Supply Chain Technical Officer at Crown Agents January, 2020

Reports to: Zanzibar NTD Program Manager and ASCEND Country Lead

Salary: TBD

1. Introduction

Accelerating the Su­stainable Control and Elimination of NTDs (ASCEND) is a £200 million invest­ment from the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID), to advance the impact and su­stainability of national programs tackling neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). To be implemented between September 2019 to March 2022, ASCEND comprises of two lots – one focusing on South Asia, East­ and Southern Africa (lot 1) and the other on West­ and Central Africa (lot 2). ASCEND lot 1 is implemented by a consortium of technical partners led by Crown Agents, including Abt Associates, Oriole Global Health and the Royal Tropical Inst­itute. Central to ASCEND 1’s approach is a close collaboration with National Governments and other implementing partners, to enhance national approaches to NTD control and elimination. ASCEND’s goal is to contribute to the global goal of reducing the burden of targeted NTDs so that they are no longer a public health problem.

In Zanzibar, ASCEND will focus on three NTDS; Lymphatic Filariasis, Schistosomiasis and Trachoma anchored on the following broad areas of intervention:

(i) *Treatment and prevention of disability, including mass drug administration (MDA), diagnosis and treatment, surgeries, morbidity management.*

(ii) Increasing the integration of aspects of NTD programmes within the health systems.

(iii) *Strengthening national health systems, integrating efforts to strengthen the relevant building blocks of the health system.*

(iv) *Data for targeting and monitoring, including impact assessment and alignment of NTDs with national and international MEL systems and processes.*

(v) *Cross-sectoral collaboration, in particular within the health and WASH/BCC sectors.*

DFID has contracted Crown Agents together with its consortium partners to act as Fund Manager for ASCEND in Zanzibar. Therefore, Crown Agents will work with the Ministry of Health community development gender elderly and children to support the immediate procurement of services from the identified organisations that will further the above-stated objectives of ASCEND in the country.

2. Scope of work

The Supply Chain LF Focal Person will be seconded to the NTD control Program ministry of health (MoH) and will be responsible for providing a wide range of support to the Ministry of Health (MoH) Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) control program. He/she will work closely with the NTD Program Manager the, ASCEND Country Lead relevant partners, pharmaceutical and supply chain focal point persons within MoH and Medical Stores Department (MSD) to coordinate the clearance and storage of medicines as well as distribution to the district health offices. The Officer will work closely with the NTD drug donation program managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), and NTD implementation partners to help build a sustainable supply chain management system. This will help to maintain the quality, efficacy and safety of the preventive chemotherapy (PC) drugs used during mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns per the NTD elimination and control goals.

The Officer will be responsible for the following:

1. Work with CMS, WHO and relevant organs of MOH to create an NTD supply chain management system which will chart the procurement, storage and delivery of drugs from the central Medical Stores Department to all parts of the country.
2. Support the development of NTD supply chain management guidelines to be used for management of NTD essential medicines.
3. Provide technical assistance (TA) to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), tools and systems to assist MoH in inventory management and other aspects of supply chain management that will assure the availability and quality of NTD medicines and other commodities.
4. Provide overall NTD supply chain coordination, including training on general supply chain management for NTD programme staff and community drug distributors.
5. Provide technical support to the NTD Control Program in the forecasting of PC medicines donated by various donors including WHO, International Trachoma Initiative (ITI), Task Force for Global Health
6. Operate and maintain an effective inventory management system that fosters accountability of NTD medicines and strengthens supply chain audits to minimise wastage.
7. Ensure accurate and up-to-date manual and electronic inventory records including lot numbers and expiration dates at all levels of the country supply chain
8. Share regular inventory information with ASCEND Country and Regional Teams as well as with NTD Program Manager.
9. In collaboration with MSD; ensure reliable and well-functioning distribution system for all NTD supplies and monitor drug storage and security at all levels.
10. In collaboration with MSD and other partners, facilitate customs clearance of NTD medicines and other supplies imported or donated to the Ministry of Health.
11. Work with Districts through the NTD Program Manager to ensure timely usage of NTDs drugs according to first expiry first out (FEFO) principle to maximise the shelf life of the drugs.
12. Coordinate physical stocktaking at the district pharmacies and report to the NTD Program Manager.
13. Facilitate in medicines reverse logistics from the facility level to the district pharmacy at the end of MDA activities
14. Identify bottlenecks in drug and supply management at provincial and district levels and provide technical assistance to resolve them.
15. Participate in identifying and prioritising capacity development activities for strengthening national and regional level pharmaceutical supply chains and build expertise in monitoring and supervision.
16. Assist in collecting data related to serious adverse events (SAEs) from the Districts and reporting on such events to the National NTD Program Manager and Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority
17. Monitor, report and investigate any instance of product misuse, diversion or fraud.
18. Submit regular performance report to the NTD Program Manager and the ASCEND Country Lead.
19. Any other responsibilities as assigned by the NTD Program Manager

3. Key Requirements

Knowledge (Education & Related Experience):

(i) Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management or relevant discipline

(ii) At least five years of work experience in community health programs preferably in Neglected Tropical Diseases

(iii) Experience working with DFID or other donor-funded projects preferred.

(iv) Additional training or qualification in supply chain management will be an advantage.

(v) Demonstrated knowledge of protection, prevention of sexual abuse and exploitation and the field of safeguarding is an added advantage

4. Skills (Special Training or Competence)

1. Extensive knowledge of coordinating all the entities involved in a supply chain including the planning of procurement, production, inventory control, logistics and distribution.
2. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team-oriented setting.
3. Good understanding of the Tanzania Zanzibar’s national pharmaceutical logistics management information system
4. Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
5. Ability to deliver group-training sessions and build capacity in supply chain management.
6. Strong communication skills both written and verbal.
7. Willingness to travel within Tanzania-Zanzibar frequently.
8. English fluency (required)