Biomedical Engineer at Expertise France

Terms of Reference / Job Description

Biomedical engineer

Health Result Based Financing Technical assistance project

Overview

Expertise France is the French agency for international cooperation, under the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance. The agency develops and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in low- and middle-income countries and focuses on four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance;
• Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
• Combating climate change and favouring sustainable urban development;
• Strengthening health systems, social protection and employment.

In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how. With an annual business volume of 390 million euros and over 400 projects in 145 countries, Expertise France's activities are part of France's international cooperation policy and official development assistance.

Active since 2019 in Rwanda, Expertise France Rwanda implements 6 projects, primarily funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a total amount of €50M. The agency's main areas of intervention in Rwanda are:

• Economic and financial governance
• Sustainable development, climate and agriculture
• Health and human development

Project description

To support Rwanda's Health Sector Strategic Plan V (2024–2029) to address maternal mortality (203 deaths per 100,000), chronic malnutrition (33% stunting), and non-communicable diseases (50% of deaths) while prioritizing climate resilience and gender-responsive care, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is developing a Results-Based Financing (RBF) loan in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), and the Ministry of Finance (MINECOFIN).

AFD's anticipated loan will use results-based payments conditioned on key performance indicators to strengthen Rwanda's health system, building on existing RBF mechanisms to enhance access to climate-resilient, gender-responsive healthcare. This loan envisions a specific focus at district level in the Northern Province, targeting four districts: Musanze, Gakenke, Rulindo, and Gicumbi.

The RBF program is designed to target two MOH priorities:

• Increasing qualified healthcare professionals within a strengthened health system
• Enhancing access to high-quality primary healthcare addressing maternal/child health, NCDs, mental health, nutrition, and emergencies

To support the anticipated RBF implementation, AFD has requested Expertise France to provide technical assistance through residential experts to be seconded to key divisions or departments within RBC and MOH, as well as at district level. This planned support would focus on four strategic areas: Decentralized Healthcare, Health System Governance and Management, Biomedical and Health Infrastructure, and Climate Resilience.

The technical assistance project will be implemented over a period of 30 months. Under the management of a team leader, the team would consist of 8 Technical Experts, and would be supported by Expertise France’s Kigali-based Project Support Unit (PSU) for administrative, finance, HR and procurement, as well as Paris-based HQ for public health technical support.

The Biomedical engineer will support central and decentralized health levels of care to ensure the presence of well-functioning equipment of high standard quality and to ensure its maintenance for optimum obstetrical, neonatal and primary health care. His/her main responsibilities will be:

• Contributing, in consultation with RBC, districts and districts health stakeholders, to the development of technical specifications of good standard for medical equipment and adapted to the different levels of care, incorporating climate-resilient design considerations
• Supporting the improvement and the use of digitalisation system regarding the stock management for the Medical Equipment Monitoring & Management Systems (MEMMS)
• Contributing to develop a district/health facilities long term management plan for maintenance of equipment according to norms and standards that will allow sustainability and continuous use of medical equipment, with special attention to climate change adaptation and equipment resilience to extreme weather
• Supporting the districts/health facilities to implement the maintenance plan with climate-resilient infrastructure considerations
• Assure the capacity building of the available staff and technicians regarding maintenance, repairing, replacement and proper use of medical equipment, including training on climate-related equipment challenges and adaptive solutions
• Contributing to the quality control of new medical equipment according to the national standards with regular evaluations, ensuring equipment can withstand climate-related stresses
• Working with health district hospitals and health centre teams to evaluate safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of existing biomedical equipment under varying climate conditions
• Conduct assessments of medical equipment needs and develop equipment procurement strategies that prioritize climate-resilient and energy-efficient technologies
• Design and implement medical equipment maintenance and calibration programs that account for climate variability and extreme weather impacts
• Provide technical support for installation, commissioning, and operation of medical deviceswith emphasis on climate-adaptive technologies and backup systems
• Train healthcare staff on proper use and basic maintenance of medical equipment, including emergency protocols during climate-related disruptions
• Establish quality assurance protocols for medical technology and equipment safety that incorporate climate resilience standards and disaster preparedness measures

Please apply on that link: https://expertise-france.gestmax.fr/13695/1/biomedical-engineer-h-f/en_US?backlink=search