Health Economist (Economic Modelling of the \"Bien Chez Moi 2.0\" Programme)

Academic Positions; Belgium; On-site; EUR 22,000 - 36,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedule

Collaborative environment

Publication opportunity

Job summary

UCLouvain – Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) / Be.Hive is recruiting a health economist to contribute to the economic evaluation of the BCM 2.0 programme, focusing on cost analysis, budget impact and scenario modelling. The role involves interdisciplinary collaboration with occupational therapy researchers and stakeholders in Brussels.

The candidate will design and analyse health economic models, conduct literature reviews and draft reports.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in health economics or economics.
• Experience in economic modelling and health economics.
• Proficient in R, Python, Excel.
• French written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Design, construct and analyse the economic model for BCM 2.0 evaluation.
• Conduct systematic literature review and identify parameters and costs for modelling.
• Build scenario-based analyses (conservative, intermediate, favourable) with sensitivity analyses.
• Develop stratified scenarios by beneficiary profile to target programme delivery.
• Produce economic indicators: costs, resource use, and budget impact projections.
• Draft scientific reports, executive summaries and recommendations for data collection.

Skills

Economic modelling

Quantitative analysis

R/Python

French language

Education

Master's degree

Tools

R

Python

Excel

Job description

Organisation/Company Université catholique de Louvain Research Field Economics » Econometrics Economics » Health economics Economics » Other Medical sciences » Other Sociology » Socio-economic research Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 30 Nov 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Part-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Organisation/Department: UCLouvain – Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) / Be.Hive
Location: Brussels (Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs, Woluwe), Belgium
Category: Researcher — contractual researcher ("chercheur contractuel")
Employment rate: 40%- 50 % (to be negociated)
Duration: 6 months — starting 1 January 2027 at the latest

1. Project context

The UCLouvain Institute of Health and Society (IRSS) / Be.Hive is recruiting a health economist to contribute to the economic evaluation of the "Bien Chez Moi 2.0" (BCM 2.0) programme, a Wallonia-funded initiative supporting ageing in place for pre-frail and frail older people, combining primary-care occupational therapy with connected devices (fall detection, geolocation, telecare).

The project builds directly on the completed AUDACE evaluation, which documented the programme's mechanisms of action and its effects on perceived safety, fear of falling, confidence, mobility and carer support. The present mission is the economic extension of this evaluation: it aims to translate the identified health and social effects into potential economic consequences for beneficiaries, the healthcare system and public authorities, in the framework of a research collaboration with the company Ergo2.0.

The recruited researcher will work within a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Thérèse Van Durme (principal investigator), alongside occupational therapy researchers, and will interact with the associative partner and stakeholders during dedicated consultation workshops.

2. Responsibilities

The researcher will be in charge of the design, construction and analysis of the economic model, including :

• Contributing to the development of the conceptual model linking BCM 2.0 components, mechanisms of action, health and social outcomes and their potential economic consequences ;
• Conducting the scientific literature review and identifying the parameters and cost sources needed for the modelling (falls, hospitalisations, home care, institutionalisation, quality of life, informal carer burden) ;
• Building scenario-based analyses (conservative, intermediate and favourable contribution scenarios) with sensitivity analyses, across three complementary perspectives : public authorities (main perspective), the healthcare system, and a broader beneficiary–carer perspective ;
• Developing stratified scenarios by beneficiary profile (e.g. high fear of falling, pre-frailty, living alone) to explore efficient targeting of the programme ;
• Producing economic indicators : implementation costs, resource-use costs, and scenario-based net cost estimates, including exploratory budget impact projections ;
• Contributing to the stakeholder consultation on the programme's value proposition (a "value for investment" approach) ;
• Drafting the scientific report, an executive summary, a presentation and recommendations for future data collection.

The approach is explicitly based on contribution rather than causal attribution: results will be expressed as conditional scenarios and ranges, never as observed savings.

3. Candidate profile

• Master's degree (PhD is an asset) in health economics, economics, quantitative public health or equivalent ;
• Proven skills in economic modelling and evaluation of health and social interventions (scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, budget impact) ; experience with decision-analytical models is an asset ;
• Strong quantitative skills ; proficiency in R, Python, Excel or equivalent software ;
• Ability to work with heterogeneous data sources (study data, literature, administrative cost data) and to document assumptions and uncertainty transparently ;
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team (occupational therapists, public health researchers, associative partner, stakeholders) ;
• Excellent written and spoken French ; knowledge of English is an asset (context: Wallonia, French-speaking stakeholders);
• Candidates must hold a valid Belgian work permit or be legally entitled to work in Belgium. Applications that do not meet this requirement cannot be considered.

4. We offer

• A contractual researcher position ("chercheur contractuel") at UCLouvain, part-time (40-50 %) for a duration of 6 months, starting on 1 January 2027 at the latest ;
• A salary in accordance with the UCLouvain salary scales for contractual researchers ;
• A stimulating multidisciplinary research environment at the interface between academic research, occupational therapy practice and a digital-health industrial partner, building on an established evaluation programme (AUDACE).
• Optional: a health economic modelling publication or a report.

UCLouvain is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.