Job vacancy
JOB TITLE: Supply Chain Advisor
Democratic Republic of Congo
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The Supply Chain Advisor will support the National Tuberculosis Program (PNLT) in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a period of one year.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
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SCOPE OF WORK
OVERVIEW
The Supply Chain Advisor’s objective is to provide vital technical support and capacity-building to the National Tuberculosis Program (PNLT) and other tuberculosis (TB) stakeholders in the DRC to improve the supply chain for TB drugs and commodities.
The Supply Chain Advisor will work in close collaboration with the PNLT, Global Fund principal recipients (PRs), USAID, and all other partners involved in the TB supply chain to ensure the timely procurement and delivery of essential medications and other commodities used to prevent, diagnose, and treat TB. S/he will also work to put in place Early Warning Systems for blockages in the supply chain.
BACKGROUND
The TB supply chain in the DRC is currently managed by the PNLT and funded by a network of donors including the Global Fund, Action Damien, and USAID. The PNLT is in charge of the country’s needs estimation and quantification, storage, and distribution.
The Global Fund, through its principal recipient for TB, Caritas, places orders for TB commodities through the Global Drug Facility (GDF) after the PNLT completes its quantification process. Caritas manages the customs clearance process for these commodities. Caritas is also in charge of domestic shipment of TB commodities from the national to the provincial level. While the PNLT may schedule internal distribution, Caritas is the organization that contracts and pays the transporters of these commodities.
Action Damien also procures TB drugs for the PNLT through its own separate supply chain process, including distribution of the drugs to the provincial level.
USAID tends to address specific gaps in the procurements done by other partners, such as second-line TB drugs, in collaboration with the PNLT. USAID staff members assist in the customs process for these drugs and ensure their delivery to the central PNLT store.
One significant TB supply chain challenge is the lack of coordination among the major donors involved in procurement of TB drugs and commodities, which each fund the TB supply chain through their own separate procurement and delivery mechanisms. Thislack of coordination results in frequent stock outs and overstocking of drugs.Other problems include insufficient follow-up of orders once they are submitted; delays in collecting shipments from customs offices once they arrive in-country; poor stock management at both the national and provincial levels; delays in domestic distribution of commodities; and the lack of tracking tools to monitor how long it takes shipments to reach their final destinations.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Supply Chain Strengthening and Coordination (50%)
- Ensure active monitoring of orders of TB drugs and commodities.
- Coordinate the TB procurement calendar, including annual planning, reporting stocks of commodities already in the country, and timing the delivery and distribution of TB commodities from the national level all the way to health centers.
- Working with the PNLT and other partners, coordinate the quantification process for procurement of TB drugs and commodities, including verifying needed products and linking them with approved budgets, using appropriate tools like QuanTB (QTB) (which has already been introduced in the country).
- Verify and analyze stock levels and quantities ordered of TB commodities in relation to national TB programmatic targets including number of patients on treatment, number of diagnostic tests performed, etc., and in relation to available equipment and lab capacity
- Ensure that bottlenecks in the supply chain for TB medications and commodities are identified, and ensure proper monitoring of delivery dates and expiration dates.
- Develop Early Warning Systems (and strengthen existing Early Warning Systems) for blockages in the supply chain and potential stock outs, as well as potential overstocking situations that could lead to expiration of drugs and wasted resources. Identify the points where delays and blockages take place and suggest solutions to resolve the delays and blockages.
- Develop TB supply chain tracking tools, including a tool to track the domestic movement of commodities between the PNLT and provincial TB offices and prevent shipping delays once shipments are sub-contracted to local transporters, and a monthly monitoring tool to assess the efficiency of the PNLT supply chain.
- Work closely with the PNLT, Global Fund, GDF, USAID, and other stakeholders to ensure effective coordination related to the TB supply chain.
Capacity Building and Technical Assistance (30%)
- Build capacity in national and provincial TB programs to effectively manage the TB supply chain and identify and mitigate supply chain bottlenecks.
- Train personnel who will manage the Early Warning Systems that ensure uninterrupted supply and availability of TB drugs and commodities.
- Support and build capacity in the PNLT and provincial TB programs in the monitoring of stock levels of essential TB drugs and commodities at the national and provincial levels.
- Support the PNLT, Global Fund PRs, and other TB partners in their purchasing procedures, including placing and documenting orders, and in the customs process, including the follow-up of necessary customs documents and procedures.
- Strengthen the capacity of the PNLT and Global Fund PRs to coordinate and manage the TB supply chain by identifying technical assistance needs and facilitating access to the appropriate support.
Monitoring and Reporting (15%)
- Write a quarterly report on the functioning of the supply chain, including points to improve, recommendations for improved monitoring by the government, recommendations for resource mobilization and improved coordination with partners, etc.
- Organize regular quarterly TB supply chain meetings with all relevant partners.
- Participate as an active member of the PATIMED committee, which develops TB drug guidelines and follows up on TB supply chain issues.
- Provide regular updates to the PNLT, Global Fund PRs, and USAID Health Officeto ensure coordination, and ensure that supply chain information is appropriately shared between the PNLT, Global Fund, USAID, and other stakeholders.
Other Duties and Responsibilities as Assigned(5%)
- Fulfill other supply chain-related tasks as requested by the PNLT.
CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS
- An advanced degree in public health, economy, finance, or arelated field.
- Eight to ten years of progressively responsible experience in supply chain management for health products.
- Knowledge of public health programs and commodities related to TB.
- Ability to use Early Warning System tools (preferably QTB) that track stock levels of TB drugs in central and provincial stores, forecast drug needs, and provide reliable quantification of drugs needed to avoid both stock outs and overstocking.
- Up-to-date knowledge of Global Fund programs, policies, procedures, and tools.
- Strong interpersonal communication ability, including excellent oral and writing skills
- High level of judgment, maturity, ingenuity, and originality to develop strategies and to analyze, develop, monitor, and evaluate program implementation.
- Proven leadership skills, including experience with coordinating multiple stakeholders.
- Fluency (written and spoken) in English required (Level III).
- Fluency (written and spoken) in French required (Level IV).
- Experience working in the DRC or other developing countries is preferred.
DELIVERABLES
- Work plan for the 12-month period of the consultancy
- Brief monthly reports of activities carried out and results achieved
- Quarterly reports to the PNLT with recommendations for improving the supply chain
- Quarterly reports on the stock levels of TB drugs and commodities as well as theirmovements (in and out), to be shared with all partners to increase transparency
- Monthly coordination meetings with USAID/DRC
- Training materials on the supply chain that can be used in future trainings
- Final report on activities carried out and results achieved during the consultancy as well as next steps
- Reinforced stock-out alert system
- Tracking tool developed to track the domestic movement of commodities between the PNLT and provincial TB offices and prevent shipping delays once shipments are sub-contracted to local transporters
- Monthly monitoring tool to assess the efficiency of the PNLT supply chain
Notes
Pour appliquer à ce poste, envoyer une lettre de demande d’emploi ainsi que votre CV, en spécifiant la position qui vous intéresse, à: https://jobs-msh.icims.com au plus tard le 20 Mars 2017.
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