Job Vacancies at International Rescue Committee

Sector: Health

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee has been in Nigeria since October 2012 and came in response to a widespread flood disaster. IRC’s Emergency Response Team, with local partner, Civil Society Coalition for Poverty Eradication (CISCOPE), implemented projects to support food security, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH in Kogi State. Beginning of January 2014, IRC shifted geographical location to the North East, in Adamawa state to provide humanitarian response to the conflict-affected populations. In the North East, IRC has three operational offices: Yola and Mubi field offices in Adamawa state and Maiduguri field office in Borno state-with the latter office opened in October 2015. In both states, IRC is providing humanitarian support to internally displaced populations hosted in IDP camps, camp like settings, host communities and returnee populations.

Job Overview/Summary: The Global Supply Chain Department supports the organization’s work by providing reliable and scalable application development and Operations for the IRC’s offices in the US and around the world, in the aspect of procurement, assets, inventory and management of the IRC’s GSC policies.

Under the direct supervision of team leader, technical referent to Country pharmacist and technical oversight of Supply Chain coordinator, the Pharmacy Manager based in Maiduguri and will provide support to field and requires working in close collaboration with the logistics teams, State primary health care development agency, drug management agencies, local government primary health care departments.

As the referent on management and dispensing pharmaceuticals items, the Pharmacy Manager technically manages Pharma procurement Officer and Warehouse Inventory Officer and will be responsible for managing the overall pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, supplies and laboratory reagents of consortium partners for HeRoN implementation. S/he will be responsible for the co-ordination of all the program medical supply logistics, including the implementation of activities in line with IRC policies for medical procurement, drug management, warehousing, supply and stock management.

S/He will be responsible for providing technical support for health facilities in regards to waste management, system strengthening of LMIS and communications in collaboration with the appropriate technical managers and local partners. S/He will participates in the definition of strategies for supply management, distribution and use of medical products. Ensure national regulations are followed, develops familiarity with Ministry of Health’s regulation of drugs in force in the country and shares his/her knowledge with the team. This position is the link with external actors/partners concerning pharmaceutical issues.

Major Responsibilities:

Logistics

• Responsible for the set up and development of a medical supply strategy for the HeRoN program
• Responsible for overseeing medical logistics for the consortium, including international and local procurement, warehousing, power supply, communications and management in co-ordination with the Country Logistics Team and in line with IRC policies and procedures and with emphasis on traceability control
• Regular review of the supply chain strategy and resources needed to implement it
• Responsible for stock control (ensure monthly stock reports) and managing medical stores, ensuring security and maintenance and that medical stocks are kept in proper storage conditions
• Ensure efficient and appropriate logistical support is provided for all site activities including drug and equipment distributions, and construction/rehabilitation activities.
• Establish and maintain a robust logs filing system.
• Responsible on technical areas such as maintenance, cold chain, generators and also basic water/sanitation and rehabilitation, etc. – with support from technical managers
• Attend all the supply chain related meetings

Pharmaceuticals and Supplies Management:

• Monitors the availability of medical products to avoid stock-outs and financial losses generated by expired items; Collaborates with the Senior Health Manager/s to define stock security levels in IRC’s directly implemented facilities;
• In close collaboration with the pharmacy Officer, warehouse inventory officer and HMIS, develops stock levels alert (based on an average monthly consumption AMC and morbidity data); gathers stock indicators, analyze them and discuss with to the team leader / Supply Chain coordinator so as to avoid stock-outs and the financial losses generated by expired items.
• With the support of the country Pharmacist, Leads the consortium program quantification- ensures drug consumption data is collected at health facilities, aggregated, analyzed and used for forecasting needs of the program;
• Provides input for international and local orders: draws up the first draft of orders with the team leader, reviews the parameters involved in replenishing stock,  reviews the projects’ essential drug list, finalizes orders based on consumption and future needs arising from the developments in the field
• Participates in defining strategies for supply, management, distribution and use of medical products in line with IRC’s recommendations and policies; under the supervision of the team leader and in collaboration with country pharmacist and Supply Chain Managers, support development/use of new pharmaceutical stock management systems
• Participates in implementing the pharmaceutical supply chain standard operating procedures;
• Applies Good Distribution Practices (GDPs) for pharmaceutical products at storage level, and Good Dispensing Practices in end user units.
• Manages medical stock data and indicators, analyzes and interprets performance to support the necessary programmatic decisions or course corrections in collaboration with Health and Supply Chain staff (consumption, stock levels, stock-outs, pre-stock-outs, over-stocking, donations, expired products, disposal, etc.)
• Regularly visits the warehouse to conduct audits and follow up on recommendations on GDPs: the layout of the warehouse, storage, product arrangement, reception, distribution and transport.
• Supervise the store release, distribution, and transfer of all stock to the required field site locations;
• Works in close collaboration with the supply chain leads at the State Primary Health Care Development Agency of Borno and Yobe for needs assessment.

