E4H FED TA: RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to a high-impact technical assistance project focused on innovative health financing models for Pakistan. The consultant will support the Evidence for Health (E4H) programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s healthcare system through evidence-based policy and sustainable financing solutions. The assignment involves conducting a comprehensive assessment of Pakistan’s health financing landscape, reviewing international and local financing models, engaging with key stakeholders and experts, and recommending feasible, context-specific financing approaches to bridge the public health expenditure gap. The consultant will work closely with federal and provincial government bodies, development partners, and technical experts to ensure the findings inform policy, planning, and implementation of health financing reforms aligned with Pakistan’s devolved governance and fiscal framework.

Key Responsibilities

- Conduct a detailed diagnostic of Pakistan’s health financing landscape using secondary data sources to quantify expenditure gaps, priority needs, and constraints across revenue raising, pooling, purchasing, and public financial management.

- Review and synthesize international, low- and middle-income country (LMIC), and Pakistan-specific literature, laws, policies, and past reform attempts to identify innovative health financing models relevant to Pakistan’s context.

- Screen and shortlist financing options based on constitutional compatibility, fiscal sustainability, administrative feasibility, and potential to generate new or more efficient resources.

- Prepare in-depth case profiles for shortlisted models, detailing design features, fund flows, institutional requirements, risks, and lessons learned from comparable settings.

- Facilitate consultations with national stakeholders—including ministries, revenue authorities, provincial departments, development partners, private sector, and civil society—and global health financing experts to validate assumptions and assess transferability.

- Assess the feasibility of shortlisted models using a multi-criteria framework covering political economy, fiscal impact, legal and institutional capacity, market readiness, equity, efficiency, and alignment with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals.

- Develop a structured ranking of financing models and recommend the most suitable option(s) for further design, piloting, or scale-up, including a detailed design outline and phased implementation roadmap.

- Support capacity building and institutionalization by engaging government counterparts throughout the process to enhance understanding and ownership of innovative financing approaches.

- Deliver a final decision-support product to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (NHSR&C) to aid policy dialogue, resource mobilization, and sustainable health financing reforms.

Required Qualifications

- Postgraduate degree in Economics, Public Health, or a related field.

- Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in research, with demonstrated expertise in literature review, data management, and evidence synthesis.

- Strong understanding of health financing mechanisms, public financial management, and fiscal policy, preferably with experience in LMIC contexts.

- Proven ability to analyze complex policy environments and engage effectively with diverse stakeholders across government, academia, and development sectors.

- Excellent communication and teamwork skills to facilitate collaborative processes and present technical findings clearly.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits

- Experience working on health financing reforms or health system strengthening projects in Pakistan or similar devolved governance settings.

- Familiarity with international health financing instruments, innovative funding models, and fiscal sustainability assessments.

- Exposure to multi-sectoral consultations involving finance, health, and regulatory authorities.

- Opportunity to contribute to a high-profile, policy-relevant initiative with potential for significant impact on Pakistan’s health system resilience and equity.

- Engagement with leading global health institutions and experts, enhancing professional networks and expertise.

The consultancy is expected to be delivered over approximately 60 days between November 2026 and March 2027, with a flexible, phased approach tailored to emerging evidence and policy priorities.