Family Planning/Reproductive Health Commodity Security Specialist at UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the leading UN organization in Reproductive Health and Population and Development, is recruiting personnel for the following position:

Job Title: Family Planning/Reproductive Health Commodity Security Specialist

Location : Abuja, Nigeria
Type of Contract : FTA Local
Post Level : NO-C

Background Information:
The Global Programme to Enhance Reproductive Health Commodities Security (GPRHCS) is a part of the UNFPA’s global efforts to improve access to and utilization of quality reproductive health commodities including family planning commodities worldwide. The Global programme works with governments to strengthen or establish secure, reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable systems to ensure supply of and demand for a wide range of reproductive health commodities, including contraceptives and condoms, maternal health and STD related drugs. With support from the GPRHCS, the UNFPA Country Office in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is working closely with the Federal, States and Local Government counterparts in support of government-led efforts to all aspects of in-country demand and supply chains.

Organizational Structure
Based in Abuja, and under the overall guidance of the UNFPA Resident Representative in Nigeria and the direct supervision of the Deputy Representative P & D, the Family Planning/Reproductive Health Commodity Security (FP/RHCS) Technical Specialist will work closely with Programme Teams in the UNFPA Country office. S/he will also work closely with different Federal and State Ministries of Health Departments, Local Governments, NGOs and partners to enhance RHCS.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in ensuring the scale up of the Voluntary Family Planning programme, especially with regards to demand creation and service delivery in line with the UNFPA Family Planning Strategy (Choices not Chances) 2012-2020;
• Provide leadership and technical support to national efforts to analyze RH commodity systems, to design the health commodity supply logistics, in line with the health priorities defined in the National Health Policy, National Health Development Plan, and the National RHCS and FP Strategic Plans;
• Provide leadership for integration of FP/RHCS activities into UNFPA Country Office work plans and in consultation with the Technical and Management Team, work with other UN Agencies to identify areas of collaboration and joint implementation/monitoring.

Advocacy, Partnership and Resource Mobilization

• Lead the national family planning advocacy efforts with partners and facilitate adoption of an integrated approach to sexual and reproductive health in general and specifically to FP/RHCS that takes as its foundation the reliable and consistent availability of planned RH commodities. This integrated approach is complemented by a focus on issues of quality of care, improvements to the national environment as well as questions of access and demand;
• Lead and coordinate efforts to scale up evidence-based advocacy for family planning using different channels and using context appropriate messages and language;
• Collaborate with the country office staff members to promote integrated approaches to improving reproductive health, particularly in areas such as:

(i) Repositioning family planning as a strategy to reduce maternal mortality,
(ii) Improving access to contraceptives by unmarried young people,
(iii) Condom programming under HIV/AIDS programme;

Collaborate with other UN Agencies and development partners to promote and provide integrated technical support for FP/RHCS within countries (particularly with WHO, UNICEF, DFID, USAID, CIDA) and to carry out and implement findings of joint assessments;
Identify potential new donors and initiate the development of proposals to mobilize resources for the programme.

Capacity Development and Technical Support

• Technical support and advice to strengthen the national health system for an increased accessibility, demand creation and use of FP/ RH commodities to all individuals. This will entail a demonstrated ability to provide technical advice and information on how to increase contraceptive prevalence rate, condom usages, and effectiveness of national logistics systems;
• Capacity in contraceptive technology (especially long acting methods) and logistics planning and management (quantification and forecasting, identifying warehouses and setting-up/schedule transportations, identify suitable routings, communicate with FMOH on stock availability, provide update accurate reports, etc.);
• Technical leadership and support to national partners in setting up an effective procurement and supply management for all health commodities in compliance with national and international standards;
• FP/RHCS mainstreamed, of the public health facilities and ensure national ownership and readiness to take over this responsibility;
• Technical assistance to ensure the effective functioning of the PSM Sub Committee, the National RHCS Technical Working Group and the National RH Working Group to monitor the procurement of Reproductive Health Commodities to ensure uninterrupted flow of commodities and implementation of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Programs;
• Support State warehouses and provide technical support for good warehousing practices and technical support for infrastructure upgrade to local and international pharmaceutical grade warehousing standards.

Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

• Manage technical knowledge and evidence-based information for FP/RHCS and provide technical support for the implementation of the annual GPRHCS survey and other surveys required to create body of evidence for FP and RHCS in Nigeria at national and sub-national levels;
• Assess progress of the FP strategic plan implementation, including appropriate substantive and administrative follow-up actions;
• Oversee, monitor and analyze on a continuous basis, substantive programme implementation, including preparing substantive programme and financial reports on the National RHCS and FP Strategic Plans;
• Undertake any other assignments as may be given by the UNFPA Representative.

Competencies
Values

• Exemplifying integrity
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system
• Embracing cultural diversity
• Embracing change

Core Competencies

• Achieving results
• Being accountable
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen
• Thinking analytically and strategically
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships
• Communicating for impact

Required Skillset

• Strategically positioning UNFPA programmes
• Providing conceptual innovation to support programme effectiveness
• Generating, managing and promoting the use of knowledge and information
• Providing a technical support system
• Strengthening the programming capacity of implementing partners
• Facilitating quality programmatic results
• Internal and External relations and advocacy for results mobilization.

Required Skills and Experience

• The ideal candidate should be a Nigerian national (male or female) with:
• Post Graduate degree in the field of Social Sciences, Reproductive Health, Public Health, Pharmacy or in a related field with experience in the area of contraceptive logistic management and family planning programing;
• Professional qualifications in family planning, procurement, programe Management are an asset; a course in logistics, essential drugs, and MIS is a plus;
• Seven (7) years of post graduate degree working experience in increasing responsibilities at the national level in family planning, logistics systems, public sector pharmaceutical supplies management with direct experience relating to health and logistics systems and management of family planning programmes. Also experience in public sector pharmaceutical programme management at national level, especially in policy and management, selection, access, quality assurance and rational drug use is strongly desired;
• Extensive knowledge of supply management: forecasting, warehousing, distribution, transportation, logistics information systems and eLMIS (CHANNEL Software, PIPELINE Software, QuantiMed and other softwares);
• Health sector-specific experience, including Family Planning, Public Health systems, Health Commodity Supply Market, Logistics and inventory management related to pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, based on sound Supply Chain Management principles;
• Excellent written and oral communications skills; fluency in English is required.

Application Closing Date
28th August, 2014

How to Apply
Interested candidates should
Click here to apply