CCM-E Secretariat

Ethiopia has made substantial progress in improving population health outcomes over the past two decades, supported by strong government leadership and coordinated engagement with development partners, international NGOs, communities, CSOs and other stakeholders. In line with its long-standing commitment to alignment, harmonisation, and effectiveness, Ethiopia has established multiple health-sector governance and coordination mechanisms since adopting the Harmonisation Manual in 2007.

Global Health Initiatives (GHIs), including the Global Fund and Gavi, require country-specific multi-stakeholder platforms—CCM-E and ICC, respectively—to coordinate funding requests, nominate Principal Recipients (PRs), and oversee grant implementation. A functional CCM-E is essential for accessing and maintaining Global Fund financing. Ethiopia’s CCM-E meets the Global Fund’s six eligibility requirements through inclusive representation, structured governance, and oversight mechanisms, including its Executive, Oversight, Resource Mobilisation, and Ethics & Governance Committees. The CCM-E Secretariat plays a pivotal role in facilitating these functions and ensuring compliance with Global Fund standards.

The Alignment Diagnostic Assessment and the first Lusaka Agenda Joint Mission conducted in January 2025 identified declining effectiveness and fragmentation across several coordination platforms, particularly the JCCC and JCF. Lusaka Agenda Key Shift 4 calls for streamlined governance and operating models to reduce administrative burden on countries while strengthening responsiveness and accountability. In the Ethiopian context, this highlights the need to enhance coherence and functional alignment across national and GHI-related coordination mechanisms, including the CCM-E, ICC, HPN, SDG-PF, and JCCC. In December 2025, MoHreconvened the JCF and committed to meeting twice per year, and over the past year there have been steps to ensure greater alignment in the health architecture.

Building on the Government of Ethiopia’s commitment to the Lusaka Agenda and the demonstrated flexibility of GHIs, this consultancy seeks to continue sustaining CCM-E function on the previous TA support to the CCM-E to support a structured, consultative review of existing governance and coordination arrangements, at the same time as securing a robust process with Ethiopia’s Funding Request for GC8 (Grant Cycle 8) (which should be submitted by October 2026). Leveraging the CCM-E Secretariat’s established capacity, the consultant will assess secretariat functions, identify opportunities for integration or shared services, and recommend practical options to improve efficiency, sustainability, and alignment with national systems, without creating new governance structures.

Therefore with the aim of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the global health governance systems in Ethiopia, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), is seeking one consultant with the right qualifications and experiences to support the continuity of CCM-E in a way that it is right sized and cost efficient, enhance the alignment of the different secretariats (CCM-E, ICC, HPN donor group, SDG-PF, JCCC) in accordance with the Lusaka Agenda shift 4 and to embed them in national structures guided by the national sustainability roadmap.

Objectives of the Consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to ensure the effective functioning and continuity of the CCM-E Secretariat while advancing broader coordination and governance reforms aligned with Ethiopia’s commitments under the Lusaka Agenda.

Specific Objectives:

1. Ensure Effective Functioning of the CCM-E Secretariat

Provide high-quality technical, coordination, and administrative support to sustain the CCM-E platform and its committees, ensuring compliance with Global Fund eligibility requirements, facilitation of inclusive governance processes, and efficient implementation of grant oversight functions.

2. Facilitate Delivery of Ethiopia’s GC8 Funding Request (FR), building on GC7 Grant Reprioritisation Decisions

Provide technical and coordination support to the CCM-E and all stakeholders to develop Ethiopia’s GC8 Funding Request, ensuring alignment with Global Fund Secretariat guidance, the GC8 allocation letter and strategic national priorities. Facilitate the timely dissemination of key documents and processes to CCM-E members and alternates to enable informed and inclusive decision-making, in line with the requirements of the Global Fund and the CCM-E Governance manual.

3. Advance Governance Platform Alignment and Streamlining

Conduct structured analysis of CCM-E, ICC, SDG-PF, HPN, JCCC and JCF governance and coordination platforms. Identify redundancies, gaps, and integration opportunities, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance efficiency, reduce fragmentation, and operationalise Lusaka Agenda Shift 4.

1. Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement and Inclusivity

Promote participatory and transparent governance by ensuring meaningful involvement of civil society, key populations, government institutions, and development partners across CCM-E functions and related coordination mechanisms.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Effective Functioning of the CCM-E Secretariat
  • Coordinate the scheduling, preparation, facilitation, and documentation of CCM-E plenary and committee meetings (Executive, Oversight, RMC, EGC).
  • Maintain and update governance documentation, including meeting minutes, decisions, member rosters, declarations of interest, and compliance records.
  • Ensure timely follow-up on action points and support internal communication between CCM-E members and alternates.
• Support GC8 Funding Request Development
  • Coordinate CCM-E engagement in the GC8 Funding Request development process in alignment with new Global Fund guidance and Ethiopia’s national strategic plans, in particular HSDIP.
  • Ensure timely dissemination of guidance, timelines, drafts, and consultation outputs to all CCM-E members and alternates.
  • Ensure that GC8 FR – process and content – draws on learnings from the GC7 reprioritization process.
  • Facilitate documentation, consolidation of stakeholder inputs, and coordination of submission processes in collaboration with MOH and PRs.
  • Support CCM-E monitoring of the reprioritized activities, ensuring alignment with the approved scope and timelines.
• Advance Coordination Platform Alignment and Streamlining
  • Map mandates, roles, and operational overlaps across CCM-E, ICC, SDG-PF Secretariat, HPN JCCC, and JCF.
  • Organize consultations with relevant secretariats and stakeholders to identify challenges and opportunities for coordination or functional integration.
  • Support the development of a practical roadmap for platform streamlining, in line with Lusaka Agenda Shift 4.
• Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement and Inclusivity
  • Ensure consistent, timely, and inclusive communication with all CCM-E constituencies, including civil society, key populations, and development partners.
  • Support constituency engagement activities (e.g., preparatory sessions, orientation briefings, bilateral updates).
  • Contribute to efforts to enhance transparency and participation across governance platforms.
• Support Documentation, Knowledge Management, and Reporting
  • Maintain a clear and accessible digital record of CCM-E decisions, documents, and progress reports.
  • Contribute to FCDO and CHAI internal reporting on TA performance, outputs, and alignment with Lusaka Agenda goals.
  • Ensure timely and professional preparation of reports, letters, and other correspondence required by the CCM-E leadership.

