Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS)
Program Summary
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences – Health Economics and Policy Unit (KUHeS-HEPU) have entered a joint collaboration under a Memorandum of Agreement to strengthen health systems education, training, and research in Malawi. The collaboration is designed to build local capacity for evidence-based decision-making by embedding early-career professionals in high-impact national health financing initiatives. To achieve the objectives of this initiative, the KUHeS-HEPU will engage Health Systems Fellow (interns) in various complementary thematic workstreams. Each Health Systems Fellow (Intern) will be placed for six months at CHAI and six months at KUHeS-HEPU. During this time, interns will receive structured mentorship, hands-on technical training, and first-hand exposure to national health financing reform and policy dialogue processes. KUHeS–HEPU is therefore inviting suitably qualified candidates to fill the following vacant Internships positions:
Health Systems Fellow (Intern) – Public–Private Partnerships and Health Workforce
Department : Bioethics and Behavioural Health Social Sciences
Responsible to : HEPU, Deputy Director
Internship Duration : 12 months (6 months CHAI, 6 Months KUHES- HEPU contract)
Location : Lilongwe
Focus Area: Economic evaluation and financing design for public-private partnerships with faith-based health providers; health workforce
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with CHAI:
- Provide technical support to the Government of Malawi on meeting the readiness criteria required to roll out a capitation pilot at Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) facilities as a long-term alternative provider payment mechanism to the current fee-for-service system.
- Contribute to the identification of necessary adjustments in pre-service and in- service training curricula, as well as scopes of practice, to enable sustainable integration and absorption of critical service delivery roles that have been impacted by the USG funding cuts into the existing health workforce.
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with HEPU -KUHeS
- Support ongoing analytics and economics on optimal principal-agency arrangements at facilities operated by CHAM and the Islamic Health Association of Malawi (IHAM) with a goal to achieve value for money analyses with the CHAM/IHAM and Malawi Government partnership
- Contribute to the Thanzi la Onse modelling of the impacts on CHAM/IHAM service level agreement with Government on access, quality, and efficiency and ultimately health outcomes
- Coordinate and ensure optimal functioning of taskforces and Technical Working Groups connected with the CHAM/IHAM and Government partnership execution.
- Facilitate the development and prioritization of a CHAM/IHAM research
- Assist in stakeholder engagements with CHAM, IHAM, Ministry of Health, and development partners.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or advanced standing in health economics, economics, health systems, public health, finance, public policy, or similar relevant subjects.
- Demonstrated skills in economic analysis, costing, or
- Outstanding analytical skills and advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and
- 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.
- Strong writer, facilitator and oral communicator, able to distil and explain complex concepts to varied audiences.
- Excellent organizational, task management, and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support and supervision.
- Familiarity with faith-based provider networks or public-private partnerships in health is an added advantage.
- Experience supporting governments and development partners to make policy decisions in health financing and health systems is an added advantage.
Health Systems Fellow (Intern) – Health Workforce Economics
Department : Bioethics and Behavioural Health Social Sciences
Responsible to : HEPU, Deputy Director
Internship Duration : 12 months (6 months CHAI, 6 Months KUHES-HEPU contract)
Location : Lilongwe
Focus Area: Health policy support for implementation of the Health Workforce Cadres Report and related health workforce financing strategies.
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with CHAI:
- Conduct workforce quantification aligned with the Cadre Review Report to project staffing requirements for delivering integrated Health Service Packages. This includes analyzing the impact of the USG-funded health worker withdrawal by mapping affected cadres, quantifying resulting service delivery gaps, and identifying key shifts in workforce composition and deployment needed to sustain essential services through integration into government-recognized roles.
- Assist in coordinating inputs from relevant Ministry of Health departments, regulatory bodies, and training institutions to ensure alignment of workforce transition priorities. This includes participating in the Workforce Optimization Taskforce and supporting engagement through relevant coordination mechanisms such as the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Technical Working Group (TWG) and other taskforces dedicated to advancing HRH priorities from the Health Sector Strategic Plan III (HSSP III), including in-service training and harmonized CPD.
