality of care in our partner health facilities, and improve the national and global policy environments to support health workers.

Our approach is context-driven and country-led. We partner deeply with students, faculty, clinical providers, health institutions, and national and global policymakers across three core, interrelated pillars of education, practice & policy to drive results and impact.

For more information, please visit www.seedglobalhealth.org.

Our vision is a just, equitable, and healthy world.

Our mission is to expand access to quality care and improve health outcomes for all.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Seed Global Health is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type, including without limitation on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, and local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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Zambia National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan Consultant