Job Description

• Publish Date: September 10th,2024              
• Category: Development/UN/NGOs    
• Deadline: September 20th, 2024    
• Position:  Pharmacist Coordinator - Roving
• Location:  Roving: Sana’a, Aden & field sites
• Reports to: Health and Nutrition Technical Advisor
• Duration: Until August 31, 2025 Renewable based on fund availability and performance 
• Reference: HR-24-452

Note: Position is open for Yemeni Nationals only. 

ABOUT RI:

1.    Context 

About Relief International

Relief International (RI) partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing. Currently, RI is active in 14 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.
Relief International includes the four corporate members of the RI Alliance: Relief International Inc., Relief International-UK, Relief International-France and Relief International-Europe Under our alliance agreement, we operate with a single, shared management structure.

About our Country Program 

Relief International has been operational in Yemen since 2009 with programming in line with Relief International’s global strategy with Health as a central focus and components linked to Health through the sectors of Nutrition, WASH, Protection, and Livelihoods. The context in Yemen is extremely dynamic and requires the navigation of regulatory and access challenges to reach populations in need in Whole Yemen.

2.    Job Profile

The Pharmacist Coordinator will be a roving position supporting pharmaceutical management for RI health and Nutrition programs in the North and South of Yemen. This role will include regular travels to RI’s field locations and hence the candidate must be willing and able to travel regularly. The Pharmacist Coordinator will be required to collaborate with program managers, Ministry of Public Health and Population (MoPHP) pharmaceutical assistants, and RI supply chain team to ensure medical supplies management in RI supported health facilities remains uninterrupted. 

3.    Key responsibilities 

Accountability and Complexity

• Address challenges related to pharmaceutical storage quality, availability, and distribution, ensuring timely and appropriate solutions.
• Act as a bridge between different teams and stakeholders, fostering effective communication and collaboration to ensure the smooth flow of pharmaceutical management.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure the implementation and proper use (following RI and MOPH’s standards) of pharmacy management and monitoring tools (daily follow-up form, order forms, etc.)
• Support pharmaceutical assistants in ensuring health facility monthly inventory and reconciliation of the pharmaceuticals. Ensure adherence to Good Storage and Distribution Practices (GSDP) throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain.
• Support proper use and management of buffer stock as per RI’s buffer stock policy.
• Work with pharmaceutical assistants to ensure quarterly pharmacy supportive supervision including developing action plans for the identified gaps.
• Review monthly RI pharmaceuticals warehouse reports, flag medicines entering 6 months window for disposal and advise pharmaceutical assistants on stock management.
• Support the pharmaceutical assistants in the setup of new pharmacies in the RI supported health facilities and define their management.
• Ensure information flow to the other members of the team concerning stock levels, pharmacy management and prescriptions.
• Organize a monthly meeting with pharmaceutical assistants to discuss pharmaceutical management issues identified across projects.
• Accompany health and nutrition teams during joint supervisions with MoPHP and lead the supervision team on pharmaceutical related supervision.
• Assist management of donations and the destruction of expired medicines in conformity with national procedures.
• Ensure that no shortage of medicines and supplies in the targeted health facilities from the available stock. 

Medical supply and orders

• In collaboration with the medical and logistics team, ensures there is a supply process for medicines and medical material in the project that functions properly (procedures, etc.).
• Participate in ensuring full implementation of RI Medical supplies procurement policy including reviewing GMP and EC certificates.
• Communicates regularly with the medical, logistics, HR and finance departments concerning medical supply.
• Guarantees respect of RI recommendations and information process in case of local purchase.

Pharmaceutical and nutrition supplies orders

• Basic principle: the medical order must be prepared by the persons in charge of pharmacies in the projects and their health and Nutrition coordinator, in collaboration with the health officer.
• Ensures that the final version of orders has been sent to the field (lead time, quantities, etc.)
• Perform any other tasks as required by line manager or program manager or technical manager.      
• Ensure that each item used in the project is part of RI Medical standard list and medical standard list is updated regularly. 
• Provide specific directives and participate in stock reception and physical stock counts as needed.

Capacity Building:

• Train the RI and MoPHP pharmaceutical assistants on pharmaceuticals related topics.

Additional job responsibilities

• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Behavior and conduct 

• Ensures that behavior inside and outside of work promotes the values in RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies 
• Acts with integrity and holds themselves accountable for being respectful, inclusive and professional
• Reports any concerns

4.    Person Specification

Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role. 

Essential criteria

• Pharmacist with BSc degree/diploma in pharmacy and licensed by the pharmaceutical professional board.
• 3 years professional experience in pharmacy management, including humanitarian organization
• Experience in designing and implementing trainings
• Experience in Computer and Microsoft office programs.
• Experience with quality assurance and procurement is an asset
• Fluency in Arabic and good English are mandatory
• Ability to work and report independently
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Good in coaching, training and supervising pharmaceutical/drug dispensing staff
• Flexible, adaptable, able to improvise and work in stressful, volatile environment
• Experience in representation and interaction with partners & government officials.
• Ability to visit RI supported health facilities in the districts (North and South Hubs)
• Ability to work cooperatively and strategically in a team environment with all level of professional, technical and administrative staff and to integrate resources on timely and organized basis a participatory and consultative management approach.

5.    Safeguarding:

• Relief International has a zero-tolerance policy for unlawful harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International is committed to protecting our staff and the communities we work with from abuse and harm including sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.  
• All staff are expected to abide by the RI Code of Conduct.  
• Recruitment to all roles in Relief International includes criminal records self-declaration, references and other pre-employment checks, which may include experience and qualifications checks.  

6.    RI VALUES:     

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence as well as “Do No Harm.” We value:    

• Integrity
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity
• Sustainability