Public Health Advisor

GIZ Malawi

JOB ADVERTISEMENT FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISOR

As a federal enterprise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objective in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ operates in more than 130 countries around the globe. In Malawi, GIZ has been working for more than 50 years. Malawi is a priority for German international cooperation and currently focuses on three priority areas: health and social protection, good financial governance and private sector development in rural areas. In addition to our work on these areas, we also work on food systems and nutrition.

A. BACKGROUND

The Malawi German Health Programme (MGHP) is the technical cooperation programme of the German Development Cooperation, commissioned by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ, and implemented by GIZ. MGHP provides technical support to the Ministry of Health (MOH), regulatory bodies, academic institutions, and implements interventions in the four target districts of Dedza, Lilongwe, Mchinji and Ntcheu. The current programme phase runs from 01.08.2023 till 31.07.2029. The overall aim of MGHP is to improve the provision of high-quality services for women and young people with and without disabilities in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

The program focuses on 3 outputs (1) SRHR Service Delivery, (2) SRHR management (3) Strengthening the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM). Output 3 is a multi-donor action, jointly co-financed by the European Union and BMZ under the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on “Strengthening National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in Africa”. The main objective of output 3 is to strengthen the institutional capacity of PHIM to provide essential public health services. The specific objectives for output 3 include:

  1. Specific Objective 1: Establish/enhance regional and international links and capacity of PHIM with African and European NPHIs for public health research, knowledge and information gathering that drive evidence-based policy advice, public health workforce training, and advocacy
  2. Specific Objective 2: Improved delivery of the Core public health functions by PHIM
  3. Specific Objective 3: More effective use of digital health data by PHIM

The multi-donor action will support PHIM in strengthening regional and bilateral collaborations among NPHIs, particularly with European NPHIs, to develop and promote evidence-driven policy and practice, and advance knowledge transfer. It focuses on organizational development, supporting PHIM in becoming a semi-autonomous entity and enhancing its resource mobilization. The project blends capacity-building on various research processes and translation of evidence to inform policy with particular focus on SRHR, while supporting PHIM to incorporate gender perspectives into evidence generation.

Additionally, it aims to enhance digital health expertise and data management skills, while upgrading the surveillance and monitoring system according to a jointly developed Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child Health (RMNCH) framework and improving digital health infrastructure. These efforts are intended to strengthen PHIM’s role, resources and capacities to transform research and policymaking, thereby reinforcing an equitable public health system in Malawi.

As part of this multi-donor action GIZ is recruiting a Public Health Advisor to be seconded to the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) within output 3 of MGHP.

B. RESPONSIBILITIES

The public health advisor will have the following core responsibilities:

  • Project management and coordination overseeing institutional strengthening, research and policy advice related project activities
  • Support in strengthening PHIMs institutional leadership, partnership management and positioning
  • Support PHIM in regional exchange and collaborations
  • Provide strategic technical advice and align activities with stakeholder priorities
  • Support clarifying and defining roles and responsibilities between PHIM and MOH
  • Support enhancing PHIMs coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders such as academic institutions and other donors
  • Support contracting and implementing maturity assessments
  • Ensure smooth collaboration and coordination with other NPHIs part of the TEl Strengthening NPHIs in Africa and project stakeholders such as EU, GIZ, PHIM, MOH and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

In this context, the position holder performs the following tasks in close collaboration with PHIM and GIZ Technical Advisors:

C. TASKS

Technical advice

  • Project management and coordination of the TEl activities in PHIM – acting as a focal point for the project
  • Provide technical and strategic advice to PHIM and partners, ensuring alignment with stakeholder priorities
  • Identify needs and develop detailed project implementation plans and measures to strengthen PHIM
  • Facilitate and document strategic dialogues, workshops and events with relevant stakeholders
  • Organise and facilitate strategic, high-level workshops and meetings
  • Develop and revise strategic papers, assessments, presentations and other materials, such as communication and visibility materials as needed
  • Support in development of consultancy and grant agreement contracts and ensure their day-to-day management
  • Oversee contractors work especially around designing and implementing capacity building on research methodologies and policy advice

Planning, support and coordination

  • Coordinate closely with other donors and partners supporting PHIM, ensuring alignment and joint plans where relevant
  • Support transparent communication, documentation and coordination between PHIM, MOH, GIZ and other key stakeholders
  • Ensure documentation and reporting of project activities to GIZ and EU
  • Manage administrative processes for the project implementation (e.g. travel arrangements, procurements and workshop organisation)
  • Develop and input to the project design and contracting of entities for the project implementation

Other duties/additional tasks

  • Ensure adherence to EU communication and visibility guidelines during project implementation
  • Perform other duties and tasks at the request by PHIM or GIZ management

D. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE

Qualifications

  • Master’s Degree in Public Health, Health Systems Management, Health Research and Evaluation, Business Administration or other related field

Professional experience

  • 8-10 years professional experience in strategic support, project management, research and policy advice or a related role in the health sector
  • 5 years professional experience in at least three of the following areas;
    • Project management and coordination of various stakeholders including donors, academic institutions, MoH and international partners
    • Facilitating strategic dialogues, organizational transitions and defining collaborations within MoH, PHIM or other partners and stakeholders in the health sector Facilitating, organizing and documenting high level workshops and meetings within the health sector Networking, collaborating and building relationships with national and international academic institutions, research institutes and donors
    • Planning and conducting research, translation of evidence into policy briefs especially in the area of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights or Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health

Technical Competencies

  • Strong project management skills, including planning, execution, and monitoring
  • Proficiency in documentation and development of strategic papers
  • Excellent organizational and facilitation skills for workshops and meetings
  • Strong communication and coordination skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders
  • Ability to provide strategic advice and align activities with stakeholder priorities

Additional Competencies

  • Strong team player with the ability to work independently
  • Familiarity with gender-transformative approaches in health programs
  • Understanding of the health sector strategies, policies and frameworks
  • Proficiency in using standard office software (MS Office) and relevant project management tools
  • Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and manage multiple tasks simultaneously
  • Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed
  • Strong English and Chichewa language skills

It is expected that the period of employment will run from 01.08.2025 until 30.04.2029.

E. HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates meeting the above requirements must submit the following:

  1. Electronic one-paged cover letter
  2. Electronic detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  3. Copies of Certificates

The above documents should be sent to giz-malawi-hr@giz.de and the following reference code of the call for application is strictly to be indicated in the subject line of the applicant’s email: GIZ/ MGHP/038/Name of applicant.

All applications should be addressed to:

The Head of HR
GIZ Malawi
P.O. Box 31131
LILONGWE 3.

The deadline for receiving applications is 23rd June 2025. Only shortlisted candidates who meet the above requirements will be contacted.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals regardless of gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, age, or any other protected characteristic. We embrace diversity and believe that inclusivity in the workplace is essential to our success, and we are committed to creating a work environment where all employees are valued and respected.