Vacancy title:
Health Economist

[Type: FULL_TIME, Industry: Healthcare, Category: Healthcare]

Jobs at:
Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc.

Deadline of this Job:
Thursday, July 31 2025

Duty Station:
Zambia | Lusaka | Zambia

Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, July 24 2025, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

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JOB DETAILS:

In this regard, CHAI Zambia is looking for a highly motivated individual with outstanding technical capabilities to fill the role of Health Economist for the Technical Support Unit to be based at the Ministry of Health Headquarters. The incumbent will be responsible for supporting the MOH and other key Ministries and government agencies through provision of technical expertise to translate and localize regional and global guidance on trends and developments in health care financing and sustainability response mechanisms. S/he will support the MOH in strategizing, designing and implementation of technical strategies, interventions, and approaches to developing a sustainable health care system in line with national priorities.

The Health Economist will be seconded to the Ministry of Health, reporting into the Director, Policy and Planning and will work closely with the leadership of the Sustainability Steering Committee which is a multi- departmental leadership team set up by the Ministry of Health to lead the process of developing a sustainable health care system that will withstand the effects of reduced external funding to health.

Responsibilities

Planning, Budgeting, Allocation and Prioritization

• Support government to strengthen national and sub-national health planning and budgeting processes to adapt to funding and implementation gaps.
• Provide technical assistance in undertaking Economic Evaluation of Health programs to facilitate setting of priorities based on cost-effectiveness, disease burden, equity, and financial sustainability.
• Use data to facilitate transparent, participatory processes for resource allocation and prioritization across competing health needs.
• Support the development, review of and use of resource allocation formula to support MOH prioritization needs.
• Support cost modelling and financial projections to inform funding decisions and donor negotiations.
• Support the periodic review and costing of the Essential Care Package for Zambia as a key tool in resource allocation and priority setting.

Technical Efficiency

• Support undertaking of Public Expenditure Tracking surveys to use in identifying inefficiencies in health system and support government to implement reforms that improve value for money.
• Provide Technical Support towards the regular production of the National Heath Accounts.
• Analyse program costs and performance data to inform strategies for more efficient service delivery, particularly at the primary care level.
• Support design and implementation of strategic purchasing reforms (e.g., performance-based financing, capitation, output-based payments etc).
• Coordinate financial data inputs from multiple donors and implementing partners.

Domestic Resource Mobilization

• Support government to assess and advocate for increased public funding for health, aligned with macro-fiscal realities and competing national priorities.
• Support the review of current financing sources and mechanisms, including donor and domestic funding.
• Provide technical support in the development of investment cases for high priority health programs for use in lobbying for resources from Ministry of Finance and Development partners.
• Provide analytical inputs to support dialogue between Ministries of Health and Finance, including return-on-investment analyzes and health investment cases.
• Development of sustainability plans to help in reducing dependency on foreign resources.
• Help design and assess innovative financing mechanisms and approaches that enhance predictability, efficiency, and performance of health financing.

Capacity Building, Sustainability and Institutionalization

• Build capacity of MoH staff in economic analysis and financing tools.
• Support the institutionalization of regular efficiency assessments and resource tracking mechanisms, including the Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) and the National Health Accounts.
• Provide technical support to strengthen the capacity of health planners in health economics and health system development and planning integrated PHC services.
• Provide technical support towards running short term courses in health systems and health economics at national and sub-national levels.
• Support and participate in the sustainability steering committee working group meetings.

Strategic and Operational Flexibility

• Take on other strategic and operational priorities as needed, in line with evolving team and organizational goals.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Health Economics, Public Health, International Development, or a related quantitative discipline.
• A minimum of 10+ years of experience in a relevant field (e.g health management or health system strengthening) in the public or private sector with increasing responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience using quantitative and economic analysis to inform health sector policies, with preference for candidates familiar with cost-effectiveness, fiscal space, or efficiency analyses.
• Proven track record of working with or supporting low- and middle-income country governments, statutory bodies and donor agencies.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with proficiency in Excel and statistical tools (e.g., Stata, R) and a strong understanding of health system performance metrics.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing high-quality policy briefs, technical reports, and presentations for government and donor audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple workstreams independently and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
• Understanding of national, regional and global health care financing.
• Prior experience working with MoH, statutory bodies, and donor agencies.
• Vast experience in providing technical assistance in health systems strengthening and capacity building.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including a high proficiency in use of computers.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: bachelor degree

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