Expected Deliverables

The Consultant will be expected to deliver the following key outputs over the duration of the contract period, in coordination with CHAI and under the guidance of the CCM-E leadership:

1. CCM-E Governance Support Outputs
   • Annual calendar of CCM-E plenary and committee meetings developed and maintained.
   • Meeting agendas, briefing materials, minutes, and action trackers prepared and shared in a timely manner for all CCM-E and committee meetings.
   • Updated records of CCM-E membership, declarations of interest, and governance compliance maintained in line with Global Fund eligibility requirements.
2. GC8 Funding Request Facilitation
   • Workplan and timeline for CCM-E engagement in the GC8 application process developed and updated in collaboration with MOH and PRs, and aligned with new guidance from Global Fund.
   • CCM-E stakeholder inputs consolidated and documented during GC8 concept note development.
   • Submission process tracked and all relevant documentation finalized and shared with CCM-E members and alternates on time.
   • Response to (any) TRP recommendations processed in an inclusive and timely fashion.
   • Summary briefs prepared for CCM-E leadership to monitor progress and address bottlenecks.
3. Governance Platform Alignment Report
   • Mapping of roles, overlaps, and coordination gaps across CCM-E, ICC, SDG-PF Secretariat, HPN, JCCC, and JCF completed through stakeholder consultations.
   • Practical recommendations and options paper drafted for alignment/integration of governance mechanisms in line with Lusaka Agenda Shift 4.
   • Draft alignment roadmap or concept note discussed with all relevant stakeholders and submitted for MOH and CCM-E consideration.
4. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Products
   • Orientation sessions or briefing notes delivered for new or existing CCM-E members and alternates.
   • At least two constituency engagement sessions supported for civil society and key populations.
   • Periodic CCM-E updates (e.g., quarterly summary or newsletter-style brief) prepared for wide dissemination.
5. Coordination, Reporting and Knowledge Management
   • Monthly progress reports submitted to CHAI and FCDO GFA Programme Manager summarizing activities, progress against the four objectives, and relevant deliverables, and next steps.
   • Coordinate closely with other GFA TA Programme and other relevant consultants to ensure alignment of support and reduce duplication.
   • Identify and leverage synergies with other FCDO-funded investments in Ethiopia’s health sector, particularly in areas related to governance, financing, and sustainability.
   • Final consultancy completion report submitted, including reflections on impact, challenges, and recommendations for sustaining CCM-E functionality and coordination reforms.

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Duration: To 31 December 2026 (with potential for renewal)

Type of Contract: Consultant

Number of Positions: One

Reporting to: Functional reporting to the CCM-E Chair and Vice-Chair and Administratively to CHAI Programme Manager (FCDO GFA TA)

Expected Start Date: As soon as possible

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in Public Health, Health Financing, Health Policy, Governance, Public Administration, Development Studies, Management, Public Policy, or a related field.

Experience:

• In depth understanding of GHIs – especially Global Fund, and ideally Gavi – their governance structures and requirements globally and at country level.
• Experience and understanding of how multi-sectoral responses to health and working with multiple stakeholders from various government departments and civil society as well as development partners
• Minimum of 10 years of experience working in health systems strengthening, particularly in developing countries.
• Proven expertise in health system governance, stakeholders’ coordination, and institutional reform.
• Proven expertise in leading large-scale health system projects or initiatives at national or regional levels.
• Experience working in low-resource settings and familiar with global donor frameworks and approaches (including, FCDO).

Technical Skills:

• Strong analytical skills in policy analysis, governance frameworks, and institutional capacity-building.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, program design, and monitoring & evaluation.
• Excellent English writing skills with proven ability to synthesize complex information and produce high-quality reports, policy briefs, and strategic documents.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills to engage high-level stakeholders, donors, and policymakers.

Soft Skills:

• Strong attention to detail with an ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to set priorities and work both independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a professional approach to communication.
• Highly organised and results-driven with strong attention to detail.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity to work effectively in diverse contexts.

Additional Considerations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in Ethiopia or similar contexts is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with Ethiopia’s healthcare system and/or existing stakeholders’ governance platforms is an advantage.
• Knowledge of Amharic or other local languages is preferred.

Language Proficiency

• Excellent Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.

Zero-Tolerance Policy

• CHAI maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding conduct incompatible with its objectives, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination.
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference checks, including verification of academic credentials and employment history.