Independent Contractor, Sustainable Health Financing

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI)

Independent Contractor, Sustainable Health Financing
Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Duration: 242 days through December 2025

Organization Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capabilities of governments and the private sector in those countries to create and sustain high quality health systems that can succeed without our assistance. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

CHAi is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

Program Overview

CHAI’s health financing strategy supports governments to address these challenges through priority setting and benefits 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 governments, 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 (UHC).

Position Overview

The goal of the CHAl’s Health Systems Strengthening and Health Financing program in Malawi is to support the government to progressively move towards UHC 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 Sustainable Health Financing team works closely with departments across the Ministry of Health (MoH) to provide technical assistance, develop analytical tools, and strengthen capacity to manage spending in Malawi’s health sector.

The Malawi MoH has launched the Health Sector Strategic Plan III (HSSP III) 2023-2030, which articulates the Government of Malawi’s bold vision for reforming the country’s health system and accelerating progress towards UHC.

The HSSP Ill proposes a transition to strengthened aid coordination through the “One Plan, One Budget, One Report” approach, which aims to improve allocative efficiencies and donor alignment towards health sector objectives.

CHAI Malawi seeks an Independent Contractor, Sustainable Health Financing, who will be based in Lilongwe, Malawi and will work closely with the MoH and partners to develop and monitor its annual “One Plan” to support improved health sector aid alignment and efficiencies. The Independent Contractor will report to the Project Manager, Sustainable Health Financing, within the office’s Health Systems Strengthening Cluster.

Responsibilities

  • Provide technical assistance to the MoH in developing its annual “One Plan.” This will include collaborating with MoH Departments and other health sector structures, such as Technical Working Groups, to define and prioritize key activities aligned with the HSSP Ill to be implemented in FY2025-2026; supporting the mapping of donor and government funding towards these operational priorities; and creating a narrative report and Excel database highlighting these priorities, available resources, and unfunded areas for potential resource reallocation
  • Support the Ministry of Health to validate and disseminate the FY2025-2026 “One Plan and monitor progress in achieving identified priorities through Technical Working Groups, the HSSP Ill Technical Committee, and other health sector structures
  • Provide technical assistance to the MoH in ensuring that “One Plan” priorities inform ongoing resource mobilization and grant-making processes, including working with the MoH and other stakeholders to create a roadmap to guide the development of upcoming proposal development processes in line with the annual
    “One Plan” and wider HSSP III
  • Support the institutionalization of “One Plan” processes within the MoH and the wider health sector through hands-on capacity building with MoH staff and the development and handover of resources to support this approach, such as annual “One Plan” calendars, process matrixes, and funding mapping tools
  • Support the documentation and cross-country dissemination of lessons learned from the “One Plan” approach, such as through webinars with other CHAl-supported countries or the development of briefs or knowledge products on key findings
  • Build strategic relationships and facilitate meetings with government, donors and external stakeholders to drive operational and policy changes related to the aforementioned scope of work Backstop fundraising and resource mobilization efforts for the team, including through targeted technical and coordination support
  • Contribute to the development of program workplans, budgets, and reporting for internal and external audiences
  • Lead preparation of activity budgets and ensure timely liquidation of all activities once completed, in line with CHAI and donor best practices and policies for sound financial management
  • Lead activity logistics in collaboration with the CHAI Finance and Operations teams, including disbursing allowances to meeting participants and ensuring that services such as venue hire, conferencing, printing, etc. are available for activities as relevant
  • Perform any other relevant duties and lead day-to-day implementation of activities as assigned

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Health Systems, Health Economics, Public Health, Health Sciences, Public Policy, or similar subject preferred
  • Minimum of two years of professional experience, preferably in health systems strengthening, health financing, health economics, public health, public policy, public sector finance, consulting, or other relevant experience
  • Knowledge and experience in health systems, governance, and health financing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
  • 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 writer, facilitator, and oral communicator, able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences, with demonstrated skills in report writing

Advantages:

  • Experience supporting governments and donors to make health policy and health financing decisions
  • Experience supporting the development of funding applications for major multilateral or bilateral donors
  • Experience working in resource-limited settings and a multicultural office environment, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

Apply through: recruitmentmalawi@clintonhealthaccess.org

Closing date: 31st January 2025