Pharmacy manager-Mission pharmacist, Action Against Hunger Vacancy Announcement

16-February-2024

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VACANCY  ADVERTISEMENT For Pharmacy manager-Mission pharmacist Country Office: Ethiopia Work Base: [Addis Ababa] Availability: As Soon As Possible Salary Scale: EMS – 09  level 1 $1,407 Insurance – (Life, Group Personal Accident and Medical Insurances are covered upon the organization policies). Seniority Allowance – paid depending up the years of service. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger-USA is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger. We save the lives of malnourished children and we enable entire communities to be free from hunger. With more than 8,000 staff in over 50 countries, our programs reached 17 million people in 2019.

About the Country Program in Ethiopia

Action Against Hunger has been operational in Ethiopia since 1984 responding to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support activities are integrated to have a meaningful impact on people’s resilience. Action Against Hunger currently operates in 5 different regions (Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Benishangul Gumuz, and Gambella) with a portfolio of 20m USD/year of emergency, resilience building, research, and innovation programs. We have a country team of around 600 staff in 17 regional and satellite offices. Our main donors in Ethiopia in 2020/2021 are BHA, ECHO, Europaid, UNHCR, UNICEF, GFFO, BPRM, SIDA, EHF, WFP, CIAA, and others.

 I.   Summary of position

Based at the coordination office, the Pharmacy Manager is responsible for supporting the Nut and Health and Logistics departments in managing medical procurement, improving the quality of the management and use of medical products, maintaining the physical integrity of the Pharmacy, managing drugs and medical supplies for each project according to the Action Against Hunger Medical SoP, Government, and Donors’ rules, supporting the Logistics department in the technical supervision of the Base Pharmacy/Pharmacies, and improving technical capacity at the program level. The Pharmacy Manager is expected to lead, coordinate and implement policies and procedures, maintain relationships with suppliers, ensure regulatory compliance, and collaborate with other departments to ensure efficient and effective management of the organization’s pharmaceutical products.

Purpose:

The Pharmacy Manager’s purpose is to ensure that the organization procures, stores, and distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies according to the Action Against Hunger Medical SoP, Government, and Donors’ rules. S/he is responsible for improving the quality of the management and use of medical products, maintaining the physical integrity of the Pharmacy, managing the procurement of drugs and medical supplies, supervising the Base Pharmacy/Pharmacies, and improving technical capacity at the program level.  The pharmacy manager apply his/her expertise in strategic planning and oversight, helping to ensure that the AAH’s pharmaceutical management processes are aligned with its broader goals and objectives.

Delivery:

The Pharmacy Manager is responsible for delivering high-quality pharmaceutical management services in support of the Nut and Health and Logistics departments. S/he will manage procurement processes, ensure regulatory compliance, and maintain relationships with suppliers. S/he will also manage inventory level technical analysis, conduct and support risk analysis, ensure timely delivery of medical products to project sites, maintain an up-to-date inventory of all medical products and supplies, and ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Engagement:

The Pharmacy Manager will work collaboratively with other departments within the organization, as well as external partners and stakeholders. S/he will coordinate with the Logistics and Nut/Health HoDs, district management teams, and field staff to ensure efficient and effective management of the organization’s pharmaceutical products. The Pharmacy Manager will provide training and capacity building to the organization’s staff on pharmaceutical management best practices and develop and implement corrective actions to address any difficulties or non-compliance issues identified during inspections or reviews.

II. Essential Job Duties

1: Supporting the Nut and Health and Logistics departments in pharmaceutical compliance.

• Procurement management: managing the organization’s procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies including supporting the Logistics and Nut/Health departments in international procurement, assessing needs and requirements for each project, and making decisions on the choice of molecular substitutions as part of the procurement process.
• Regulatory compliance: ensuring that the organization complies with all relevant regulations related to pharmaceutical procurement and distribution including supporting the Logistics department in dealing with local health and administrative authorities for obtaining import permits and tax exemptions.
• Supplier management: managing the organization’s relationships with its suppliers including collecting information about suppliers, maintaining a list of HQ validated suppliers and available drugs and medical supplies, and facilitating sourcing activities during procurement.
• Market analysis: support in evaluating the local market and assessing the national market of drugs and medical supplies including collecting information for any possible external audit of the local market and participating in the analysis workshop before international orders.
• Coordination and communication: coordinating with other departments within the organization, as well as external partners and stakeholders including supporting coordination in quality assurance, acquisition, donation or procurement of medical commodities and communicating with the Logistics and Nut/Health HoDs on any possible local emergency procurement.
• Staying informed on relevant laws and regulations related to pharmacy management and ensuring compliance with these regulations and update the mission accordingly.
• Lead the development of SoPs, guides or implementation plans of the mission related to pharmaceutical supply management as required.

2: Improving quality in the management and use of medical products

• Quality management: ensuring that the organization’s management and use of medical products meets high standards of quality including analyzing data on stock and consumption from the bases and dispensation Sites, optimizing the management of drugs and medical equipment, and ensuring the regular and appropriate use of management documents.

• Collaboration with other departments: works closely with the Nut and Health department to verify stock and consumption status against program data and couch and mentor the base pharmacist on the assessment of the appropriateness of prescriptions. S/he also supports the field teams in donation of drugs and medical supplies in good time (eg. Overstock, near expiry etc).
• Regular reporting: ensure the delivery, quality and compilation of reliable stock data, consumption, use of drugs/medicines and health products for each project in real time and analyze, manage raised alerts lik near-to-expire drugs and medical supplies, and ensure that all computer data is backed up at least once a month.
• Performance monitoring and evaluation: monitors the performance of the organization pharmaceutical management, identifies areas for improvement and work with the field/capital teams to develop and implement action plans to address any issues and follow up of the implementation.
• Training and capacity building: providing training and capacity building to the organization’s staff on pharmaceutical management best practices including developing training materials, conducting training sessions, and providing ongoing support and guidance to staff.

