Supply Chain Strengthening Specialist at Save the Children

ROLE PURPOSE

The Supply Chain Strengthening Specialist will provide technical guidance and support to the USAID Nawiri project and County department of health service delivery points at the County level have a consistent supply of Nutrition, Maternal and Child Health, and Reproductive Health commodities. She/he will provide training, mentorship and supervision and medical commodities pipeline monitoring at the County, sub-county, health facility and community health unit level. The Supply Chain Strengthening Specialist will work to embed sustainability mechanisms for stronger county medical supplies and commodities systems in the project.

She/he will work with the County Government Health Management Teams including the County & Sub County pharmacists, County & Sub County Nutrition Coordinators, County & Sub County Community Strategy Focal persons and other counterparts in health & nutrition service delivery.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

• Collaborate with Ministry of Health at County, Sub County, Health facility and Community Health unit levels of health care to promote sustained delivery of Health and Nutrition interventions.
• Provide regular technical support and guidance to the department of health county, Sub County and Health facility managers and Health service delivery staff to address logistics system problems to ensure consistent supply of commodities.
• Work closely with the County Health Management Team (CHMT) to support supply and management of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical including coordinating CHMT support for the sub-counties, facilities and community units
• Collaborate with County Department of Health at all levels of health care to ensure availability of commodities in public and private health facilities, and community health unit level.
• Gather data, analyze and address medical supply chain system bottlenecks to ensure sustainability and accountability.
• Build the capacity of health staff on commodities and supplies management through supervision, coaching, mentorship and support to teams in the implementation of activity plans.
• Advance innovations and use of technology in requisition, utilization, and monitoring of health commodities and supplies for the private and public health sector.
• Build the health teams capacity in inventory management
• Work with other project staff to help identify resource and/or performance improvement needs to advance the goal of commodity security.
• Prepare and present quarterly technical reports and presentations as necessary.
• Participate in the County Commodity security committee meetings, County health services performance review meetings, technical and partner meetings as required.

Other

• Participate actively in PDQ programme meetings, planning and review activities, providing enhanced insight into nutrition programming.
• Actively participate in key relevant internal meetings such as Programme Review Meetings, Senior Management Team or Area-based meetings as required.  Participate in any donor visit to project(s) within the country office portfolio, as required.  

Contract Duration: 12 Months (with possibility of extension)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Work Location: Turkana and Samburu

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in pharmacy, Nursing, Nutrition, or related field.
• A minimum of three years of experience managing health commodities and supplies in complex settings.
• Experience leading a successful health commodities and supplies strengthening in Kenya or in a similar setting. Critical is experience and skills in strengthening health systems pillar on medical products and supplies through research and advocacy.
• Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of decentralized nutrition and health delivery programs in Kenya.
• Proven experience of working collaboratively with partners and/or key stakeholders in consortium.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and proven ability to develop and present high quality donor reports. Fluency in English, both verbal and written, required
• Willingness to be based in Turkana County, with frequent travel to project offices and field sites within the Turkana and Samburu Counties.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international and matrix management environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind-sets.

• Experience solving complex issues through analysis, definition of a clear way forward and ensuring buy-in.
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner.
• Ability and willingness to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies.
• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, required. 
• Commitment to Save the Children values, including willingness to abide by and enforce the Child Safeguarding policy

THE ORGANIZATION

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 

 We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated