Global Health Supply Chain Program – Technical Assistance (GHSC-TA)

The USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Technical Assistance (GHSC-TA) provides technical assistance to the South African government to strengthen public health systems and supply chains with the aim of advancing an AIDS-free generation and contributing to the achievement of universal health coverage.

The program provides technical assistance directly to the Affordable Medicines Directorate (AMD) of the National Department of Health (NDoH), as well as to the pharmaceutical services directorates of the Provincial Departments of Health. The overall aim of the program is to assist the government in improving access to and availability of the medicines and related commodities needed to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and associated conditions and disorders.

 

Job Title: Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Coordinator
Location: South Africa

B. JOB PURPOSE  

The Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Coordinator plays an important role in facilitating supply chain optimization at a provincial level. The successful candidate must be comfortable engaging with various stakeholders and working with multi-disciplinary teams to implement interventions designed to develop a responsive and reliable supply chain.

This individual must act as the coordinator and liaison between the GHSC-TA program, the Provincial Department of Health and various Implementing Partners as it relates to supply chain interventions in the province. The successful candidate should be detail oriented, organized, and proactive, with a passion and commitment for system improvement. He/she should also be able to apply creative thinking in problem solving and executing daily activities.

C. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Stakeholder Engagement, Liaison and Coordination
• Act as liaison between GHSC-TA and the Provincial Department of Health on all technical supply chain interventions.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with counterparts throughout the different branches of the Provincial Department of Health including District Health Services, Pharmaceutical Services, Programs and any other relevant stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with Implementing Partners, at provincial and district level, to ensure effective communication, cooperation and transparency to increase efficient implementation of supply chain interventions.
• Compile reports and/or presentations to enable productive communication and support decision making in the relevant supply chain processes.
• Utilise available systems and resources to extract and present information vital to effective communication and efficient implementation of relevant reforms.
• Institutionalisation of the Provincial Surveillance Centre
• Support the use of the Provincial Surveillance Centre (PSC) for informed, data-driven decision-making aimed at improving the proactive management of medicine availability.
• Support the routine use of the PSC in the design and implementation of root cause analysis and continuous improvement interventions, targeted at addressing challenges to the supply of medicine in close coordination with all relevant stakeholders.
• Provide input into the structuring of an appropriate provincial monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan in line with the department’s strategic objectives and key performance indicators.
• Assist in monitoring appropriate key performance indicators and related targets for supply chain interventions particularly those relating to medicine availability.
• Advocate for and support the use of the PSC throughout the different branches of the Provincial Department of Health including District Health Services, Pharmaceutical Services, Programs and any other relevant stakeholders.
• Provide technical support to users of the PSC to ensure optimal system use, including providing assistance with basic trouble-shooting and escalation of system challenges encountered by the province.
• Contribute to the GHSC-TA library of supply chain improvement best-practices by documenting interventions implemented.
• Demand and Supply Planning
• Provide technical support for the planning and implementation of supply chain interventions at a provincial level.
• Collaborate with the GHSC-TA Demand and Supply Planning Team as needed to implement provincial demand planning and performance monitoring processes.
• Support the enrichment of supply chain data with programmatic patient data and implementation of resultant interventions.
• Provide supply planning technical support to improving inventory management at, and replenishment to, health facilities in the province.
• Facilitate stakeholder engagement and implementation of demand and supply planning interventions including those required to support the TLD Transition.
• Expansion of Core Supply Chain Information Systems
• Support institutionalisation of core supply chain information systems at provincial level including the Medicine Master Data System, the Stock Visibility System, and RxSolution to support the provision of quality data to the NSC.
• Provide input to inform the development and implementation of these systems based on personal experience and end-user interaction.
• Support the development and review of processes and standard operating procedures relevant to the successful deployment and use of these systems (as applicable).
• ​​GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
• Manage compliance with applicable GHSC-TA operational plans, work plans and reporting requirements, including monitoring actual performance against set targets.
• Ensure compliance of record- keeping and documentation with audit requirements and other relevant standards.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• Qualifications
• A Bachelor’s Degree/National Diploma or equivalent NQF level 7 qualification in Health required.
• Qualification in Public Health, Supply Chain, Business or Finance will be an added advantage.
• Experience in project management and/or M&E is preferred.
• Familiarity with relevant legislation including Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act 1 of 1999), Medicines and Related Substances Act (Act 101 of 1965) and the Pharmacy Act, 1974 (Act 53 of 1974) is preferred.
• Familiarity with supply chain related interventions implemented by the Department of Health including the NSC, Medicine Master Data System, the Stock Visibility System and RxSolution will be an added advantage.
• Work Experience
• 3 – 5 years’ work experience in the public health or pharmaceutical services sectors.
• Previous work experience in supply chain is an advantage.
• Language
• Excellent command of the English language, including both verbal and written skills, is essential.
•  Core Competencies
• Problem solving and structured thinking skills.
• Detail and outcomes oriented.
• Good inter-personal skills including customer orientation, assertiveness and negotiation skills.
• Planning, organisational, time management and administrative skills.
• Ability to work well both independently or when functioning as part of a broader team.
• Computer literate in the full Microsoft Office Suite with intermediate level proficiency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Other

• Must be prepared to travel.
• Must have a driver’s license.
• Own transport would be preferred

To apply

Submit a CV to The Director: Finance & Operations, email: [email protected] with e-mail Subject line “Application for Provincial Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Coordinator position”

Application Deadline: Tuesday, 10 September, 2019