3: Maintaining the physical integrity of the Pharmaceutical commodities

• Overseeing the implementation and adherence to Good Storage Practices for medical products in all pharmacy-related activities
• Conducting regular inspections of the Central Pharmacy and Dispensation Sites to ensure compliance with physical integrity requirements and Good Storage Practices
• Ensuring that all pharmaceutical products are stored according to their specific storage requirements, including temperature control and cold chain management
• Ensure on maintaining an up-to-date inventory report of all medical products and supplies, including expiration dates, batch numbers, and storage locations
• Coordinating with other departments to ensure timely procurement and delivery of medical products to project sites

4: Management of drug and medical supplies for each project according to Action Against Hunger Medical SoP, Government and Donors’ rules

• Overseeing the procurement of drugs and medical supplies, ensuring that they are procured according to Action Against Hunger Medical SoP, Government, and Donors’ rules.
• Collaborating with the other relevant stakeholders in preparing procurement plans and monitoring procurement processes.
• Ensuring that drugs and medical supplies are delivered on time, and that they meet the required quality standards.
• Ensuring pharmaceutical risk management and put in place mitigation measures.
• Providing regular reports to the Nut/Health HoD and other relevant stakeholders on pharmaceutical management.
• Guide and support post distribution monitoring activities and timely report

5: Provide technical support to Base Pharmacies

• Leading the technical supervision of the Base Pharmacies to ensure compliance with Good Storage & Distribution Practices, and making recommendations for improvement where necessary.
• Developing, maintaining and disseminating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the management of pharmaceutical products.
• Providing support to the base Pharmacists in their role of monitoring GDPs, and ensuring compliance with Action Against Hunger’s procedures and tools.
• Ensuring that the Base Pharmacies are organized in a manner that maximizes efficiency and accessibility for staff.
• Providing technical support to the team of supervisors/managers in pharmacy supervision, including monitoring and providing feedback to improve performance.
• Ensuring that all staff in the medical supply chain team are trained on Good Distribution Practices.
• Ensuring that health staff are trained on rational drug use.
• Providing guidance and support to base pharmacist in managing end-user units’ stock and pharmacy management.
• Developing and implementing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to address any difficulties or non-compliance issues identified during inspections or reviews.

6: Provide technical support on Veterinary pharmaceutical management

• Provide advisory services on veterinary pharmaceuticals management on donor proposals.
• Provide technical support on transportation, storage and handling of veterinary pharmaceuticals.

7: Improving technical capacity at mission level

• Developing and implementing relevant training programs based on needs assessment.
• Collaborating with the district health management team in capacity building of relevant woreda staff on Pharmaceutical management best practices.

8: Supporting the Nut/Health HoD and capital Nut/Health team in strategic alignment, proposal writing and donor reporting

• Strategic planning and oversight: work on strategic planning and oversight, helping to ensure that the AAH’s pharmaceutical management processes are aligned with its broader goals and objectives and to ensure that the AAH is using its resources effectively and efficiently.
•  Providing technical support to the Nut/Health HoD and capital Nut/Health team in defining, quantifying, and evaluating medical product needs for proposed donor projects.
• Collaborating with the Nut/Health HoD and capital Nut/Health team in the preparation of donor reports, specifically with respect to information relating to drugs/medicines on the mission.

• Developing and maintaining relationships with donors, partners, and other stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration and communication on pharmacy-related matters.

     II.  Supervisory Responsibilities

• S/he won’t have direct supervisory role but will technically supervise Base pharmacis and Drug storekeeper.

   III.         Fiscal Responsibility

• Support the program managers on undertake budget follow up (BFU) for the project activity in close consultation with Head of Department of Nutrition and Health.
• Support logistics team on medical stock follow up (mSFU) analysis for risk mitigation.

   IV. Physical Demands

•  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of an operational base. Must be able to proof read own work accurately so that only minor corrections are needed on an infrequent basis.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

    V.  Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• The duties of the job requires regular job attendance.
• Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as needed or required by partners.
• Must be able to travel, coach, fare for standard domestic and international business travel if appropriate.
• While in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well as to infectious diseases.
• The candidate must be able to travel to remote locations, often over poor road conditions.

   VI.   Gender Equality Commitments

• Foster an environment that reinforces values of women and men, and equal access to information.
• Provide a work environment where women and men must be evaluated and promoted based on their skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all stakeholders, particularly for children, beneficiaries, and members of staff.
• Help to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment and sexual abuse and exploitation.

• Respect beneficiaries’ women, men, children (boys and girls) regardless of gender, sex orientation, disability, religion, race, color, ancestry, national origin, age, or marital status.

• Value and respect all cultures.

 VII. Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA)

• Beware of minimum operating standards of SEA
• Protect and prevent others from SEA.
• Report SEA.
• Strictly comply with AAH child protection and SEA policies.

      I. Required Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy or equivalent from accredited university or college and at least 5 years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree in similar/related field of study with more than 3 years of relevant experiences.
• Pharmaceutical supply management work experience in INGO setup is desirable
• Practical experience in budget management.
• Familiar with national and different donors’ pharmaceutical supply regulations

     II. Required Skills:

• Ability to take initiative and prioritize multiple tasks with minimum supervision.

•   Good strategic and analytical ability with strong organizational skills and Embracing Diversity, Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation, good experience in staff management and capacity building.

• Desirable management skill, including quality report writing skill.

• Strong interpersonal communication skill, networking and representation skill.

• Knowledge and skills of MS Office Suite is required

• Genuine interest and commitment to the mission and principles of Action Against Hunger.

    Language

• Fluency (written and Spoken) in English is required.