LABORATORY AND SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER - KAGERA

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Management and Development for Health (MDH) is a not for profit organization addressing public

health priorities by working with the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children; as well as academic and non-academic institutions to address the problems of tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, maternal and child health and to undertake initiatives to advance public health research, education, and services for improving the lives of people.

MDH seeks to recruit competent individual to fill the following vacancy:

LABORATORY AND SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER - KAGERA

JOB SUMMARY:

Laboratory and Supply Chain Officer is self-motivated individual who will be responsible for providing oversight to Laboratory support services and supply chain for HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs at the regional level in the aspect of diagnostic, safety and quality assurance. The position reports to the Regional Project Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities:

A. LABORATORY ACTIVITIES

 Ensuring MDH supported sites meet national standard for laboratory practice required to support all project activities, including capacity building of laboratory personnel through training and mentorship.

 Ensuring good quality clinical laboratory testing in MDH supported private and public sites by assessing site needs, identifying areas for quality improvement and provide technical assistance.

 Ensure Lab manuals, guidelines, job aids, logbooks, registers, work sheets and forms are utilized appropriately and ensure availability of reagents and other lab supplies.

 Play supportive role in provision of technical assistance for the selected labs for accreditation, as directed by the MDH senior technical team.

 Facilitate reports by preparing quarterly, semiannually and annually reports.

 Prepare laboratories to meet performance indicators as set by CDC

 Work closely with health facility laboratory personnel and quality officer in developing and/or refining guidelines and protocols for laboratory services

 Assist in the implementation, monitoring, and documentation of laboratory test results and supplies

 Assist in the development of SOPs for implementation, site assessment follow-up and corrective action and quality assurance procedures.

 Institute and monitor the use of internal quality control in all tests performed

 Strengthen the laboratory supply chain management to ensure minimal or no stock-outs

 Scale up HVL /EID testing by training and mentoring clinicians, nurses and Laboratorians

 Ensure efficient sample collection at facilities and transportation to testing laboratory.

 Ensure smooth initial sample preparation done at hubs and transportation to testing laboratory

 Ensure smooth and timely availability of EID/HVL test results from testing laboratory back to the hubs and finally to facilities

 Ensure all the HVL/EID related data are documented, kept and easily accessible for reporting

 Ensure that all testing points participate fully on EQA program, i.e., receive EQA samples, perform the tests and submit results in time with proper record keeping.

 Ensure that all participating testing sites perform well on EQA program by providing supportive visits and mentorship to low performing sites

 Ensure that all HVL/EID sample collection hubs are functional and Carry out need assessment to identify areas for improvement at all hubs.

 Ensure reliable means and monitor sample and results transportation between facility-hubs and testing laboratory Build capacity for the hubs to monitor samples and results transportation with good record keeping

 Assist in the calibration of instruments; performance of preventative and corrective maintenance, function checks, and repairs on instruments and equipment.

 Work together with the CHMTs in the provision of technical assistance and supportive supervision to district laboratory network.

 Perform other job-related duties as assigned by the line manager.

B. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.

 He/she is responsible for ensuring that MDH supported sites meets national standard for related drugs and commodity supply chain management by:

o Providing TA to Regional and districts teams to ensure MDH supported sites/districts meet national standards

o Ensuring that relevant staff at MDH supported sites/districts are trained to provide high quality of services

o Identify training needs for sites, districts and regional pharmacists

o Facilitate trainings on good practice in health commodities Logistics systems for MDH site staff;

o Collaborate with National, regional and district levels to conduct a mentorship program

 Ensures uninterrupted supply of HIV/AIDS commodities at all MDH supported sites by

o Annual forecasting and budgeting of needs in HIV/AIDS commodities including lab commodities for each single site/district during planning

o Ensuring that each single site/district has two to three months buffer stock off all HIV/AIDS commodities including lab reagent and consumables and assist in redistribution of products when out of stock

o Providing technical assistance to Regional/district pharmacists and sites in forecasting and ordering of ARVs and related commodities from the MSD.

o Ensuring that technical procedures for procurement, distribution and dispensation are respected at all sites according to the standard operating procedures.

o Keep track of drug flow between stores and MDH supported sites and continuously update and educate site staff on developments and issues related to new drug formulations, national and zonal ARV and OI drugs stocks update

o Provide TA to districts/sites to maintain the inventory of drugs and laboratory commodities and reagents that are present at both drugs stores and all of MDH supported site pharmacies

o Make sure that all dispensing rooms at the various sites have the necessary infrastructure and are able to function efficiently.

o Assist R/CHMTs members to conduct monthly audit of 10 sites per district to ensure that all supplies including drugs and laboratory reagents reach its intended beneficiaries.

 Play key role in the development of proposals, budgets, work plans and reports related to MDH activities concerning pharmaceuticals and drugs commodities management

 Preparing quarterly, semiannually and annually narrative reports to be submitted to key stakeholders.

 Follow up collection of monthly information about the stock at all MDH supported sites/districts, and share with respective key stakeholders.

 Providing regular information to MoHCDGEC/NACP on any challenges associated with HIV/AIDS commodities and HIV Rapid test kits availability at the supported regions.

 Liaising with the Pharmaceutical and Supply chain advisor and municipal counterparts on quarterly basis to address any concerns or problems that they are faced with regarding supply chain issues of HIV/AIDS/Malaria commodities and related supplies.

 Actively participate and advise management in solicitation and writing of proposals for new grants/ business development

 Identify questions for operational research and actively lead OR to demonstrate best practices in ARVs and related commodities supply chain system management

 Actively perform supportive supervisions to MDH supported sites, and use these supervisions to strengthen their capacity on issues related to supply chain management.

 Carry out any other job related responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

REQUIREMENTS:

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION

 Degree in Medical or Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

 Master in public health will be considered an advantage

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

 Trained on SLMTA or CLSI mentorship program for accreditation

 Experience working with CHMT will be an added advantage

 Work experience in HIV/AIDS care and treatment program will be considered an advantage

 Ability to identify and work with other partners and collaborators in the relevant field

 At least 3 years’ experience in HIV Care and Treatment Laboratory Program Management.

At least five year of working in a Pharmaceutical and Supply chain leadership position 4

TO APPLY:

Interested candidates for any of the above positions, should submit an application letter, a detailed copy of their CV, and names and contact information (email addresses and telephone numbers) of three work related referees, to the Human Resource Manager by 15th October 2017, through e-mail hr@mdh-tz.org .

Kindly note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.