Specialist Health Economist at GEMS

About the position

Introduction

The Specialist Health Economist position is vacant. The Specialist Health Economist role will report directly to the Senior Manager: Health Policy and forms part of the Research and Development Division. This position is permanent and will be based at GEMS Head Office, Pretoria. The total remuneration package will be based on qualifications and experience.

The remuneration package for this position is between R1,165,101 and R1,456,304 based on the Scheme's Remuneration Policy and dependent on the candidate's skills and experience

The closing date for applications will be Monday, 30 March, 2026

Duties & Responsibilities

The Specialist Health Economist will be required to support the Senior Manager: Health Policy through the implementation of the following Key Performance Areas (KPAs):

• Conduct health economic evaluations such as cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit and budget impact analyses for proposed health interventions, benefits, and products.
• Develop and maintain health economic models, datasets, and forecasting tools to support product development, benefit design, and policy decisions.
• Provide data-driven economic insights and recommendations to governance structures, including PDWG, PDC, EXCO, the Principal Officer, and the Board of Trustees.
• Establish and institutionalise health economics systems, processes, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) across the organisation.
• Lead and contribute to applied research outputs, policy briefs, technical reports, and peer-reviewed publications to strengthen the Scheme's research and policy influence.
• Support the integration of health economics within product development, pricing, and strategy processes to inform benefit structuring and scheme sustainability.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align health economics evidence with regulatory and compliance standards.
• Provide technical review of product development proposals, policy submissions, or benefit design changes from an economic and cost-efficiency perspective.
• Maintain awareness of domestic and international trends, best practices, and innovations in health economics and health financing.
• Contribute to continuous improvement by evaluating the effectiveness and impact of implemented product changes, policies, or initiatives on Scheme performance.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of a master's degree in Health Economics or Economics, with a focus on health economics.
• Additional qualifications in Public Health (MPH, MSc, or PhD) will be highly advantageous.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of applied health economics experience, preferably in medical schemes, health financing, or health policy contexts.
• Demonstrated expertise in economic modelling and evaluation to inform policy and benefit decisions.
• Proven knowledge of healthcare financing, health systems, and universal health coverage (UHC).
• Proficiency in econometric/statistical software (e.g., Stata, R, SAS) and data visualisation tools (Power BI, Tableau).

Interested?

GEMS employs people with the highest level of integrity - submission to the appropriate pre-employment assessment is obligatory to be considered for the position.

Kindly note that the information provided on application of the position may be shared with a third party for vetting purposes and will be stored by GEMS for a period of 5 years.

Kindly note that information is required for Recruitment and Selection Process Purposes, and information gathered is strictly used according to the intended purpose of collection, unless there is a legal need or permission is granted from the applicant themselves to make use of it for other purpose

Should you wish to have your information removed from the GEMS database, kindly send a request in writing to [Email Address Removed] .

GEMS adopts a hybrid work model

An internal employee must be in their current role for at 12 months before they will be considered for other vacancies within the Scheme.

GEMS reserves the right not to proceed with an appointment

GEMS is guided by the principles of employment equity. Preference will be given to groups who are underrepresented in accordance with the GEMS employment equity plan.

Successful candidates will be required to seek approval to conduct other work outside of GEMS.

GEMS Employees are required to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the organisation's paramount values: Excellence, Member Value, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration