Mar 6, Clinton Health Access Initiative Senior Associate, District Health Systems Strengthening Short Term Jobs in Malawi

Position Overview:

The goal of the CHAI Sustainable Health Financing program in Malawi is to support the government 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 Sustainable Health Financing team works closely with departments across the Ministry of Health (MoH), and in particular with the Department of Planning and Policy Development and District Health Management Teams, to provide technical assistance, develop analytical tools, and strengthen capacity to manage spending in Malawi’s health sector.

Some examples of ongoing projects are: supporting aid alignment towards the Health Sector Strategic Plan III for 2023-2030 as part of the “One Plan, One Budget One Report” approach; evidence-based modelling for health workforce recruitment and pre-service education; supporting District Health Offices in developing planning, budgeting, and management tools; scaling up direct facility financing across Malawi; strengthening strategic purchasing of health services to drive efficiencies; development of a costed and prioritized plan to coordinate health facility solar electrification investments in the country; and supporting long-term capacity-building of Malawi’s health financing ecosystem.

In particular, the recently launched Health Sector Strategic Plan III for 2023-2030 outlines eleven “game-changer” reforms that represent the Government of Malawi’s “priorities among priorities.” These aim to improve access to essential health services. One critical reform is enabling greater health provider autonomy through direct facility financing (DFF).

Following a successful pilot of Health Center Improvement Grants that was supported by CHAI, the Government of Malawi has indicated that they plan to institutionalize DFF and scale it up nationwide through both government and partner funding. This represents a critical opportunity to ensure that government and partner funding are channeled closer to the frontlines of service delivery, and ultimately to enable increased health facility autonomy and responsiveness to community health.

Moving forward, the Ministry of Health is in the process of establishing DFF guidelines which will govern DFF investments from both government and partners.

The guidelines will outline key elements of the DFF model, including stakeholder roles/responsibilities, the types of eligible health facilities and the respective grant sizes, funding flows, eligible expenses, procurement, supervision/monitoring, liquidations, financial accounting and reporting, audits, etc.

Critical to this will be complementary investments in strengthening the capacity of the District Council, as they are the ultimate cost center accountable for the DFF, and must ensure robust supervision, monitoring, and internal audits for the health facilities.

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, providing strategic advice, and developing tools that will deliver a stronger health system for the people of Malawi.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted technical advisor to the MOH on health financing and health systems issues, enabling MOH to mobilize more resources into the health sector, distribute them equitably, and use them effectively and efficiently

Support the MOH to operationalize the recently developed Health Sector Strategic Plan III, with a particular focus on strengthening health provider autonomy through the institutionalization and scale-up of direct facility financing

Support the implementation of direct facility financing in selected focal districts, including close collaboration and capacity-building of District Health Offices and health facilities on direct facility financing

Facilitate the development and implementation of government planning, budgeting, and donor coordination processes and tools, with the aim of improving efficiency and joint accountability at the national and district levels

Build strategic relationships and facilitate meetings with government, donors and external stakeholders to drive operational and policy changes

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 by the Project Manager, Health Systems Strengthening

Qualifications

Master’s degree in economics, health economics, health systems, public health, public policy, or similar subject preferred; bachelor’s degree with relevant experience will also be considered

Minimum of three years of professional experience, preferably in health systems strengthening, health economics, health financing, health workforce, public health, public policy, public sector finance, consulting, or other relevant experience

Knowledge and experience in health systems and health financing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries

Strong analytical skills and 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 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

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

Advantages:

Experience supporting governments and donors to make health policy and health financing decisions

Experience in designing and implementing direct facility financing mechanisms, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

Experience working with district health management teams at the subnational level

Experience working in resource-limited settings and a multicultural office environment

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; Clinton Health Access Initiative Senior Associate, District Health Systems Strengthening Short Term Jobs in Malawi

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