Technical Advisor, Sustainable Health Financing 181 views0 applications

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:

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 ensure 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 and Population (MoHP) to provide technical assistance, develop analytical tools, and strengthen capacity to manage spending in Malawi’s heavily donor-supported health sector.

CHAI seeks a Technical Advisor, Sustainable Health Financing based in Lilongwe to manage a team of 3-5 staff. The Technical Advisor will report to the Associate Director, Universal Health Coverage and Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health.

The Technical Advisor will support the Government of Malawi identify and overcome health systems constraints to the provision of critical services to the entire population, including leading the quantification of key systems gaps and support the use of evidence to drive health financing policy decisions. In addition, the Technical Advisor will be responsible for supporting the MoHP to develop sustainable systems and processes to improve the allocation of donor and government resources to improve availability of services across the country, both at national and sub-national levels. The Technical Advisor will lead a team that works closely with senior leaders in the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Finance as well as donors, NGOs, and civil society organizations.

This is a challenging but rewarding position which will directly impact thousands of people in need of life-saving interventions. It presents an opportunity to work closely with a government that is committed to identifying opportunities for sustainable financing of the health sector, providing strategic advice and developing tools that will deliver improved healthcare for the people of Malawi.

Given the nature of the program, and the entrepreneurial environment of CHAI, the Technical Advisor is expected to be self-motivated, flexible and able to deliver results quickly with limited structural or operational support.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to the MoHP on a broad range of health financing and health systems strengthening issues, enabling MoHP to mobilize more resources into the health sector and distribute them equitably, effectively and efficiently
• Oversee the development and operationalization of quantitative models to improve efficiency and effectiveness of health sector operations and interventions, with a focus on filling gaps in service availability
• Oversee the CHAI team’s collaboration with MoHP to standardize donor, government, and partner activity budgets into a common database for tracking health sector investments, including support on data dissemination and institutionalization
• Oversee CHAI’s support to strategic analysis of health systems readiness data to quantify gaps in delivery of essential health services
• Support the CHAI team in translating national-level sustainable health financing tools and processes to sub-national level in the context of decentralization
• Facilitate meetings with government and external stakeholders to drive operational and policy changes, including through strengthening processes for donor coordination, increased transparency and alignment to government priorities
• Oversee CHAI’s technical support to MoHP and stakeholders to develop and cost national strategic plans, identify funding gaps, develop and cost Global Fund and other concept notes to mobilize significant resources for the health sector, and improve absorption of multi-lateral funding streams
• Develop and carry out activities to build capacity of MoHP and increase sustainability of the aforementioned activities
• Develop a good understanding of multilateral and bilateral development frameworks in Malawi including timeframes and alignment with governments’ national health priorities, and identify opportunities
• Manage the health financing team in Malawi, including directly managing a team of highly-motivated and analytical individuals, enabling high performance and professional growth
• Manage communication, program budget, and reporting for internal requirements and program donors
• Drive internal strategic planning and coordination activities, communication, and deliverables within the Malawi country office, global team, and across several country teams
• Other responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in relevant field (e.g. Economics, Health Economics, Public Health, Finance etc.) strongly preferred; Bachelor’s degree with excellent relevant experience will also be considered
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience (e.g. in a research institution, government, bilateral or multilateral development agency, consulting firm, NGO or think tank), with increasing levels of responsibility
• Strong program management experience including managing and recruiting teams, developing and executing budgets, creating and implementing work plans, and monitoring both program and staff performance
• Knowledge of and experience in health systems and health care financing and/or public sector financing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
• Structured thinker with experience analyzing complex datasets to identify key trends and to translate them into actionable options for decision makers
• Strong writer, facilitator and oral communicator able to distill and explain complex concepts to varied audiences
• Exceptional diplomatic and interpersonal skills and ability to build strategic relationships
• Ability to think strategically about long-term program objectives and the detailed steps necessary to achieve them
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills without need for extensive structural or operational support
• Ability to multi-task and work effectively in fast-paced, high-pressure situations
• Advanced technical proficiency with MS Excel and PowerPoint

Advantages:

• Experience working with government ministries (Ministries of Health, Finance, and/or Local Government)
• Experience working in resource-limited settings and in a multicultural office environment
• Clinical expertise or experience working in health service delivery settings
• Experience conducting large-scale primary research and data collection, cleaning, analysis, and reporting, including the management of research teams
• Experience shaping national health policies and policy decisions