The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PSCM) is implementing the Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) contract for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; SCMS will strengthen secure, reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable supply chains capable of meeting the care and treatment needs of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. In coordination with in-country and international partners, SCMS will assist programs to enhance their supply chain capacity; ensure that accurate supply chain information is collected, shared, and used; and provide quality, affordable, health care products to those who need them.
OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES The Technical Advisor supports SCMS technical activities in Vietnam. He or she works closely with the Principal Technical Advisor, in developing and implementing SCMS plans and activities that effectively address pharmaceutical and commodity related management priorities, to strengthen pharmaceutical management in support of the U.S. President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Government of Vietnam’s (GOV) National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control. The Technical Advisor coordinates with key stakeholders from USAID implementing partners and local counterparts, including other Ministry of Health departments at Central and Provincial levels to ensure adequate coordination and synergy in the area of commodity management. He or she collaborates with other MSH staff and partners to ensure an uninterrupted supply of Anti-Retroviral (ARV), medicines for opportunistic infections (OIs), Methadone and other related commodities at target Anti-Retroviral Therapy(ART) and Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) program sites by providing and managing the monitoring and training of appropriate dispensing, patient counseling, and rational use of these medicines. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES The Technical Advisor, will be responsible for,
• Technical Assistance
• Monitor the pharmacy staff‘s performance at facilities i.e. ARV, Methadone, OIs for monthly activities related to pharmaceuticals management at site level i.e. operation and system strengthening.
• Provide technical support to GOV site staff on performance according to organizational policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure the timely availability of all pharmaceuticals and supplies at provincial and site levels.
• Provide inputs to the revision of work instructions, SOPs and other policy material for at provincial (PACs) and site level and support ensuring they are in compliance with government standards.
• Ensure the implementation of approved work plan in coordination with all the team members within SCMS/MSH, other departments, management and other stakeholders i.e. government, semi-government, partners and donors at provincial and site level.
• Evaluate the readiness of new treatment sites for ARV & MMT management, including medicine storage conditions, dispensing practices, and interactions with patients and provide reports to VAAC, Donors and other stakeholders on site readiness
• Capacity Development
• Manage the internal and external capacity development process to improve the skills of government, semi government and project staff in operation & management related activities of pharmaceuticals and uses.
• Coordinate with Provincial Health Services and Provincial HIV/AIDS Centers and technical team to implement the policies, procedures and framework for program related activities.
• Conduct capacity building activities i.e. formal trainings, informal trainings, seminar and workshops etc. for government, semi government and project counterparts & other staff at regional levels for management of HIV AIDS related pharmaceuticals and supplies.
• Support the MoH to implement pilot and general roll out plans at provincial and site levels regarding management of HIV AIDS related pharmaceuticals and supplies.
• Provide supportive supervision to the government, semi government & project staff at provincial and facilities to improve the quality of pharmaceutical management processes and their performances.
• Participate in the development and implementation of pharmacy standard operating procedures:
• Provide inputs relating to commodity management into the standard operating procedures (SOPs) development process for facilities supported by the program
• Support pharmaceutical management staff at implementation sites in applying pharmaceutical SOPs to ensure effective ordering, storage, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals and other commodities
• Collaborate with facility staff at implementation sites to adapt supply and distribution systems to the individual conditions of the site; work with staff to adopt and formalize procedures, whenever required
• Collaborate with facility staff at implementation sites to adapt training inputs to the individual conditions of the target site; work with site staff and management to adopt and formalize procedures, whenever required.
• Facilitate the availability and dissemination of training materials and guidelines to treatment sites, all active partners, and institutions involved in the training of pharmacists and dispensers in Vietnam.
• Conduct regular monitoring visits to each site to assess implementation of recommendations for improvements, and provide site staff and local counterparts in Provincial AIDS Centers (PACs) with on-the-job training, if needed, to address identified problems. Prepare a written report of these findings and share with dispensers and management of each treatment site, the PEPFAR partners that support the respective treatment sites, and USAID, CDC, and other key partners.
• Collaborate with facility staff at implementation sites to adapt training inputs to the individual conditions of the target site; work with site staff and management to adopt and formalize procedures, whenever required.
• Facilitate the availability and dissemination of training materials and guidelines to treatment sites, all active partners, and institutions involved in the training of pharmacists and dispensers in Vietnam.
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• In coordination with M&E Specialist design the data recording, analysis and reporting system for program associate activities.
• Collect and report from facilities related data to M&E officer for analysis and reporting.
• Participate in periodic performance improvement meetings with management to receive the feedback to facilitate in designing the strategy to improve the performance of program associate related activities.
• Provide adequate feed back to internal SCMS/MSH team members regarding the performance of site staff and strategies for improvement.
• Coordination
• Coordinate with the Principal Technical Advisor to ensure that representatives of the PEPFAR sites and the Vietnam Administration for AIDS Control (VAAC) are fully engaged in a commodity management supervision/feedback system.
• Under the direction of the Principal Technical Advisor, coordinate with all relevant parties, especially CDC, Life Gap, FHI, and Central Pharmaceutical Company (CPC) #1, to ensure that the distribution and reporting system process for ARVs/OIs, Methadone and related medicines operates smoothly and that all parties receive the necessary information in a timely manner. Participate in partner or donor coordination meetings on pharmaceutical management issues, as requested.
• Coordinate with relevant representatives at all levels of the public health system to ensure that they are fully aware of all planned activities, that opportunities for their active participation and involvement is provided in all activities, and that necessary permissions, approvals and authorizations are obtained for all planned activities relating to ARVs, OIs, Methadone and related medicines.
• Participate in meeting, workshops and seminars to align the program operational and system strengthening activities with government and organizational, plans, policies and procedures as requested.
• Coordinate with other team supervisor to align departmental activities in order to achieve the short term and long term objectives.
• Communication
• Collaborate with staff at the target district and health center level to ensure that a management information system is established according to adopted SOPs and that the system of reporting to the district, provincial, and national levels functions properly.
• Facilitate communication with internal and external members, partners, donors and government agencies at provincial and site levels according to the management direction, organizational policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Share the program associate activities related reports with internal and external stakeholders with necessary approvals and according to standard policies and procedure.
• Facilitate the availability and dissemination of ARVs, OIs, Methadone and related medicines, according to National Standard Treatment Guidelines, in target facilities to ensure their availability and use. This may include management of non-PEPFAR ARVs and other commodities, as requested by the MOH and/or USAID.
• Others
• Perform other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS: • Degree in pharmacy or other health related field, or a combination of education and relevant experience in pharmaceutical management. • Demonstrated experience working within the public health sector in the management of the procurement, distribution, and use of medicines. • Experience and knowledge in the application and management of pharmacy systems for ARVs, OIs and related medicines desirable. • Long-term working resident experience in Vietnam with an understanding of the Vietnamese public health system. • Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to interact professionally with a diverse staff, clients and consultants. Ability to work under high pressure. • Fluency in Vietnamese with proficiency in English language, including reading, writing and speaking skills. • Demonstrated computer skills in MS Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook; Microsoft Office Suite preferred. • Ability and willingness to travel approximately 40 to 50% of the time in Vietnam.
How to apply:
Please visit our web site to apply for this job using the following link: https://jobs-msh.icims.com/jobs/5634/technical-advisor/job.
