CHAI’s health financing strategy supports governments to address these challenges through priority setting and benetts package design; investment in upgrading health systems to deliver an optimized package of services; and strengthening or improving domestic financing through public financial management and strategic purchasing At the request of goverments, our strategy for health financing is expanding to include work in health systems and management, with a focus on building primary health care systems as the foundation of equitable universal health coverage. This work builds on CHAI’s experience in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health; infectious diseases; and health workforce, among other areas. At CHAI, staff work closely with government partners to support evidence-based decision making and to design systems to ensure resources go as far as possible so that providers can deliver quality care that patients can afford and access.

Position Overview:

The goal of the CHAI Malawi Health Systems Strengthening program is to support the Government of Malawi to progressively move towards universal health coverage through sustainably bringing more resources into the health sector and to ensure they are distributed and utilized equitably, efficiently and effectively for the delivery of high-quality health services. The CHAI Malawi Health Systems Strengthening team works closely with departments across the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), and particularly the Department of Planning and Policy Coordination (DPPC), to provide technica assistance, develop analytical tools, and strengthen capacity to manage spending in Malawi’s health sector.

CHAI Malawi seeks a Technical Officer, Health Financing, who will be seconded to the MoHS and based in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Technical Officer will report to the Principal Economist or another member of the MoHS Health Financing Division as designated by the Deputy Director. For administrative and contracting issues, the Technical Officer will report to the Program Manager, Health Financing and Aid Alignment at the CHAI Malawi country office

This is a challenging but rewarding position which will directly impact the government’s capacity to deliver improved health services for the population of Malawi.

It presents an opportunity to work closely with a government that is committed to finding opportunities for sustainable financing of the health sector and delivering a stronger health system for the people of Malawi.

Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day technical and operational support to the MoHS in implementing health financing reforms under Health Sector Strategic Plan III (HSSP III)
• Support MoHS DPPC in Strengthening the long-term sustainability of health sector financing and programming through strategic purchasing and domestic resource mobilization
• Support resource allocation for central hospitals and support with strengthening efficiencies for public-private partnerships, including with the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM)
• Facilitate the MoHS DPPC to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate pathways for domestic resource mobilization, including supporting the rollout of optional paying wings and patient access conditions for health services at selected health facilities
• Support MoHS DPPC to conduct key analyses related to the HSSP II’s health financing reforms and other strategies, including identified teasibility analyses and value-for-money assessments.
• Support the MoHS DPPC, other MoHS Directorates, and partners in developing and operationalizing a robust Sustainability Roadmap to guide the transition of health system platforms to long-term government ownership and oversight
• Coordinate partners to strengthen the reform taskforces, which oversee the day-to-day planning, implementation, and monitoring of the aforementioned work as aligned with the multi-year “One Plan” activities and “One Report” indicators.
• This includes supporting the MoHS DPPC and the reform taskforces to track progress towards defined priorities, address bottlenecks, identify next implementation steps, and mobilize resources to implement unfunded activities
• Support the MoHS DPPC to develop high-quality fundraising materials to mobilize resources towards HSSP III priorities
• Facilitate meetings with government, donors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to drive operational and policy changes, including drafting and sharing the meeting proceedings
• Deliver targeted training and skills development to strengthen government capacity as requested by government counterparts activities, provide regular updates to both MoHS and CHAI management, and perform other relevant duties.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Health Economics, Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Public Health, Public Policy, or similar subject preferred; master’s degree is an added advantage
• Minimum of two years of professional experience, preferably in health systems strengthening, health economics, health financing, public health, public policy, public sector finance, consulting, or other relevant experience
• Knowledge and experience in health systems and health financing with a particular focus on resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience supporting governments and donors to make health policy and health financing decisions
• Outstanding analytical skills and advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Strategically minded and able to think creatively about long-term program goals and objectives, and the detailed steps necessary to achieve these goals
• Structured thinker with experience analyzing and interpreting complex datasets to identify key trends and to translate them into actionable options for decision-makers
• Strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills and ability to build strategic relationships with government partners, donors and other stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to deliver excellence in high-pressure situations, set priorities, and adapt to rapidly changing environments
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support
• Strong writing, facilitation, and communication skills, able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences
• Self-motivated and able to lead workstreams with a high degree of independence and autonomy
• Team player with the desire and capacity to effectively coach others, based on the team’s professional development needs and as assigned by the supervisor

• Provide day-to-day technical and operational support to the MoHS in implementing health financing reforms under Health Sector Strategic Plan III (HSSP III)
• Support MoHS DPPC in Strengthening the long-term sustainability of health sector financing and programming through strategic purchasing and domestic resource mobilization
• Support resource allocation for central hospitals and support with strengthening efficiencies for public-private partnerships, including with the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM)
• Facilitate the MoHS DPPC to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate pathways for domestic resource mobilization, including supporting the rollout of optional paying wings and patient access conditions for health services at selected health facilities
• Support MoHS DPPC to conduct key analyses related to the HSSP II’s health financing reforms and other strategies, including identified teasibility analyses and value-for-money assessments.
• Support the MoHS DPPC, other MoHS Directorates, and partners in developing and operationalizing a robust Sustainability Roadmap to guide the transition of health system platforms to long-term government ownership and oversight
• Coordinate partners to strengthen the reform taskforces, which oversee the day-to-day planning, implementation, and monitoring of the aforementioned work as aligned with the multi-year “One Plan” activities and “One Report” indicators.
• This includes supporting the MoHS DPPC and the reform taskforces to track progress towards defined priorities, address bottlenecks, identify next implementation steps, and mobilize resources to implement unfunded activities
• Support the MoHS DPPC to develop high-quality fundraising materials to mobilize resources towards HSSP III priorities
• Facilitate meetings with government, donors, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to drive operational and policy changes, including drafting and sharing the meeting proceedings
• Deliver targeted training and skills development to strengthen gov