*Regional Specialist in Supply Chain Management and Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening / SC/PM Regional Systems Strengthening Specialists – Cameroon*

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is seeking a Regional Specialist in Supply Chain Management and Pharmaceutical Systems Strengthening for a 5-year, USAID-funded Supply Chain and Pharmacy Management program in Cameroon, which is expected to be part of the NextGen Comp TA IDIQ Task Orders. The program will cover the following technical areas: HR Capacity Development, Governance and Policy, M&E, Pharmaceutical Management, Strategy and Planning, Supply Forecasting and Planning, Procurement, Warehousing and Logistics, Management Information Systems and Data Utilization. The objective is to provide comprehensive technical assistance to strengthen the health supply chain and pharmaceutical services at the national and sub-national levels in Cameroon, both of which are cornerstones for achieving critical life-saving priorities.

MSH saves lives and improves health by helping public and private organizations around the world effectively manage people, medicines, money, and information. Operating from more than 40 country offices and our headquarters in the United States, our staff from more than 70 nations are highly regarded for their technical expertise, integrity, and commitment to making a lasting difference in health. Our mission is to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by bridging the gap between knowledge and action in public health.

MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE POSITION

General Responsibilities: The Regional Supply Chain and Pharmaceutical Management Systems Strengthening Specialist for the ESCAPE project provides technical assistance for the implementation of key strategies and interventions to strengthen the health commodity supply chain and pharmaceutical management (HC/PM) systems at the subnational level in Cameroon, with a particular focus on the assigned region. He/she leads and coordinates activities to strengthen supply chain functional areas, including decentralized forecasting and supply planning, warehousing and inventory control, last-mile distribution and transportation of health commodities at the regional level. He/she will also lead and coordinate activities aimed at sustainably improving pharmaceutical management activities in the assigned region, supporting areas such as pharmaceutical services, pharmacovigilance and patient safety, regulatory systems strengthening, containment of antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention and control, as well as product selection, prioritization and resource optimization. Working under the supervision and guidance of the Senior Regional SC/PM Systems Strengthening Coordinator, the Regional SC/PM Systems Strengthening Specialist collaborates closely with government counterparts (RDPHS and RFHPS), ESCAPE staff (Supply Chain Advisor, Pharmaceutical Management Advisor, Pharmaceutical Services, AMR and IPC Specialist, Governance and Capacity Building Advisor) to facilitate the development and implementation of various SC and PM initiatives at the regional level. He/she also collaborates on technical levels, as necessary, with the technical staff of ESCAPE partners, including CBCHS, Empower School of Health and IRIS Group. 

THESE POSITIONS WILL BE BASED IN THE 10 DIFFERENT REGIONS OF CAMEROON

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Comprehensive assessment of supply chain systems and strategic interventions, including coordination of stakeholders at regional level

•  In coordination with the Demand and Supply Planning Officer and the RDPHs, facilitate the establishment of a subnational coordination and collaboration mechanism for demand and supply planning.
•  In collaboration with the ESCAPE team, the DPML and the RDPHs, facilitate the implementation of a localized FASP model that takes into account regional or demographic factors to address specific health product needs in order to improve the accuracy of local forecasts.
•  Coordinate and facilitate training of members and agents of the regional quantification coordination mechanism on FASP guidelines, processes and tools, adapting them to the regional context.
•  Coordinate and facilitate regular regional quantification exercises and aggregation of demand from subnational levels, where appropriate.
•  Coordinate regional supply chain assessments, including warehouse capacity optimization initiatives, and support the implementation of inventory management systems and good storage practices in collaboration with RFHPs and other regional stakeholders.
•  Support the implementation of health product distribution strategies, including dynamic optimization of safety stocks, optimization of delivery routes and collaborative distribution operations between the center and service delivery points in the assigned region.
•  Coordinate and support public-private partnerships at the regional level and support the distribution of health products over the last mile by integrating private operators.
•  In collaboration with ESCAPE Supply Chain, Systems Strengthening and Capacity Building Advisors, facilitate training workshops and other regional supply chain capacity building initiatives to support interventions.
•  Coordinate and support supportive supervisions and mentoring to ensure effective implementation at sub-national level.

