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.

Assignment Duration: Approximately 5-7 months, starting early July 2026. Individual assignment lengths are varied, based on the position.

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.

All team members must 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

POSITION 1: TEAM LEADER (HEALTH ECONOMIST/PFM SPECIALIST)

Level of Effort (LoE): Close to full time

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and delivery of a blended Provider Payment Mechanism
• Steer technical components, driving stakeholder co-design
• Navigate local political economy
• Coordinate a small multidisciplinary team, including a partnership with CHAI who are providing the Ministry with long-term embedded support
• 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 and Experience:

• Advanced degree in health economics, public health, health policy, economics, public finance or related field
• Minimum 12–15 years' experience in health systems strengthening and policy advisory, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa
• 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

POSITION 2: SERVICE DELIVERY / MNCH EXPERT

Level of Effort (LoE): Approximately 15-20 days throughout the period of the assignment (Tentative)

Key Responsibilities:

• 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

Qualifications and Experience:

• Advanced degree in public health, medicine, nursing or related field
• 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

POSITION 3: HEALTH ECONOMIST – PFM & GOVERNANCE EXPERT

Level of Effort (LoE): Part-time throughout the period of the assignment (50-70% LoE tentative)

Key Responsibilities:

• Work with the Team Leader on stakeholder engagement, facilitating co-design, and navigating the MoHS/CHAM political economy to ensure institutional implementability
• Collaborate within a small multidisciplinary team, providing health economics and governance expertise
• Design governance arrangements and conduct complex analyses, including provider payment modeling, health costing, financial flow tracking, and Excel-based fiscal simulations

Qualifications and Experience:

• Advanced degree in public administration, economics, business administration or related field
• Minimum 8 years' experience in institutional analysis, governance frameworks and accountability systems
• Experience analysing health sector public financial management systems, including budget execution, reimbursement systems, IFMIS, and funds flow bottlenecks
• Experience designing contracting, verification, audit and dispute resolution mechanisms in the public sector
• Familiarity with health sector governance and working with non-state providers
• Strong analytical and facilitation skills

Application Procedure for All Positions:

Application Link: workforcenow.adp.com

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.