Vacancy title:
Team Leader ( Health Economist/PFM Specialist)

[Type: CONTRACTOR, Industry: Consulting, Category: Management, Accounting & Finance, Healthcare, Business Operations, Civil & Government]

Jobs at:
DAI

Deadline of this Job:
Thursday, July 9 2026

Duty Station:
Lilongwe | Lilongwe

Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, June 23 2026, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

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JOB DETAILS:

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.

Location:

Malawi (Lilongwe), with short-term fieldwork in selected locations outside Lilongwe.

Assignment Duration:

The expected duration is approximately a 5-7 months, starting early July 2026. Individual assignment lengths are varied, based on the position.

We are recruiting for three consulting roles, with scope of combining positions where candidates meet the criteria. Please indicate the role(s) that you are applying for in the cover letter (max 1-page) and the city and country where you will be based during the assignment period.

The team members must all demonstrate:

• 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.

Responsibilities or duties

The Team Leader will lead the design and delivery of a blended Provider Payment Mechanism. Key responsibilities include steering technical components, driving stakeholder co-design, navigating local political economy, and coordinating a small multidisciplinary team, including a partnership with CHAI who are providing the Ministry with long-term embedded support.

This role will work with the team to conduct and interpret analyses including provider payment modelling, health service costing, excel-based fiscal simulations and budget impact analysis, strategic purchasing analytics, financial flow analysis, and PFM compatibility assessments.

Qualifications or requirements

• Advanced degree in health economics, public health, health policy, economics, health economics, public finance 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 12–15 years’ experience in health systems strengthening and policy advisory, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa and minimum 8–10 years’ experience in health economics, costing, and provider payment mechanisms
• Demonstrated leadership of complex, multi-stakeholder assignments, including Government and development partners
• Proven ability to manage teams, deliver high-quality outputs, and facilitate policy dialogue
• Strong understanding of health financing and strategic purchasing
• Strong expertise in budget impact analysis, financial modelling, and VfM analysis
• Experience with public financial management systems, including budgeting, funds flow and expenditure tracking
• Advanced quantitative and Excel modelling skills

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 144

Level of Education: postgraduate degree

Job application procedure

Please indicate the role(s) that you are applying for in the cover letter (max 1-page) and the city and country where you will be based during the assignment period.

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