KPTA: Quality Assurance / Quality Improvement (QA/QI) Expert

The Senior National STTA – Quality Assurance / Quality Improvement (QA/QI) Expert will play a pivotal role in institutionalising district health systems to ensure sustainable quality Primary Health Care (PHC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). This position supports the Evidence for Health (E4H) programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which aims to strengthen Pakistan’s healthcare system by providing technical assistance to federal and provincial governments. The expert will focus on consolidating and embedding district health governance platforms—District Health Planning and Management Teams (DHPMTs), District Technical Review Committees (DTRCs), and quality PHC (qPHC) mechanisms—across four priority districts: Peshawar, Swat, Mardan, and Kohat. The role emphasizes transitioning from externally supported implementation to government ownership, enabling district teams to independently plan, review, improve, and account for PHC performance through continuous quality improvement and leadership strengthening.

Key Responsibilities

- Institutionalise DHPMTs as the primary district platform for integrated health planning, performance management, coordination, resource prioritisation, and accountability by refining TORs, standardising processes, and progressively transferring management responsibilities to district officials.

- Strengthen DTRCs as routine technical forums for reviewing PHC service delivery and quality, conducting root-cause analyses, implementing corrective actions, and linking findings to DHPMT decisions.

- Support the transition from periodic quality assessments to a continuous, district-owned quality improvement system by consolidating QPHC processes, building capacity for supportive supervision, facilitating peer learning, and integrating facility-level improvement plans into district reviews.

- Embed capacity development within institutional mechanisms through competency-based training, mentoring, on-the-job coaching, and periodic assessments to build leadership, management, and technical skills among district health teams.

- Develop and implement institutionalisation and transition plans to ensure government ownership of DHPMT, DTRC, and QPHC functions, including establishing oversight mechanisms, cross-district learning, and phased exit strategies.

Required Qualifications

- Master’s degree or higher in Public Health, Healthcare Quality Management, Health Systems, or a related discipline.

- Proven experience in Primary Health Care quality assurance, quality improvement, supportive supervision, and clinical governance at the district level.

- Expertise in quality assessment methodologies, continuous quality improvement, root-cause analysis, QI action planning, performance measurement, data-driven quality reviews, and institutionalising government-led quality improvement systems.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits

- Familiarity with KP-HCC MSDS or comparable quality standards is highly desirable.

- Experience working within government health systems and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to strengthen district health governance.

- The role offers an opportunity to contribute to a high-impact programme focused on sustainable health system strengthening in a complex, evolving environment.

- The engagement is planned for approximately 40 days between November 2026 and May 2027, providing a focused timeframe for delivering technical assistance and capacity building.

This position demands a strategic thinker with strong technical expertise and a collaborative approach to embed sustainable quality improvement practices within district health systems, ultimately enhancing equitable and efficient healthcare delivery in KP.