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Qualifications

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This requisition is for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

The RRF special program comprises two funds – the Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines (RF) and the Strategic Fund for Public Health Supplies (SF). The special program is commissioned to facilitate cross-functional integration, collaboration, and optimization of processes and value-added services between the SF and RF to address new and evolving strategic and technical needs of Member States for vaccines and strategic public health supplies. The RF is a technical cooperation mechanism that ensures equitable access to safe, effective, and affordable vaccines by pooling vaccine demand from Member States. The SF is a technical cooperation mechanism to improve access to quality-assured, safe, effective, and affordable essential medicines and strategic public health supplies. The RF and SF provide technical cooperation to Member States throughout the supply chain and are central components of PAHO’s strategy to move towards Universal Health.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the general guidance of the Executive Manager, Special Program, Regional Revolving Funds (RRF), and the direct supervision of the Chief of the Strategic Fund for Public Health Supplies (SF) the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

1.    Develop and drive the implementation of individual annual work plans for each country in close coordination with the PWRs, and  Technical Units (HSS, CIM, CDE, NMH, IMT, PRO, etc.) at the country offices, and HQ to address access to vaccines, medicine, and health technology barriers and opportunities through the RRF;

2.    Collaborate with and advise national authorities on the RRF processes and procedures in defining the corresponding technical cooperation program and monitoring progress.

3.    Provide technical support and coordinate administrative and technical areas at national entities to promote the RRF in articulation with PAHO HQ.

4.    Providing technical, timely and accurate support on demand planning and forecasting, consolidation, and advisory on the selection of health supplies, including vaccines, immunization supplies, medicines, diagnostics, medical counter measures (MCM) and strategic health technologies through closely collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and PAHO country stakeholders.

5.    Conduct an in-depth needs assessment to pinpoint opportunities for enhancing access to essential health supplies, including overcoming health technology hurdles. Leverage the RRF as a critical tool to identify, prioritize and address gaps in health supply access, ensuring affordable and quality – assured solutions;

6.    Oversee and facilitate the RRF procurement processes for vaccines, medicines and health technologies ensuring seamless collaboration on technical specifications, quantity verification, shipping document checks and other technical requirements. Manage and monitor the entire procurement cycle, from end-to-end planning to deliver, payment and claims proactively identifying and resolving issues as necessary to ensure smooth and efficient RRF operations;

7.    Provide technical expertise on the characterization, analysis, and co-creation of health supply and supply chain management, including cold chain strengthening plans in collaboration with the MOH and country office focal points guided by the RRF Supply Chain Advisors. Support targeted market information sharing and communication efforts towards relevant national health programs and national officers for vaccines, essential medicines, strategic health supplies, cold chain equipment, safe injection devices, and all products offered by the RRF;

8.    Support the MOH in analyzing health supplies stock monitoring and generating projections on stock consumption under the guidance of RRF Supply Chain Advisors and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to mitigate any supply risks;

9.    Provide support to member states throughout the RRF utilization process, from needs assessment and access requests to monitoring and balancing the line of credit. Additionally, guide the development and submission of required plans and documents, including procurement and payment schedules;

10. Provide comprehensive support to strengthen, monitor and evaluate the country’s participation in the RRF. Analyze the overall RRF function (political, technical) to optimize the RRF technical cooperation at the national level;

11. Facilitate the implementation of digital platforms/tools developed by PAHO, including but not limited to the RRF Member State Portal, Quantmet, and QuanTB. Promote their benefits and use by national programs and authorities;

12. Verify the information provided on the selected country and regional KPIs and proactively look for opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the RRF’s processes and outcomes;

13. Perform other related responsibilities as requested by the direct supervisor(s).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A bachelor’s and master’s degree in pharmacy, health sciences, public health, business administration, Supply Chain Management, public administration, economics, industrial engineering, epidemiology, or any other relevant field related to health suppliers forecasting.

Desirable: PhD in a relevant field would be an asset.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position.  PAHO, considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in one of the following databases:

World Higher Education Database (WHED), list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).  The list can be accessed through the link:  http://www.whed.net/

Council for Higher Education Accreditation http://www.chea.org/search/default.asp

College Navigator, found on the website of the National Centre for Educational Statistics, https://nces.ed.gov/ college navigator to support the validation process.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

Experience: Nine years of combined national and international relevant working and research experience in relevant areas like health products forecasting analysis, health economics or policy analysis, health supply chains, and health systems management.

Desirable: Experience in managing end-to-end health supply chains. Prior work experience in the Americas and with international organizations would be an asset.

SKILLS:

PAHO Competencies:

·       Overall attitude at work: Maintains integrity and takes a clear ethical approach and stance; demonstrates commitment to the Organization’s mandate and promotes the values of the Organization in daily work and behavior; is accountable for work carried out in line with own role and responsibilities; is respectful towards, and trusted by, colleagues and counterparts.

