Research Officer

Vacancy Announcement for Research Officer Position

The Nepal Health Economics Association (NHEA), in technical collaboration with the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, invites applications from qualified and motivated Nepali candidates for the position of Research Officer under the Institutionalizing Evidence Informed Priority Setting for Universal Health Coverage (EIPS4UHC) Nepal Project.

Position Details

About NHEA and the Project

The NHEA, established in 1998, is a professional organization working to strengthen the generation, use, and application of health economics and related evidence for health policy and health system decision-making in Nepal. NHEA works with government, academic, research, and development partners in areas including health economics, health systems, health financing, priority setting, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and evidence-informed policy.

Building on its experience in health economics and health system priority setting, NHEA is implementing the EIPS4UHC project in Nepal for 2026–2030. The project aims to strengthen fair, transparent, and evidence-informed priority setting and the institutional capacity to generate and use evidence for health policy and resource allocation in Nepal.

The project is implemented by NHEA and Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Food Safety (MoHFS), with technical collaboration from the BCEPS/UiB. 

About the Position

The Research Officer will provide research, analytical, coordination, and technical support to NHEA's work under the EIPS4UHC project.

The position will contribute to evidence synthesis, health intervention review, Basic Health Service Package (BHSP)-related implementation research, data management and analysis, FairChoices-related coordination, and development of technical and knowledge products.

The position also provides an opportunity to develop practical skills in health economics, health priority setting, implementation research, and FairChoices through training, mentoring, and hands-on project work.

Key Responsibilities

The Research Officer will:

• Conduct literature and policy reviews and synthesize evidence related to health interventions, health systems, and health priority setting.
• Support identification, documentation, review, and updating of candidate health interventions and evidence profiles.
• Serve as the NHEA focal person for coordination of FairChoices-related activities.
• Prepare and organize information and evidence required for FairChoices-related analyses.
• Assist in contextualizing and communicating FairChoices analytical findings for Nepal's policy and planning processes.
• Support coordination of FairChoices-related meetings, consultations, workshops, and dissemination activities.
• Support evidence generation and implementation research related to the Basic Health Service Package (BHSP).
• Support data collection, cleaning, management, analysis, and quality assurance.
• Support organization and analysis of data related to costs, coverage, effectiveness, disease burden, equity, and other priority-setting considerations.
• Contribute to technical reports, policy briefs, evidence briefs, intervention summaries, presentations, and other knowledge products.
• Support consultations, workshops, field activities, and other project-related activities at national, provincial, and local levels.
• Maintain organized research datasets, analytical files, evidence resources, and project documentation.
• Participate in training, mentoring, and practical learning activities related to health economics, priority setting, and FairChoices.
• Undertake other relevant research and technical responsibilities within the scope of the position.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health (BPH) or a related field from a recognized university; a Master’s degree in Public Health or health economics or a related discipline will be an advantage.
• Relevant experience in public health research, health systems research, health economics research, implementation research, programme monitoring and evaluation, data analysis, or related areas will be an advantage.
• Experience in data collection, data management, literature review, evidence synthesis, or report writing will be preferred.
• Experience working with government institutions, research organizations, or development partners will be an advantage.
• Strong analytical, communication, and documentation skills, with demonstrated interest in public health research, health policy, health systems, and evidence-informed decision-making.
• Fresh graduates with strong analytical skills and demonstrated interest in public health research, health policy, and evidence-informed decision-making may also be considered.

Required Competencies and Skills

• Good understanding of public health and health systems in Nepal.
• Interest in health priority setting, UHC, health policy, health economics, or implementation research.
• Ability to review, synthesize, and summarize technical and research evidence.
• Basic to good quantitative, analytical, and research data management skills.
• Familiarity with R, Stata, SPSS, or other analytical software, with willingness to further develop R skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Skills related to machine learning, socio-economic data analysis and software designing. 
• Good report writing, documentation, communication, and interpersonal skills in English and Nepali.
• Ability to work collaboratively across institutions and disciplines.
• Strong attention to detail, commitment to quality, and ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Proactive attitude and willingness to learn and develop new analytical and research skills.

Key Working Relationships

The Research Officer will work under the overall supervision of the NHEA Team Lead and technical coordination of the NHEA Thematic Lead, and will work closely with the NHEA project team, KUSMS FairChoices (FC) team, BCEPS/UiB FC platform, MoHFS and other relevant government stakeholders, as well as development partners engaged in project activities.

Application Requirements

Interested and eligible candidates should submit:

1. Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)
2. Cover letter explaining their interest in the position and suitability for the role

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their application electronically to:

Email: nhea.nepal@gmail.com

Email Subject:

Application for Research Officer – EIPS4UHC Project

Application Deadline: 25 October, 2026

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further selection processes.

NHEA reserves the right to shortlist candidates based on the requirements of the position and to modify or cancel the recruitment process as necessary.