Health Financing Consultant, BIRCH

This role was posted on February 21, 2025. Please note that we will review applications on a rolling basis.

The Role

At Last Mile Health, we work to deploy a health worker within reach of everyone, everywhere. Do you have experience in health financing, quantitative analysis, or working with global health donors? If so, you may be our next Health Financing Consultant for the Building Integrated Readiness for Community Health (BIRCH) 2.0 project in Malawi.

As part of the technical assistance delivered under project BIRCH, the Health Financing Consultant must provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health Community Health Services Section (CHSS) to carry out the following:

• Work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (CHSS & DPPD) to update the cost of the National Community Health Framework 2023- 2030. 
• Work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (DPPD) to Support the operationalisation of Direct Financing Facility reform to strengthen autonomy and quality of care for targeted districts. 
• Support the MoH to prepare work plans, budgets and other relevant documents in preparation for implementation of the operational plan.
•  Support MoH in the updating of  Malawi’s universal health coverage index
• Support the Ministry of Health (CHSS) to improve the quality of their annual budget submissions and budget execution, and to develop basic medium-term financial planning linked to national health plans. (Define the resource pooling mechanisms for the domestic health resources)
• Contribute to broader analytical work in the sector, including other MoH analytical and advisory work in health financing and in the community health sector.
• Support MoH efforts to unlock Community Health financing. 
• Conduct health resource mapping and tracking exercises including geo-mapping of health resource distribution in the country
• Support the integration of health financing schemes in the one plan one budget and one report agenda including support to  local councils on the implementation of the district facility financing
• Research health financing functions in the country to inform health financing strategies
• Develop project concepts and proposals for possible financing from development partners or the local private sector.
• Provide technical guidance to implementing partners on modes of supporting healthcare in Malawi through memoranda of understanding
• Provide support to MoH (DPPD/CHSS) and Last Mile Health (LMH) as needed 

About the Building Integrated Readiness for Community Health (BIRCH) Project

The Global Fund has launched the Building Integrated Readiness for Community Health (BIRCH) project to strengthen community health programming in eleven countries, including Malawi. Through BIRCH, technical assistance will help countries enhance the design and impact of Global Fund investments in community health workers (CHWs) for pandemic preparedness, including funding from the Community Systems and Responses (CS&R) matching fund. Last Mile Health has been contracted to manage this funding stream across all BIRCH countries, working with a consortium of organizations to provide technical assistance during the funding application process and advance community health priorities.  

To support this effort, Last Mile Health seeks an experienced Health Financing Consultant to collaborate with the Malawi Ministry of Health through the Community Health Services Section (CHSS) and the Department of Planning and Policy Development (DPPD). Reporting to the Director of Programs and other Program team members, the consultant will play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation and monitoring of community systems strengthening initiatives funded through the Global Fund’s Grant Cycle 7.

This position is open to candidates located in Malawi and candidates must have authorization to work in Malawi.

Consultancy Details

• Project Duration: 9-10 Months
• Estimated Fees Amount: $3,200- $3,600 per month
• Location: Lilongwe, Malawi

Scope of Work 

The consultant will be expected to undertake and be responsible for the following tasks:

• Updated costing of the NCHF: This will be a comprehensive report as well as a PowerPoint presentation with 10-12 slides. The updated framework will be developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health (CHSS) and other Community Health stakeholders.  The consultant will be expected to submit and present these to LMH and the Ministry of Health (CHSS) as well as the CH Technical Working Group (TWG). All relevant documents and requirements for the process will be shared with LMH/ MoH.  The consultant will also be expected to submit any Meeting / workshop minutes contributing to the finalization of this deliverable. 
• Annual Review of HSSPIII and HFS: Conduct a thorough annual review of the implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan III and the Health Financing Strategy. The consultant is expected to develop tools for review and produce an annual report on the progress of the implementation of the two strategies. The consultant will also be expected to disseminate the findings to the finalization of this deliverable.   
• Costed operational plan: This will be a comprehensive report as well as a PowerPoint presentation with 10-12 slides. The operational plan will be developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health (CHSS) and other community health GC7 recipients under community systems strengthening.  The consultant will be expected to submit and present these to LMH the Ministry of Health (CHSS) and the Global Fund Program Implementation Unit (PIU). All relevant documents and requirements for the process will be shared with LMH/ MoH.  The consultant will also be expected to submit any Meeting/workshop minutes contributing to the finalization of this deliverable. 
• Community Health Resource Mapping and Expenditure Tracking and Reporting: The consultant will conduct a review of the existing resource mapping process and develop a report which shows the overall health allocations to community health. This document will show how tracking of overall health financing resources and spending is currently conducted and recommend a methodology for amendments to the process.

Implementation Arrangements and Coordination

The consultant will work under the oversight of the LMH Malawi Senior Technical Coordinator - HSS  The consultant will be expected to coordinate with the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Community Health Services Section (CHSS) and Directorate of Planning and Policy Development (DPPD) in the execution of this assignment.  All deliverables will need to be reviewed and approved by the Director of Programs (LMH) and CHSS. The location of the consultancy is Lilongwe, Malawi.

The consultant will be seated within the DPPD office of the Ministry of Health and LMH offices. Working arrangements will be discussed and communicated during the contracting process.

What You’ll Bring

• Progressive years of professional experience in applied health financing, including quantitative analysis and support services to governments and funders.
• Knowledge of national and county-level government financing policies, procedures, and systems in resource-limited settings.
• Experience working with major global health donors such as USAID, Global Fund, World Bank, and GAVI.
• Strong analytical, conceptual, and communication skills with a passion for community health.

You’ll Impress Us If

• You have experience implementing community health programs in Malawi.
• You have experience in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of development projects.
• You have experience in community health advocacy.

About Last Mile Health

Last Mile Health (LMH) saves lives in the world's most remote communities by partnering with governments to bring critical primary care services to the doorsteps of people living in the last mile. LMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization and currently works in Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sierra Leone with US offices in Boston. For more information, visit www.lastmilehealth.org. We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at LMH. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.