·       Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences: Relate well to diversity in others and capitalize on such diversity – Treats all people with dignity and respect. Relates well to people with different cultures, gender, orientations, backgrounds and/or positions; examines own behavior to avoid stereotypical responses; considers issues from the perspective of others and values their diversity.

·       Teamwork: Collaborate and cooperate with others – Works collaboratively with team members and counterparts to achieve and build rapport; helps others when asked; accepts joint responsibility for the team’s successes and shortcomings.

·       Communication: Write effectively/Share knowledge – Writes down ideas in a clear, structured, logical and credible way; drafts and supports the development of guidelines, policies and procedures. Shares relevant information openly and ensures that the shared information is understood; considers knowledge sharing as a constructive working method and demonstrates awareness of the Organization.

·       Producing Results: Work efficiently and independently/Deliver quality results – Monitors own and others’ work in a systematic and effective way, ensuring required resources and outputs. Aligns projects with Organization’s mission and objectives. Consistently solves own and team’s problems effectively as needed. Proactively engages in projects and initiatives, accepting demanding goals, in line with Organizational Strategies and Program of Work. Demonstrates accountability for the work of the team and sets an example while explicitly articulating lessons learned for own and the team’s benefit.

·       Ensuring effective use of resources: Strategize and set clear objectives/Monitor progress and use resources well – Sets specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely objectives for own team and/or the Organization; systematically analyses and anticipates priority projects for own team and allocates necessary resources to achieve them; identifies the cross-Organizational resources needed for large- scale projects in line with key Organizational objectives. Anticipates foreseeable changes and adapts own and team’s projects in the face of unforeseen circumstances and/ or challenges; creates measures and criteria to monitor the progress of overall projects against key Organizational objectives; creates cost-effective solutions for the Organization.

·       Building and promoting partnerships across the Organization and beyond: Develop networks and partnerships and encourage collaboration – Builds and negotiates strategic partnerships and alliances with a wide range of key stakeholders to ensure Organizational results and success. Creates innovative opportunities for promoting synergies inside and outside the Organization to improve Organizational success.

Technical Expertise:

·       Strong public health and strategic thinking background showing resourcefulness, initiative, and leadership qualities, with sound technical, analytical, conceptual, interpersonal, and communication skills; demonstrated ability to identify, assess, analyze, synthesize, and provide recommendations on key political and technical issues.

·       Managerial skills for the development, implementation, and analysis of technical cooperation programs and activities, including budget programming and control.

·       Knowledge and skills of best practices in public health supply chain management, logistics management, information systems and procedures for forecasting and estimating public health needs; knowledge of other critical processes related to the management of medicines and health technologies.

·       Strong analytical, planning, and operational skills with expertise in predictive analysis.

·       Ability to manage multiple issues and tasks in a complex organizational environment to re-prioritize actions at short notice.

·       Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.

·       Strong professional oral and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest levels of the Organization.

Languages: Very good knowledge of Spanish or English with a working knowledge of the other language. French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.

IT Skills:

Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology and software, spreadsheets and presentations, as well as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), statistical analysis, and data modelling & visualization software tools. Demonstrated ability to effectively use software programs such as Workday, Power BI, Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Drive, Teams, Share Point and Outlook are considered essential.

REMUNERATION

Monthly Salary: (Net of taxes)

USD $6,443.83 post adjustment

Post Adjustment: This percentage is to be considered as indicative since variations may occur each month either upwards or downwards due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

·       This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates to fill other similar short-term professional positions, at the same grade level.

·       PAHO/WHO offers an attractive compensation package including a monthly net salary and post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station and exchange rates (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance).  Other benefits may include: 2.5 days annual leave per month, generous telework policy, parental leave, sick leave, pension plan, and health insurance scheme.  Other benefits for internationally recruited staff may include travel and removal expenses on appointment and separation, settling-in grant and rental subsidy.

·       Candidates will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. A written test and/or interview will be held for this position as a form of screening.

·       The post description is the official documentation for organization purposes.

·       Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to PAHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and e-Manual.

·       For information on PAHO please visit: http://www.paho.org

·       PAHO/WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

·       PAHO is an ethical organization that maintains high standards of integrity and accountability. People joining PAHO are required to maintain these standards both in their professional work and personal activities.

·       PAHO also promotes a work environment that is free from harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and other types of abusive behavior. PAHO conducts background checks and will not hire anyone who has a substantiated history of misconduct.

·       PAHO personnel interact frequently with people in the communities we serve. To protect these people, PAHO has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. People who commit serious wrongdoing will be terminated and may also face criminal prosecution.

·       PAHO/WHO is a smoke-free environment.

·       Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are encouraged.

·       All applicants are required to complete an on-line profile to be considered for this post.