State Consultants at Malaria Consortium - 9 Openings

Malaria Consortium - Established in 2003, we are one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations specializing in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases among vulnerable populations. Our mission is to save lives and improve health in Africa and Asia, through evidence-based programs that combat targeted diseases and promote universal health coverage.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: State Consultant

Locations: Abuja (FCT), Bauchi, Borno, Kebbi, Kogi, Nassarawa, Oyo, Plateau and Sokoto
Employment Type: Contract

Description

• We require qualified supply chain personnel who provide objective and professional opinion on level of accountability demonstrated in the management of SPAQ during 2023 SMC intervention by carrying out a commodity management audit exercise.
• The Commodity Management Audit will be conducted in the nine (9) states (Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Oyo, FCT and Bauchi).
• The exercise will involve reviewing documents and interviewing officials from Malaria Consortium and Government (State, LGAs, and health facility workers) in the nine states.
• The assignment will focus on supply chain management and survey of private outlets on malaria commodities.

Type of personnel required for the audit:
This assignment will require the following technical assistants:

• Consultants (National and State Level Consultants): A team of 10 consultants (1 team lead and 9 others). The Lead Consultant will have oversight on all the activities and will be in Bauchi for the fieldwork. S/he will be responsible for the review and finalization of the protocol for the commodity audit.

Specific Activities for the Personnel (State Consultants)
Specific Tasks:

• The state-level consultant deployed to the state will train record reviewers that will do lower-level data reviews.
• Entry meeting with State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP), State LMCU and LGA PHC team at the commencement of the assignment.
• Visit state-designated state central medical store, LGA stores and sampled health facilities for review of available records.
• Alert on presence of unused SPAQ at any health facilities and any other transient points back to the CMS.
• Reconcile the result of the physical count with the record of Malaria Health product receipt and distribution to determine the completeness and correctness of the records.
• Interview health workers in sampled health facilities on knowledge in the management of malaria commodities and pharmacovigilance.
• Interview health workers in the sampled health facilities on the challenges in the management of SMC commodities during the 2023 SMC campaign.
• Examine the conditions of the commodities and categorize into good, bad or expired.
• Examine the conditions of the stores (CMS and selected health facilities) and classify as conducive, safe, secured, adequate or otherwise.
• Assess the compliance with policies and procedures laid down for the receipt, distribution and storage of the commodity and identify areas for improvement.
• Debrief with SMEP/SMoH before leaving the state.
• Debrief with MC team at the state level on findings at the conclusion of assignment.
• Write a comprehensive report on the assignment making recommendations where necessary and using appropriate template.

Deliverables
Assignment report for assigned states to include:

• Availability and use of commodity logistic tools.
• The results of the physical count and reconciliation of SPAQ in the selected locations.
• The result of assessment of Malaria Health Product stock and store conditions.
• Result of the assessment of compliance with the laid down policies and procedures.
• Report with recommendations for improvement (as appropriate) and next steps.
• Determine the number of data reviewers that will be required for the audit.

Timelines for Activities:

• The timeline for the assignment is January 2024.

Number of Contractual TA-Days:

• State Consultants (One per state) - 17- days.

Qualifications and Experience

• The ideal State Consultants must have experience managing health commodities which includes handling the documentation and accountability of health products in both private and or public sector and or carrying out research that involves investigation with eyes for details.

In addition, s/he is required to have:

• A minimum of Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy or other Health related fields
• 3-5 years Postgraduation experience as a Pharmacist involved in the Management of Health Commodities.
• Demonstrable ability to work in a resource scarce environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to give attention to details.

Application Closing Date
19th December, 2023.