Technical Support and Capacity Building

• Carries out regular follow up/team meetings with Pharma officers and any other Pharma team in the field sites in the consortium to maintain regular work plans in line with project objectives and identified capacity building needs
• Mentor field-based staff (e.g. pharmacists, medical store officers, health officers) on the proper management of medical stock through remote trainings, in-person trainings and on-job coaching;
• Assists training of the new and current staff on the IRC Pharma SOP’s and GDPs
• Provide indirect supervision of staff responsible for pharmacy management in the field; and direct supervision for the Pharmacy officer

Emergency Response

• Supports the local partners to maintain an effective supply chain management system, according to IRC logistics procedures.
• Ensures accurate and complete documentation is prepared for all consignments health facilities and partners 
• Support partners to develop and maintain warehouse systems and ensure that stock management and administration systems are implemented throughout the program
• Monitor projects stock levels and advise on appropriate stocking and replenishment to meet project demands.

Other

• Assess the continuing training needs of IRC staff, and local partner staff, and ensure training needs are appropriately met and within budget.  Training up the national medical logistics officer will be a key component of this role.
• Other relevant duties as assigned as requested by Supervisor.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to:  Deputy Team Leader
Position directly supervises: Warehouse inventory officer and Pharmacy Procurement Officer

Indirect Reporting: Senior Pharmacy Manager
Technical referent: Senior Pharmacy Manager

Qualifications

• Bachelor in Pharmacy and at least 4 - 5 years working experience in of relevant setting (hospital setting, chemist shops, community pharmacies).
• Previous working experience in humanitarian programming
• Familiarity with international, national and local pharmaceutical procurement laws, policies and guidelines
• Previous working experience in primary health care sectors in Northeastern Nigeria is an added advantage.
• Managerial, training and supervisory experience

Working Environment:  The position will work in the Abuja Field Office with frequent travel and support to the field, the pharma procurement officer must have high level of flexibility and strength to be able to work under pressure and meets date lines

Strength/skills

• Able to work in a high-pressure situation, solve problems and resolve conflicts.
• Able to independently organize work, prioritize tasks and manage time.
• Ability to manage supply and organize stock
• Proficiency in the official language of the country of destination
• Knowledge of European Procurement Centers highly recommended
• Experience with quality assurance and procurement is an asset
• Proven knowledge and experience of pharmaceutical markets in developing countries and WHO standards
• Ability to work and report independently and under pressure
• Able to represent SC and capacity to negotiate positively and diplomatically with MoH and LGA PHC officials and SC national and expatriate staff
• Good organization and management skills
• Professionalism, transparency and flexibility a must
• Ability to work in a team
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
• Skilled in coaching, training and supervising pharmaceutical/drug dispensing staff
• Knowledge of Pharmacy tools is a plus

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles. 

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Sector: Health

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Maiduguri, Nigeria

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee has been in Nigeria since October 2012 and came in response to a widespread flood disaster. IRC’s Emergency Response Team, with local partner, Civil Society Coalition for Poverty Eradication (CISCOPE), implemented projects to support food security, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH in Kogi State. Beginning of January 2014, IRC shifted geographical location to the North East, in Adamawa state to provide humanitarian response to the conflict-affected populations. In the North East, IRC has three operational offices: Yola and Mubi field offices in Adamawa state and Maiduguri field office in Borno state-with the latter office opened in October 2015. In both states, IRC is providing humanitarian support to internally displaced populations hosted in IDP camps, camp like settings, host communities and returnee populations.

Job Overview/Summary: The Global Supply Chain Department supports the organization’s work by providing reliable and scalable application development and Operations for the IRC’s offices in the US and around the world, in the aspect of procurement, assets, inventory and management of the IRC’s GSC policies

Under the direct supervision of the Pharmacy Manager, technical referent to Logistics manager, the Pharmaceutical warehouse inventory officer will be based in Maiduguri and will responsible for:

Overseeing, managing and audit medication inventory systems day to day pharma warehouse activities to ensure inventories are stocked to meet the needs of patient care while minimizing costs, outdates and to promote efficiency, manage high cost/low use inventory stocking processes to reduce cost and coordinate inventory across all sites of utilization.

Major Responsibilities:

POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND COORDINATION 

• Understand, implement and/or maintain standard IRC inventory management policies and procedures
• Ensures that all pharmaceuticals purchased through Supply Chain must be received by Supply Chain in the warehouse in coordination with a program staff before being delivered or collected by the requesting program
• Ensures that all pharmaceuticals stored in IRC warehouse must be released by authorized IRC personnel and/or consortium partners
• Ensures that all cold chain items must be kept under proper storage conditions at all time and will therefore be prepared at the last minute just before dispatch
• Ensures that quarantined products must be stored in a separate locked area which can be subdivided in different zones for the different kind of quarantined products (which must be labelled accordingly)

Key Task

• Maintain the adequacy of storage conditions
• Help with physical inventories
• Help in order preparations and sending to the different health structures (packing, transport…)
• Report discrepancies
• Monitor security of IRC’s storage and supplies
• Manage and document the receipt, handling, storage, release and reporting of goods through the IRC warehouse(s).
• Advise supervisor of potential inventory shortage.
• Manage casual laborers in the warehouse.
• Ensure the maintenance of warehouse building(s), fittings and equipment.
• Implement and ensure clear safety procedures.
• Implement and ensure clear loading / unloading procedures, correct stocking and turnover (FIFO) procedures.
• Advise the Senior Pharma Manager/Logistics Manager/ Supply Chain Manager of warehouse-specific issues or improvements.
• Maintain the Warehouse activity book recording all outgoing and incoming receipts and activities.