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with HEPU:
- Coordinate the adoption of the health workforce cadres report including development of a roadmap for implementation
- Support the development of a Thanzi la Onse module to facilitate simulation of the potential impacts of selection recommendations from the health workforce cadres analysis
- Lead health workforce optimization studies
- Assist with policy engagement and technical documentation to support Ministry of Health implementation of health workforce reforms.
- Provide analytic inputs to ongoing KUHeS-HEPU and CHAI collaboration on health labor market assessments.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or advanced standing in labor economics, economics, health systems, health sciences, public health, public policy, data science, computer programming, or similar relevant subjects.
- Outstanding analytical skills, advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, and experience with computer programming and modelling preferably in Python or R.
- Structured thinker with experience analysing 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.
- Strong writer, facilitator and oral communicator, able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences.
- Excellent organizational, task management, and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support and supervision.
- Experience supporting governments and development partners to make policy decisions in health workforce and health systems is an added advantage.
Health Systems Fellow (Intern) – Subnational Planning, Financing, and Measurement
Department : Bioethics and Behavioural Health Social Sciences
Responsible to : HEPU, Deputy Director
Internship Duration : 12 months (6 months CHAI, 6 Months KUHES-HEPU contract)
Location : Lilongwe
Focus Area: Support the institutionalization and policy endorsement of Malawi’s Health Financing Measurement Framework, with a specific focus on Direct Facility Financing (DFF), and facilitate the implementation of government planning, budgeting, and donor coordination processes and tools at the district and facility levels to enhance efficiency and joint accountability.
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with CHAI:
- Support the revision, development, and dissemination of district and facility planning and budgeting tools to align with policy priorities and improve efficiency.
- Provide technical assistance and capacity-building to the Ministry of Health’s Department of Planning and Policy Development and selected districts on planning, budgeting, and donor coordination processes at the district and facility levels, in close coordination with the Direct Facility Financing (DFF) reform.
- Support joint district and facility planning, review, and coordination meetings with government and partners to strengthen alignment, transparency, and
- Monitor implementation progress of district and facility implementation plans and contribute to policy discussions by documenting lessons learned and providing technical reports and recommendations.
Key Responsibilities during the 6 months with HEPU:
- Finalize and refine the national Health Financing Measurement Framework developed under HSSP III.
- Facilitate endorsement processes with senior Ministry of Health officials, including preparation of presentations and policy briefs.
- Coordinate the development and technical finalization of a complementary measurement framework for DFF.
- Align frameworks with existing performance systems and resource tracking
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or advanced standing in economics, health economics, M&E, health systems, health sciences, public health, public policy, development studies, or similar relevant subjects.
- Outstanding analytical skills, advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, and experience with computer programming and modelling preferably in Python or R.
- 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.
- Strong writer, facilitator and oral communicator, able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences.
- Excellent organizational, task management, and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support and supervision.
- Experience with M&E performance frameworks, health financing reforms, or resource tracking systems is an added advantage.
- Experience supporting governments and development partners to make policy decisions in health financing and health systems is an added advantage.
The successful candidates will have the following:
- Structured 12-month cross-institutional
- Monthly stipend of MWK 1,188,000 paid through KUHeS-
- Mentorship and capacity-building in health financing analytics, policy engagement, and systems thinking.
- Opportunity to work alongside leading national and international experts in health financing reform.
These internships are jointly supervised by CHAI and KUHeS-HEPU. Interns will be contracted by KUHeS-HEPU.
Application Process
Interested candidates who meet the above requirements should send their applications which includes: –
- A one-page cover letter indicating the position(s) applied for and explaining their
- A Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages) highlighting qualifications and relevant
- Copies of education qualifications
Send applications to: recruitment@kuhes.ac.mw
Closing date for receiving applications is 1st August, 2025
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.