Health Economist – PFM & Governance Expert

DAI

Multiple Roles, Designing a New Provider Payment Mechanism for Service Level Agreements in Malawi

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.

Location: Malawi (Lilongwe), with short-term fieldwork in selected locations outside Lilongwe.

Assignment Duration: The expected duration is approximately a 5-7 months, starting early July 2026. Individual assignment lengths are varied, based on the position.

We are recruiting for three consulting roles, with scope of combining positions where candidates meet the criteria. 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.

The team members must all 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.

Health Economist – PFM & Governance Expert; Level of effort (LoE): part-time throughout the period of the assignment (50-70% LoE tentative)

The expert will work with the Team Leader on stakeholder engagement, facilitating co-design, and navigating the MoHS/CHAM political economy to ensure institutional implementability. Collaborating within a small multidisciplinary team, they provide health economics and governance expertise, designing governance arrangements and conducting complex analyses, including provider payment modeling, health costing, financial flow tracking, and Excel-based fiscal simulations.

  • 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

To apply for this job please visit workforcenow.adp.com.