Health Economist at American Friends of Mutala – Harare, Harare

Africa Clinical Research Network (ACRN) is an African-led clinical research organization building the next generation of trial capacity across the continent. We work with existing hospitals, research units, and investigators to enable high-quality clinical research—from investigator-initiated studies to late-phase and registration trials—while strengthening local systems, skills, and infrastructure.

ACRN operates as a pan-African site management and research delivery platform, combining strong clinical operations, regulatory expertise, data and digital systems, and quality management. Our model is practical and embedded: we focus on making trials work in real settings, reducing friction for sites, sponsors, and regulators, and delivering reliable, audit-ready data.

We partner closely with governments, regulators, academic institutions, and industry to expand Africa’s role in global clinical research, while ensuring that studies generate local value—through workforce development, institutional strengthening, and improved patient care.

At ACRN, you’ll work on meaningful, complex projects with global impact, alongside a multidisciplinary team that values rigor, accountability, and innovation. We are building something durable, ambitious, and distinctly African—and we are looking for people who want to help shape it.

About the role

The Health Economist (P3) is a specialist research role responsible for the independent design, execution, and analysis of health economic and outcomes research embedded within clinical trials, implementation studies, and real-world research programs across ACRN’s pan-African portfolio. The role applies rigorous economic evaluation methods to generate evidence on cost-effectiveness, affordability, and health system impact of interventions relevant to African contexts.

Working with a high degree of autonomy, the Health Economist leads health economic components from concept development through data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination. The role collaborates closely with clinical investigators, implementation scientists, data teams, and field staff, while maintaining academic rigor and methodological integrity. This position is well suited to a strong researcher capable of translating complex health economic methods into actionable insights for policy, funders, and health systems.

What you'll do

• Health Economic Study Design and Framework Development
  • Design health economic and outcomes research components embedded within clinical trials and implementation studies.
  • Develop economic evaluation frameworks, including cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit, and budget impact analyses.
  • Define analytical perspectives, time horizons, comparators, and outcome measures appropriate to African health systems.
• Costing and Budget Impact Analysis
  • Design and implement costing studies, including micro-costing and top-down approaches.
  • Conduct budget impact analyses to assess affordability and scale-up implications of interventions.
  • Ensure costing methodologies align with international best practices and local system realities.
• Instrument, Survey, and Data Collection Tool Development
  • Develop and adapt economic data collection instruments, surveys, and questionnaires.
  • Ensure tools are contextually appropriate, validated, and aligned with study objectives.
  • Pilot and refine instruments prior to full-scale data collection.
• Field Team Training and Data Quality Oversight
  • Train field teams and study staff on economic data collection methods and tools.
  • Provide ongoing technical oversight to ensure data completeness, accuracy, and consistency.
  • Monitor data quality and address methodological or operational issues during data collection.
• Data Analysis and Interpretation
  • Lead quantitative analysis of economic and outcomes data using appropriate statistical and economic methods.
  • Conduct sensitivity analyses, scenario analyses, and uncertainty assessments.
  • Interpret results within clinical, policy, and health system contexts.
• Reporting, Write-Up, and Dissemination
  • Lead preparation of technical reports, manuscripts, policy briefs, and study outputs.
  • Contribute to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
  • Support translation of findings for funders, policymakers, and non-technical audiences.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
  • Collaborate with clinicians, epidemiologists, implementation scientists, and data analysts.
  • Integrate economic findings with clinical and implementation outcomes.
  • Support proposal development and grant applications with economic components.
• Scientific Quality and Continuous Development
  • Ensure all work meets high standards of academic rigor, transparency, and reproducibility.
  • Stay current with advances in health economics methodologies and global guidance.
  • Contribute to strengthening ACRN’s health economics and outcomes research capacity.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Health Economics, Economics, Public Health (with health economics focus), or a related field.

• PhD in Health Economics or a closely related discipline.

• 3–6 years’ experience conducting health economic and outcomes research.
• Demonstrated experience designing and leading economic evaluations within research studies.

• Experience working in African health systems or low- and middle-income country settings.
• Experience embedding economic evaluations within clinical trials or implementation research.
• Track record of peer-reviewed publications or policy-relevant outputs.

• Strong methodological expertise in health economic evaluation.
• Advanced quantitative and analytical skills.
• Ability to work independently and drive studies from concept to dissemination.
• Strong scientific writing and communication skills.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work across diverse settings.

• Health economic components are methodologically robust and delivered on time.
• Data collection processes produce high-quality, reliable economic data.
• Analyses generate policy- and decision-relevant insights.
• Outputs contribute to scientific knowledge, funding decisions, and health system impact.

Application Deadline: 27 February 2026