Pharmaceutical Technologist at The Center for International Health, Education and Biosecurity (CIHEB)

Job Summary:

Responsible for strengthening and managing the pharmaceutical commodity management system for public health project working in close collaboration and partnership with established public and private sector supply chain systems supporting integrated KP, MNCH, TB, HIV and VMMC. S/He will mentor and support capacity building of health service providers on pharmaceutical management information systems, and pharmacovigilance tools and provide policy and technical updates in support of current national guidelines for the priority high impact interventions on HIV/TB management including ART.

Tasks and responsibilities;

• Work closely with the County Health Management Team (CHMT) to support supply and management of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals for the supported region and sites, including coordinating CHMT support for the counties.
• Ensure all the central sites and standalone sites adopt the use of Electronic Dispensing and Inventory Tracking Tool (EDITT).
• Be the team lead for the logistics information management system of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals.
• Coordinate identification of training needs and support implementation of relevant training modules targeting health workers in supply and management of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals.
• Work closely with the technical officers to ensure implementation, and accurate, timely and reliable reporting of pharmacovigilance from all supported sites.
• Work closely with the STOs/TOs and health care workers in management of treatment failure.
•  Work closely with the STOs/TOs to ensure all facilities are prescribing optimal ARV regimens and that they have clear targets and dashboards to monitor progress.
• Together with his/her supervisor, coordinate the Care and Treatment STOs/TOs to develop weekly, monthly and quarterly work plans and review the budgets and requisitions for technical soundness as far as supply and management of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical products is concerned.
• Coordinate continuous availability of vital commodities’ equipment, furniture and the various monitoring and evaluation tools required for functional pharmaceutical activities.
• Take part in the donor review meetings on a quarterly basis and Site Improvement through Monitoring System (SIMS) sites visits.
• Participate in the various relevant technical working groups (TWGs) in the county and supra county levels.
• Keep abreast of newer medicines for managing HIV and work closely with then clinical team to ensure these are introduced, used and their use monitored in supported sites

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Expertise and Competence;

• Experience in HIV programming including treatment monitoring and pharmacovigilance.
• Prior experience in working in the donor sector especially USG is desirable
• Experience working with Ministry of Health structures and other development partners is a must
• Experience with implementation and use of pharmacy dispensing tools is a must
• Must be a team player, mentor and trainer, and possess effective leadership skills.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Proportion of individual workplan achieved by the end of the reporting period 95%
• Proportion of supported counties and sub counties with complete and timely forecasting and quantification of pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical products using available reporting system -100%
• Proportion of supported sites prescribing and dispensing optimal ARV regimens- 100%
• Proportion of eligible facilities reporting on pharmacovigilance- 90%
• Proportion of sites achieving >80% (Green and Dark Green) score in medication dispensing program area during SIMS visit conducted by the donor -95%

Qualifications:

• Diploma in Pharmacy or equivalent from a recognized reputable college with 5 years’ experience.
• Registered with the Pharmacy and Poison’s Board and licensed to practice in Kenya.
• Experience in implementation of HIV/TB/KP related pharmacy and pharmaceutical activities in a donor funded project is desired.