Consultant – Health Commodity Logistics Advisor

John Snow, Inc. (JSI), a leading international public health consulting organization, is seeking two (2) Consultant – Health Commodity Logistics Advisor. This full-time positions, initially for a six month period but with the possibility of being extended and eventually permanent employment) is based in Semera (Afar) and Jijiga (Somali) Regions. The USAID | DELIVER PROJECT, managed by John Snow, Inc. (JSI) and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, provides technical assistance in healthcare supply chain management to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), the Pharmaceuticals Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA), Regional/City Health Bureaus, zones, woredas, and health facilities. Key interventions include support for the Integrated Pharmaceutical Logistics System (IPLS), including information systems, inventory management, stores management, and product availability, and with a particular focus on family planning, maternal and child health and malaria commodities. Primary objectives include improved commodity availability, system performance and sustainability.

Overview: Reporting to DELIVER Regional Manager, the primary role of the consultant is to help ensure health commodity security with special focus on facilities in drought impacted woredas in Afar and Somali Regions through technical support for implementation of the IPLS. The consultant will collaborate with and support the newly opened PFSA hubs in Semera and Jijiga, RHBs, and partners, to strengthen inventory management, information systems (including the automated HMCIS), and commodity availability at health facilities. The consultant will also be involved in providing technical assistance, supportive supervision, and monitoring and evaluation in the regions for selected logistics and commodity security indicators including availability of health commodities vital for drought response.
Responsibilities: The HCLA will be responsible for, but shall not be limited to:

• Provide regular supportive supervision to health facilities (including health posts) to ensure that systems are working well including inventory management and information systems.


• Provide on-the-job training and support for HCMIS and paper based systems, Health Post Resupply program, logistics data reporting and analysis, forecasting, and monitoring and evaluation.


• Monitor and report on commodity availability at health facilities with particular attention on family planning, maternal and child health, malaria, and drought relief commodities. Where possible take actions to address problems identified at health facilities.


• Provide support for the Health Post Resupply program, including ensuring forms, job aides, and other materials are distributed, reviewed, and supported.


• As needed, provide class room training on IPLS, and HP Resupply to partner staff


• Provide overall support to PFSA hubs for implementation of IPLS including PFSA support to health facilities and use of logistics data


• Work closely with project hub based IT staff to ensure HCMIS at hub is functional and being used, including dashboard


• Support and help coordinate hub based teams at PFSA and other commodity related Technical Working Groups


• Support overall coordination efforts at regional level for drought impact as they relate to supply chain management and logistics


• Work with PFSA, RHB, and other partners to ensure commodities related to drought impact are quantified and made available.


• Assist PFSA hubs, RHBs, zones, woredas and health facilities to use logistics data for decision-making, focusing on regular resupply and forecasting.


• Provide regular (at least monthly) written and verbal reports and updates to Regional Manager, on activities, site visits, progress, constraints, and related issues.


• Complete and send the integrated database to the Addis office in a timely manner


• Follow project policies for financial management including timely completion of travel advance requests and expense reports.


• Perform other tasks, duties, and responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time.

• Degree in Pharmacy, supply chain management or other public health related professional


• Preference given to candidates with at least two years’ experience working in the health system in Ethiopia, and ideally in the health care supply chain


• IPLS training an advantage


• Demonstrated initiative, and ability to work independently with minimal supervision


• Experience working in  USAID- funded project an advantage


• Strong interpersonal skills and team player with proven technical and negotiation skills and willingness to work in diverse geographic and cultural environment.


• Excellent written and verbal English and local languages (Afar /Somali )


• Proficiency in common computer packages such as Word, Excel and Power point


• Able to travel about 50 percent of time to the field to support health facilities in assigned location.

Condition of Employment: Full-time Consultancy initially for a six month period but with the possibility of being extended and eventually permanent employment. The fee entails no any other benefits other than the fixed consultancy fee.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted and applications that do not meet the minimum requirements will not be considered. Interested applicants should submit their application through e-mail as follows:

E-mail: Please clearly mark in the subject line 

No phone calls please.