Receipt and storage of goods

• Check the number of packages against the cargo manifest, check packaging and cases and inform the Senior Pharma manager/SCC of any problems (missing or damaged goods, etc.).
• After receipt, immediately update the stock cards, recording the reference number of the receipt document, Bin card and put the goods in stock.
• Give the cargo manifest, packing list / Waybill and certificate of the items received to the Senior Pharma Manager, to centralize the filing of these documents.
• Update the stock record cards and Bin card regularly.
• Ensure that all items are well organized and correctly stored, well protected, fully identified and easily accessible (cleanliness, security, access, etc.).

Inventory management & Preparation of outgoing items.

• Carry out stock rotation by FIFO /FEFO to ensure no product expires on the stock or becomes obsolete.
• Receive completed store’s release forms and prepare the goods for issuance. 
• Ensure goods, equipment are signed for received on the request form (office expendables) or waybill (all other items). 
• Ensure that the shipping areas (by destination) are clearly identified; store goods on shelves or palettes (as necessary), in a clean, tidy and easily accessible manner.
• Pack (appropriately for the mode of transport chosen), weigh and label freight (destination, number of shipping units, waybill number, weight and mode of transport) and assign a shipping number to each package, in accordance with the instructions of the Senior Pharma Manager/Logistics manager.
• Prepare the shipping note, as well as a copy of the freight document for international shipments, complete the delivery note and send a copy to the office the same day.
• Update the register stock cards/ bid card immediately after the delivery of goods and record the reference number of the delivery document or stock request.

Stock Management and Administration

• Ensure that all necessary information is correctly and fully recorded on the stock cards: IRC code, batch number, and expiry date, date of receipt or delivery, stock balance (incoming/outgoing), receipt and delivery document reference numbers.
• Complete all the tables for monitoring stock movements and consumption on the PIT
• Prepares the monthly stock report.
• In conjunction with the senior Pharma Manager/Log Manager, perform physical stock counts in accordance with the frequency defined in the SOP
• Inform the Senior Pharma Manager when the stock of goods is nearing the minimum or maximum threshold, and regularly provide the Senior Pharma Manager and Health Coordinator with a list of the items with expiry dates within the next six months.
• Monitor the temperature of the warehouse and ensure that products requiring cold chain (vaccines) are always stored at a suitable temperature (between +2°C and +8°C) - manually record T twice daily - Reports any deviation, using the cold chain breech report.
• Prepare the cold chain boxes as per Cold chain SOP
• Ensure the availability of enough icepacks, clean cold chain containers for the activities.
• Ensure cleaning, defrosting and maintenance of fridges
• Medical waste management: Prepare the list of expired drugs and items and inform the Senior Pharma Manager/SCC and Health Coordinator. Ensure safe storage of expired drugs/items

Reporting

• Prepare a weekly/monthly report of movements of goods (incoming/outgoing) in the warehouse and submit report to Senior Logistics Manager/ Logistics Manager
• Immediately inform the Senior Pharma Manager of any problems arising in the course of the work, particularly regarding damage, loss, attempted break-ins or theft in the warehouse.
• Conduct routine inventory inspection and submit report to the Senior Pharma Manager/Logistics manager in a timely

Others

• Carry out various maintenance tasks
• Ensure that the warehouse is kept in good condition (cleaning).
• To check and control the pest infestation
• Keep and file all WH documents (reception, dispatch, complaints forms, maintenance activities and calibration of thermometers, WH register, cleaning records, etc.)

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Pharmacy manager consortium
Position directly supervises: Store keeper, casual laborers

Indirect Reporting: Senior pharmacy manager
technical referent:  Senior pharmacy manager

Qualifications

Education: High School qualification or equivalent in Logistics, Pharma warehousing, Business Administration or related field

Work Experience: 3-4 years of work experience in supply chain operations (Warehouse/Asset).

Prior experience of working in Logistics, Inventory or Warehouse Officer Position in a multi-cultural environment.

Working Environment:  The position will work in the Maiduguri Field Office with possible travel and support to base offices, the pharma inventory officer must have high level of flexibility and strength to be able to work under pressure and meets date lines with strong ability of multi-tasking, team spirit and problem solving skills.

Strength/skills

• Able to work in a high-pressure situation, solve problems and resolve conflicts.
• Able to independently organize work, prioritize tasks and manage time.
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to coach and support others, strong sense of personal integrity.
• Self-motivated, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, fluent in written and spoken English
• Advanced computer skills (MS word, excel, PowerPoint, and outlook). Competency in database and gps and asset

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.