As part of DAI’s Technical Support Programme for Health (P4H), we are seeking to fill a range of positions to support Designing a New Provider Payment Mechanism for Service Level Agreements (SLA) in Malawi.

The primary aim of this assignment is to design a feasible, evidence-based SLA Provider Payment Mechanism (PPM) that promotes equitable access to essential health services for women, newborns, and children in Malawi. The assignment will generate value-for-money cost estimates (including both per-service and per-capita costs for MNCH), analyse the current SLA model to improve efficiency and equity, and assess alternative payment options to recommend a blended PPM, particularly for rural and underserved areas. It will also estimate fiscal implications (including Budget Impact Analysis) and develop a governance framework and implementation roadmap, including rate setting, performance verification, and dispute resolution.

Responsibilities or duties

The Service Delivery / MNCH Expert will provide technical expertise in the design, organisation, and quality of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services. They will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team that brings together complementary strengths in health financing, public financial management (PFM), institutional governance, and RMNCAH service delivery.

Qualifications or requirements

• Advanced degree in public health, medicine, nursing or related field
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills, with demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior Government officials and diverse stakeholders.
• Proven relationship-building and facilitation skills, including the capacity to manage sensitive policy dialogue.
• Good understanding of political economy and reform dynamics in low-income countries, including navigating institutional constraints without undermining Government ownership.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, policy-relevant outputs in plain language accessible to decision-makers.

Experience needed

• Minimum 8–10 years’ experience in RMNCAH service delivery in low-resource settings
• Practical understanding of facility-level operations, quality of care, and access barriers
• Experience in equity- and gender-responsive programming
• Ability to link financing reforms to service delivery realities

• Provide technical expertise in the design, organisation, and quality of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team that brings together complementary strengths in health financing, public financial management (PFM), institutional governance, and RMNCAH service delivery.

• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior Government officials and diverse stakeholders
• Proven relationship-building and facilitation skills
• Capacity to manage sensitive policy dialogue
• Good understanding of political economy and reform dynamics in low-income countries
• Ability to navigate institutional constraints without undermining Government ownership
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to produce clear, policy-relevant outputs in plain language accessible to decision-makers
• Practical understanding of facility-level operations, quality of care, and access barriers
• Experience in equity- and gender-responsive programming
• Ability to link financing reforms to service delivery realities

• Advanced degree in public health, medicine, nursing or related field
• Minimum 8–10 years’ experience in RMNCAH service delivery in low-resource settings