Madagascar’s Ministry of Health (MSANP) has developed a new Health Sector Development Plan (PDSS) to guide health sector priorities over the coming years. Madagascar’s 2025–2029 PDSS serves as the national strategic framework for improving population health by strengthening health systems, ensuring equitable access to services, and advancing Universal Health Coverage. To ensure the PDSS is financially actionable, sustainable, and aligned with national and partners' financial resources, the MSANP requires a comprehensive costing of all PDSS strategic objectives. The costing exercise will support: (i) Medium‑term expenditure planning, prioritization and sequencing of interventions, (ii) strengthening resource mobilization, budget predictability and avoid fragmented financing by ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently, and (iii) translating strategic objectives into quantifiable interventions and budgets, making it possible to prioritize investments based on data and national needs through the implementation period, and (iv) ensuring that government, civil society, and partners, work toward a shared vision of equitable, resilient, and high‑performing health systems. The overall objective of the consultancy is to produce a complete, accurate, and actionable costing of the PDSS, including scenario-based analyses and an assessment of financing gaps. Specifically, the consultant shall develop a participatory costing methodology aligned with best international tools (e.g., OneHealth Tool or equivalent); establish benchmarks, leading to comprehensive costing PDSS strategic pillars, programs, and system-strengthening activities; identify funding gaps based on projected domestic and external resources; and propose actionable recommendations for prioritization and financial sustainability over the next 5 years.

Contract Duration - 3 months

Working arrangement: Home Based 

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. 

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. 

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. 

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF. 

Scope of Work

This assignment shall be conducted through interlinked processes:

1. Preparatory Phase

• Document review: Analyze PDSS draft, national health policies, budget frameworks, and donor commitments

• Methodology design: Develop a costing framework aligned with WHO/UNICEF guidelines and national budget classifications

• Stakeholder mapping: Identify key actors (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, INSTAT, civil society, donors)

2. Stakeholder Engagement

• Consultation workshops: Facilitate inclusive sessions at national and regional levels to validate assumptions and priorities- at least three week-long working sessions

• Participatory costing: Ensure technical units (HR, supply chain, primary health care, community health and key development partners' professionals) contribute to cost estimates

• Feedback integration: Document and incorporate stakeholders’ input into the costing models

3. Evidence-Informed Practices

• Data analysis: Use MICS data, National Health Accounts, and budget execution reports to inform realistic costing

• Benchmarking: Compare regional and global cost standards for similar interventions

• Scenario modeling: Develop low, medium, and high investment scenarios to guide decision makers.

• Conduct sensitivity and specificity analyses of the costing models with the aim of (i) identifying which variables most influence the total cost and where risks lie towards the realization of PDSS ambitions, and (ii) ensuring that the costing model correctly isolates the impact of targeted interventions without being distorted by unrelated cost items.

4. Drafting and Validation

• Costed plans preparation: Produce detailed costing tables, financing gaps, and resource mobilization strategies, as well as costing briefs.

• Validation workshop: organize and present findings to stakeholders for costing report endorsement and dissemination.

• Final report: Deliver a comprehensive report with recommendations for financing and implementation.

5. Capacity Building & Sustainability of Costing Models

  • Training sessions: Organize capacity building sessions of Ministry of Health staff on costing tools and methodologies for model appropriation and regular financing impact monitoring.

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: Download File ToR_ext National Health Sector Development Plan TMC0003877.pdf

       QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ COMPETENCIES (CORE/TECHNICAL/FUNCTIONAL) / LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE ASSIGNMENT  

 

Education:

  • MA Public Health, Health Economics, Applied Economics, Health Financing, Data Science, Development Studies, Epidemiology, Statistics

Work Experience:

  • At least 10 years of professional experience in health economics/financing, public health planning, or national development in low or middle-income countries.
  • 3-5 years of direct costing experience (costing national health strategies/strategic plans).
  • Having relevant experience as a lead in the costing exercise of health strategic plans or any other strategic public document with a major component of health.
  • Working experience with government ministries of Health, Ministries of Finance, UN agencies, the World Bank or other development partners’ organizations.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in French and Malagasy, with a strong command of English.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

  • Ability to engage the senior government officials, development partners, and non-government organization representatives to work in a resource-constrained setting.
  • Knowledge of the Malagasy health planning processes and disease-specific programs.
  • Familiarity with One Health Tool, EQUIST, LiST, CHPCT, Excel complex spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and unit cost development

Desirables:

  • Expert knowledge of economic evaluation principles is an asset

For every Child, you demonstrate... 

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values 

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status. 

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance. 

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially. 

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System): 

  • An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)  

  • Cover letter 

  • A detailed technical proposal:  Short methodology proposed (how the candidate will reach the objective of the consultancy) Maximum 4 pages. Technical proposals of more than 4 pages will be disqualified.

Remarks:   

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information. 

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.  

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here. 

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.