Health Care Financing Technical Lead

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

About Palladium

Operating in over 50 countries, Palladium is a global consulting and implementation company working in partnership with governments, businesses, investors, and communities to design and deliver solutions that create lasting positive impact. We address some of the world's most complex challenges across infrastructure, economic growth and natural capital, health, energy, climate and environment, and digital transformation—strengthening systems, institutions, and markets to support inclusive and sustainable development. Our more than 2,100 staff worldwide work as trusted advisors across diverse contexts, combining deep technical expertise, implementation techniques, and innovative technology to deliver locally informed, client-focused solutions that help organizations achieve measurable, sustainable impact.

Palladium is part of GISI's global family of companies, which aims to create solutions for the world's most complex challenges. With annual revenues of $14 billion, GISI's approximately 15,000 employees are engaged in projects across 100 countries worldwide providing construction, program/project management, and engineering consulting services.

Project Overview

The GHSD America First Palladium Sole Source Award supports country-led efforts to strengthen health systems, advance global health security, and sustain essential health services in alignment with the America First Global Health Strategy. Leveraging Palladium's expertise in health systems strengthening, digital transformation, and data use, the project will strengthen governance, service delivery, and decision-making through integrated and interoperable systems across priority health programs. The award also supports stronger health financing, public financial management, and accountability mechanisms to promote resilient, efficient, and country-owned health systems.

Duration and Funding

This is a fixed-term, project-funded position with an initial term of 12 months (through September 2027). Employment is contingent upon the availability of funding, with the potential for extension based on project requirements and funding availability.

Location

This role is based in Palladium's Addis Ababa, Ethiopia office, with periodic travel within Ethiopia to project sites and regional offices. Applicants must have authorization to work in Ethiopia, as visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Position Summary

The Health Care Financing Technical Lead provides overall technical leadership and strategic direction for the project's health financing portfolio, which covers health resource tracking and financing dashboards, health insurance pooling and provider payment reforms, and the digital systems that support claims auditing, budgeting, and expenditure oversight. Reporting to the Deputy Country Director for Programs, the Lead is accountable for delivering the portfolio's agreed results within the project's 12-month, results-based framework and for the quality and timeliness of the evidence that demonstrates them. The Lead supervises the health financing team (Health Insurance, Strategic Purchasing and Provider Payment, Health Economist, Governance and Capacity Strengthening, and Regional Health Care Financing Specialists), serves as the project's principal technical counterpart to the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Health Insurance Service (EHIS) on health financing, and works closely with regional health bureaus, development partners, and project teams to advance country-owned, evidence-based reforms.

Key Deliverables (Year 1)

· A national health insurance pooling roadmap, developed with EHIS and the Ministry of Health and formally endorsed by government.

· Design and launch of capitation and performance-based provider payment pilots in at least two regions, including the first reimbursement cycle under the new payment metrics.

· Government-adopted decision-support dashboards for health resource tracking, co-financing monitoring, and health insurance performance.

· Upgraded claims auditing, program-based budgeting, and expenditure tracking functions within EHIS and Ministry of Health systems, with monthly exception reporting in use.

· Complete, verification-ready evidence packages for each health financing result, prepared with the MEL and Evidence Lead.

Primary Responsibilities

· Provide strategic and technical leadership for health financing activities and reforms.

· Support health financing policy development, implementation, and institutionalization.

· Strengthen health insurance systems, risk pooling mechanisms, strategic purchasing, and provider payment reforms.

· Support resource mobilization, public financial management, budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial sustainability initiatives.

· Lead health financing assessments, expenditure analyses, costing studies, financing gap analyses, and economic evaluations.

· Strengthen the use of data, analytics, and decision-support tools to improve health financing performance and accountability.

· Provide technical assistance and capacity strengthening to government institutions and key stakeholders.

· Facilitate policy dialogue, stakeholder engagement, and coordination among government, development partners, and other actors.

· Lead evidence generation, knowledge management, and dissemination of lessons learned and best practices.

· Own the health financing results framework: plan, sequence, and deliver each agreed result on time; maintain the evidence register; and prepare verification packages with the MEL and Evidence Lead.

· Supervise, coach, and performance-manage the health financing team, including the regional specialists, and allocate responsibilities across the team through a clear deliverable-level division of labor.

· Serve as the project's principal counterpart to EHIS and the Ministry of Health on health financing and represent the project in national health financing technical working groups.

· Contribute costed financing and ownership arrangements to the transition and sustainability plans for national digital health platforms.

Required Qualifications

Education

· Master's or PhD degree in Health Economics, Health Financing, Public Health, Economics, Health Policy, Public Administration, Business Administration, Insurance, Development Studies, or a related field.

Experience

· Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in health financing, health economics, public financial management, health systems strengthening, or related fields.

· Demonstrated technical expertise in health financing policy, health insurance, strategic purchasing, provider payment reforms, financial protection, or resource mobilization.

· Experience leading complex health financing programs, reforms, or large-scale technical assistance initiatives.

· Experience working with government institutions, development partners, donor-funded programs, or international organizations.

· Experience with U.S. Government-funded programs, including DOS, CDC, or other federal agencies, is highly desirable.

· Experience working with multilateral organizations, including the World Bank, Global Fund, United Nations agencies, and other development partners, is an advantage.

· Experience supporting health financing or health systems strengthening programs in Ethiopia, including direct engagement with the Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Health Insurance Service (EHIS), or regional health bureaus, is required.

· Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing stakeholder relationships at senior levels.

Technical Competencies and Skills

· Deep knowledge of health financing, health economics, public financial management, and health systems strengthening.

· Expertise in health insurance, strategic purchasing, provider payment systems, and financial protection mechanisms.

· Experience conducting health financing analyses, costing studies, expenditure reviews, financial modeling, and economic evaluations.

· Understanding of donor-funded programs and financing requirements, including U.S. Government and multilateral development partners.

· Strong analytical, strategic thinking, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

· Ability to translate complex technical evidence into practical policy and program recommendations.

· Strong leadership, team management, project management, and technical writing skills.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early as the position may close once a suitable candidate is found. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or status as a protected veteran.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual, or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.

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