Supporting sustainable improvements in pharmaceutical management systems in Cameroon

•  Where appropriate, collaborate with local stakeholders in the development/revision of policy documents, accreditation standards, guidelines and plans related to medicines, including those related to regulatory aspects.
•  Support the establishment/strengthening of pharmaceutical and therapeutic committees in collaborating establishments in the assigned region.
•  Support the piloting of model pharmacies
•  Collaborate with local stakeholders and partners to strengthen pharmacovigilance and patient safety systems and activities
•  Contribute to strengthening regulatory systems
•  Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to improve antimicrobial resistance control and infection prevention and control systems and activities in the region
•  Contribute to the effective implementation of any other activities related to the management of medicines carried out by ESCAPE, in particular those implemented in the region concerned.

Additional Responsibilities

•  Prepare regular progress reports, including quarterly reports, participate and contribute to  project management meetings and global meetings.
•  Support the Supply Chain Advisor and Regional Supply Chain Advisors as required.
•  Support the Senior Regional Systems Strengthening Coordinator and Pharmaceutical Management Advisor as required.
•  Collaborate with Pharmacy Services, RAM and CIP specialists, and other ESCAPE partners as needed to effectively implement pharmaceutical management activities
•  Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and learning activities in the assigned region as required. eVyPIdx vb9CL
•  Comply with MSH policies, including mandatory training.
•  Perform other tasks assigned by the Head of Mission.

QUALIFICATIONS

MINIMUM TRAINING REQUIRED

Required :

•  Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, medicine, public health or related field with 4-6 years of experience, or Master’s degree with 2-4 years of experience, or PhD with 0-2 years of experience.

Preference :

•  Higher degree preferred.
•  Supply chain and/or pharmaceutical management training. Systems strengthening preferred

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Required:

•  At least 4-6 years of professional experience in managing or implementing international development activities related to one or more SC or PM fields for candidates with a Bachelor’s degree, 2-4 years of experience for candidates with a Master’s degree, or up to 2 years of experience for candidates with a PhD.

Preferably:

•  Experience in supply chain management, pharmaceutical management, use of technology, supply chain information systems, data management and use of data for  decision making .
•  Professional experience working or interacting with supply chain stakeholders at the sub-national level, including governmental and non-governmental organizations.
•  Experience working in partnership with U.S. Government agencies, international donors, or other multilateral agencies.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

•  Knowledge of the Cameroonian health system, particularly the systems and functions of SC/PM of health products at the regional, district and service delivery point levels.
•  Knowledge and skills in various health programs in Cameroon, such as malaria, HIV, supply chain and pharmaceutical management.
•  Excellent analytical skills, meticulous attention to detail in planning and executing activities.
•  Proven coordination, collaboration and interpersonal skills in setting up and coordinating between different SC/PM stakeholders.
•  Proficiency in MS Suits, especially MS-Excel, MS-PPT, PS-WORD and other software such as existing supply chain software and forecasting tools used in Cameroonian health systems.
•  Fluency in spoken and written French is required and bilingualism in English is preferred.
•  An understanding and experience of the political-economic obstacles to reforms in the country is desirable.
•  Proven understanding of the challenges and opportunities to achieve self-sufficiency in Cameroon and other LMICs.
•  Proven track record of working effectively in teams of seasoned experts.

SKILLS

Navigate the environment:

•  Perspective, ambiguity management, organizational agility, political sense and strategic agility Ensuring results are achieved:
•  In-depth understanding of the different functions and principles of change management and performance management.

Essential personal skills:

•  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build and maintain strong relationships and collaborate effectively with multiple key SC/PM stakeholders at the regional level.
•  Ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team, collaborating with colleagues at central and regional levels, health programs and SC/PM managers.

MSH Core Competencies:

•  Adaptability, communication, problem solving, creativity and innovation, quality, quality and speed of work, quality of work and team relationships, use of resources.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Travel Requirements: Availability to travel domestically and internationally as required. Up to 30% of travel is domestic.

Using the keyboard, pulling drawers, lifting documents weighing less than 10 kg, ETC.

MSH is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job requirements. MSH will take affirmative action to ensure that qualified applicants are employed and that employees are treated without regard to their race, age, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran and disability status. In compliance with US Department of Labor Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, MSH has developed and maintains an affirmative action program and plan.

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Apply here: https://msh.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Cameroon-Yaounde/Spcialiste-Rgional-en-Renforcement-des-Systmes-de-Gestion-de-la-Chane-d-Approvisionnement-et-Pharmaceutique—-Cameroon_R4311

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