Clinton Health Access Initiative

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Associate, Sustainable Health Financing

Malawi Lilongwe Type Full Time Program (Division) Country Programs - Malawi

Additional Location Description Lilongwe, Malawi

Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives
and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries, while strengthening the capabilities
of governments and the private sector in those countries to create and sustain high quality health systems
that can succeed without our assistance. For more information, please visit:
http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org.
 
Program Overview:

CHAI’s health financing program is working in 10 countries to support Ministries of Health to substantially
and sustainably improve access to essential health services for their populations. Health financing is often
insufficient and overly reliant on donors and individuals paying out of pocket at facilities. Low income
countries in Africa and South East Asia see over half of the global disease burden, are home to 40% of the
global population and account for only 3% of health spending. Donor contributions for health have
plateaued, and in many countries are likely to decline in the coming years. Domestic resources for health are
increasing, but the rate of growth in government spending dedicated to health fluctuates and is often
insufficient to meet population needs. In addition, resources that are made available may not be spent
efficiently. Healthcare providers face stock-outs, ration services among patients and charge informal or
formal user fees, which can act as a deterrent for patients, and particularly the poor, to seek care.
CHAI’s health financing teams work with governments and key stakeholders to remove financing as a barrier
to increased coverage of life saving interventions. Staff members work closely with Ministry of Health
partners, to support evidence-based decision-making and design systems to mobilize sustainable resources
and ensure those resources go as far as possible so that providers can deliver quality care and patients can
access that care.
 
Position Overview:

Malawi has the world’s third lowest per capita GDP ($268/year); partners provide more than 70% of health
funding in the country. Within this context, 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 ensuring 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.
CHAI Malawi seeks an Associate, Sustainable Health Financing based in Lilongwe to help the Government of
Malawi address critical funding shortfalls and inefficiencies in financing the health sector. The Associate will
report to the Technical Advisor, Sustainable Health Financing, within the office’s Universal Health Coverage
and Sexual Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Health Cluster.
 
The CHAI team has historically supported the MoH to conduct annual resource mapping, which provides
visibility into health sector resources. This work has expanded into the development of an aid coordination
tool that matches resources against HSSP II priorities in order to highlight resource gaps, support evidence-
based resource allocation, and better donor coordination. Translating this work to districts, to reduce
inefficiencies associated with operational fragmentation at the district level, the program is working with
MoH and District Health Management Teams in select districts with the aim of strengthening its planning
and budgeting processes through development of streamlined tools that enable evidence-based planning
and resource allocation, improved alignment to national strategic plans, and joint planning and coordination
with partners. This work will help in reducing duplication and inefficiencies and directing more donor
resources towards district priorities, while building capacity for planning and budgeting.
The Associate will support district health managers in select districts in the Southern region of Malawi to
identify and overcome health financing and health systems constraints to the provision of critical services to
the population, including strengthening the use of evidence in health financing decisions through targeted
use of data. In particular, the Associate will be responsible for supporting District Health Management
Teams in the development of sustainable systems and processes for evidence-based planning and partner
coordination, as well as building organizational capacity and management for delivering essential health
services across the target districts. The Associate will be part of a team that works closely with senior
leaders in the MoH and District Health Offices as well as donors, NGOs, and civil society organizations.

This is a challenging but rewarding position, which 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 improved healthcare for the people of
Malawi.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Technical Advisor, Sustainable Health Financing, the Associate will work in close
collaboration with selected District Health Management Teams in the Southern Region of Malawi to
strengthen health sector financing, planning and coordination at the district level and translate results to
national level. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as a trusted technical assistant to District Health Management Teams on a broad range of health
financing and systems strengthening issues, enabling districts to plan, allocate and utilize resources
equitably, effectively and efficiently.
• Facilitate the implementation of government planning, budgeting, and donor coordination processes and
tools to improve efficiency and joint accountability as well as revise/ develop new tools where necessary.
• Assess health systems bottlenecks at district level and work with government to design solutions.
• Build government capacity on evidence-based planning, public financial management, and effective
management of external funding by delivering targeted training and skills development.
• Support the implementation and monitoring of District Implementation Plans through joint reviews with
donors and selection of core health indicators to track progress.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and toolkits to promote the sustainability and
institutionalization of planning and partner coordination processes.
• Work across districts to share lessons learned and build a community of practice for mutual learning and
capacity-building on evidence-based planning and translating these lessons back to national level.
• Build strategic relationships and facilitate meetings with government, donors and external stakeholders to
drive operational and policy changes.
• Proactively suggest process improvements on planning and budgeting for adoption at the national level.
• Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by the Technical Advisor, Sustainable Health Financing.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Economics, Health Economics, Health Policy and Planning, Finance, Health
Systems, Public Health, Public Policy, or similar subject; Master’s degree is an added advantage.
Minimum of three years of professional experience, at least two of which should be in health system
strengthening, health economics, health financing, public health, health research, public policy, public
sector finance, health economics, health financing, consulting, or other relevant field.
Knowledge and experience in health systems and health financing and/or public sector financing,
particularly in low- and middle-income countries and at the national and sub-national level.
Outstanding analytical skills and advanced proficiency with MS 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.

 
Advantages:
Experience working with government ministries and/or multilateral or bilateral donors.
Experience with programming/coding, including VBA coding.
Experience conducting large-scale research and data collection, cleaning, analysis, and reporting.
Experience in shaping or contributing to national or district health policy decisions.
Knowledge of the Malawi health system and experience with district level implementation.
Experience working in resource-limited settings and a multicultural office environment, particularly in
the health sector and in Sub-Saharan Africa.
 
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