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Title: Country Implementation Lead (Consultant) – Malawi
Location: Malawi
Duration: 6 months
Start Date: April 2026

Background

Healthy Learners partners with governments to embed school-based healthcare within national health and education systems. Following national scale progress in Zambia, Healthy Learners is exploring disciplined, milestone-based expansion to Malawi as its first additional country.

This engagement represents a structured pre-implementation phase focused on validating readiness, establishing government alignment, and defining a potential pilot pathway. This is not a program implementation role at this stage.

Purpose of the Role

The Country Implementation Lead will serve as Healthy Learners’ senior in-country representative during the pre-entry phase.

The consultant will:

• Support structured government engagement with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.
• Conduct landscape analysis, including partner and stakeholder mapping, to inform entry feasibility and government alignment strategy.
• Support development and negotiation of a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Lay the groundwork for a government-led pilot.

Scope of Work

1. Government Engagement & Alignment

• Facilitate structured engagement with MOH and MOE leadership and technical teams.
• Identify and cultivate focal points across ministries.
• Support co-creation of a draft MOU outlining roles, responsibilities, and cost-sharing principles.
• Advise on inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms.
• Surface risks related to political transitions or bureaucratic constraints.

2. Systems & Operational Assessment

• Assess existing school health policies and implementation structures.
• Map supervision systems, referral pathways, training platforms, and commodity flows.
• Identify alignment opportunities with existing government and donor-funded programs.
• Recommend potential pilot districts or entry geographies if appropriate.

3. Landscape & Political Economy Analysis

• Conduct landscape analysis, including structured partner and stakeholder mapping across government, donors, and implementing organizations.
• Map influence, financing flows, and existing school health or child health initiatives.
• Identify alignment opportunities and duplication risks.
• Provide recommendations to guide positioning and engagement strategy.

Deliverables

Within the consultancy period, the consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables within the stipulated timelines as bellow:

1. Landscape & Partner Analysis Report

Timeline: within 45 days.

Description: Comprehensive landscape report documenting Malawi’s readiness for a government-led School Health Program aligned to Healthy Learners’ mission and systems-embedded model.

1.1 Policy & Systems Landscape

• Status of school health policy and implementation structures.

• MOH/MOE coordination mechanisms.

• Supervision (at all levels), referral, commodity, and training systems.

1.2 Political & Fiscal Landscape

• Budget cycles and fiscal space realities.

• Domestic financing pathways.

• Political economy considerations.

1.3 Partner & Donor Mapping

• Government actors (formal & informal influence).

• Implementing partners and NGOs.

• Multilateral and bilateral donors.

• Existing school health / child health initiatives.

• Alignment opportunities and duplication risks.

1.4 Entry Feasibility Assessment

• Key risks and mitigation pathways.

• Clear summary of enabling conditions vs constraints.

2. Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

Timeline: Within 45 days.

Description: Structured stakeholder engagement roadmap directly informed by the Landscape & Partner Analysis.

• Stakeholder prioritization (High / Medium / Monitor).

• Engagement sequencing (who first, why, and when).

• Engagement objectives per stakeholder.

• Messaging framework aligned to HL’s mission.

• Risk mitigation considerations.

• Proposed cadence of engagement over next 6–9 months.

3. Early MOU Development

Timeline: As aligned with engagement progress.

Description: Support initial alignment discussions and development of a draft MOU framework.

• Identification of government focal points.

• Agreement in principle on roles and responsibilities.

• Cost-sharing principles.

• Pilot scope parameters (if appropriate).

• Governance and coordination structure outline.

4. Engagement Closeout Memo

Timeline: End of consultancy.

Description: Executive summary for Healthy Learners leadership.

• Summary of landscape findings.

• Stakeholder alignment outlook.

• MOU readiness status.

• General Recommendations: Proceed / Extend Pre-Implementation / Pause / Exit.

Profile & Experience

We are seeking a senior leader with:

• 10+ years experience in Malawi’s health and/or education sectors.
• Strong working relationships within the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating, drafting, or operationalizing MOUs between governments and development partners.
• Experience supporting public-sector programs through policy integration and budget alignment.
• Deep understanding of Malawi’s political economy and fiscal landscape.
• Experience working with donor-funded programs and navigating multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong written analytical skills and ability to produce structured decision memos.
• High integrity, political neutrality, and systems orientation.

Preferred:

• Prior role as senior government official, advisor, or country director.
• Experience transitioning programs from donor-supported to government-led models.
• Experience leading or standing up new country operations.