Medical Supply Chain Referent – Supply Department (m/f/X) – MSF Belgium – Brussels

Médecins Sans Frontières

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 60 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.

Medical Supply Chain Referent – Supply Department (m/f/X) – MSF Belgium – Brussels

You are a pharmacist and you have experience in Pharmaceutical Supply chain management with MSF in the field or another NGO? Check our position of Medical Supply Chain Referent!

CONTEXT

MSF consists of 5 Operational Centers (OCs), 3 European Supply Centers (ESCs) and 22 partner sections (PS). OCB (Operational Center of Brussels) is one of the 5 operational centers.

Driven by MSF’s goals, the OCB Supply chain’s mission is to enable humanitarian action and provide reliable supply chain solutions. The supply chain is composed of different entities to cover the whole, all having interactions with each other. As such, the scope covers a supply chain that is specific, humanitarian, and subject to emergencies.

The OCB Supply community, comprising HQ and Field Supply Chain (SC) departments, is the overall governing body of OCB’s Supply Chain, the one in charge to design the End-to-End (E2E) Supply Chain of every field of operation and accountable for its performance, providing E2E visibility and revealing in full transparency the necessary information to the stakeholders.

The OCB Supply Chain Department is responsible for the support to all OCB missions in the management of

their supply chains, including the medical ones with important medical aspects to take into consideration. The OCB Medical Department issues policies and guidelines, such as GSDP (Good Storage and Distribution Practices of Pharmaceuticals) Guidelines, medical item procurement policy, etc. The field medical team is the medical stock owner.

The SC Department and the Medical Department work closely together on numerous files they have in common.

They are now in the process of collaborating much more and in a more structured way, creating bridges at all levels of the organization, in the operations and at the HQ, for the benefit and the smooth running of the operations.

The SC Department has developed its “CARE” manifesto and is committed to it. “As a member of the Supply Community, we CARE for our stakeholders”. CARE is as well an acronym: We Collaborate, We are Agile, We Reveal, We are Empathetic.

As “Medical Supply Chain Referent”, you are, as part of the SC Department and collaborating with the Pharma Unit, a key element to implement the CARE manifesto and make it concrete between Supply and Medical Communities, de-siloing and bringing transversality between them. You will bring necessary medical background inside the Supply Chain department that the department doesn’t have enough and will strengthen the collaboration between both departments. You will be working closely with stakeholders such as the pharmacists from the Med department and foster collaboration between Supply and Med community at the field level.

As such, you will identify medical gaps within the field supply chain and create the necessary bridges with the concerned departments. You will participate in the development of common projects with the Medical Department, representing its needs and making sure its ambition is well taken into consideration within the SC Department.

You will be complementary – and can act as a backup – for the “Medical Stock Management Referent” in the SC department, collaborating to develop necessary files and to promote good medical stock management at field level.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The main objective of this position is twofold, with an expected 50%/50% occupation on both aspect:

  • Work with the field’s supply teams, to improve the skills, understanding and communication of the supply community on medical supply chain management.
  • Contribute at the HQ level on files that Medical and Supply departments have in common.

SUPPORT FOR THE MEDICAL SUPPLY CHAIN AT FIELD LEVEL ON THE FOLLOWING TOPICS

To be performed in collaboration, coordination and coherence with the Referents and MIOs (Mobile Implementation Officers) within the Medical and Supply Chain Departments.

INVENTORY AND DATA QUALITY MANAGEMENT

  • Provide first line support and coaching to the field supply chain teams on performing physical inventories in medical warehouses
  • Visit to the fields for audit / training / mentoring, particularly on, but not restricted to, a specific focus on inventories and data quality
  • Provide training and field support to ensure the proper use of Unifield for medical stock management and related Tools (Power BI…) to ensure that medical supply chain data (i.e. MMSR, backorders, pipelines, stock levels, etc.) are regularly shared by the supply teams to the medical teams for them to take informed decision
  • Support the missions on corrective measures to ensure proper medical supply chain data
  • Monitor and share with the concerned medical stakeholders overall KPIs on medical stock management

MEDICAL STOCK MANAGEMENT

  • Collaborate with the GSDP Referent to ensure compliance with the OCB GSDP Guidelines in medical warehouses by the supply chain teams at field level
  • Develop, train & coach the supply teams in the debut of their missions in complex contexts or upon request from operations on medical stock management in accordance to MSF OCB standards
  • Provide field support to selected missions to evaluate compliance with MSF OCB standards on medical stock management and to provide training and support to all relevant staff responsible for medical stock management
  • Contribute to and facilitate the writing of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) inside the Supply Chain Department
  • Support the staff working under the supply chain department at field level and dealing with medical items, brief and debrief them when necessary
  • Evaluate if medical stock management tools are in place and/or implement required tools to improve the medical stock management related activities in medical warehouses at field level
  • Ensure proper medical kit management at field level, with specific regards to expiry date/batch number

CONTRIBUTOR ON INTERDEPARTMENTAL FILES

Thanks to a strong empathetic mindset, constant dialogue and functional links with the medical and pharma communities:

  • Ensure that the developments of solutions, KPIs and metrics proposed by the SC Department fit with the priorities of the Medical community, thanks to a strong drive within the SC Department
  • Ensure that these solutions, KPIs and metrics are implemented and followed up wherever it’s necessary (HQ / Field)
  • Contribute to transversal Med/Supply files
  • Take the role of project manager for some files
  • Contribute to the development of smooth processes to foster collaborative interactions between SC (managers) and Med (owners) at field level, for instance on:
    • Demand planning
    • Medical order calculation
    • Elaboration/reading/understanding medical stock reports
    • Support to provide reliable medical stock levels such as (pre)ruptures, (pre)expired, back-order, pipeline, etc.
    • Support the updating/entries of MSF codes in the Portal and validation systems
    • Promote within the supply chain community the explanation and transparency of medical stock data
    • Induction & onboard training to supply chain teams
  • Contribute to the proposal of medical supply chain field set-ups (HR / Tools / Processes) adapted to the contexts
  • Work alongside the Medical Department as the supply chain counterpart, together with the Medical Stock Management Referent, on medical supply chain topics

OTHERS

You participate in the Pharma Unit meetings and you may represent OCB SC Department in intersectional project teams.

REQUIREMENTS

Education

  • Degree as Pharmacist
  • Additional training in Supply Chain Management is an asset

Experience

  • At least 2 years of experience in Pharmaceutical Supply chain management mandatory
  • Field MSF (or NGO) experience mandatory
  • GSDP experience mandatory
  • UniField knowledge is a very strong asset
  • Isystock knowledge is a plus

Transversal competencies

  • Strong collaboration skills
  • Strong ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
  • User centric and agile mindset
  • High result and quality orientation
  • Project management experience is an asset
  • IT/IS literate

Languages

  • Fluent in English
  • French is a strong asset
  • Spanish/Portuguese/Arabic would be additional assets

CONDITIONS

  • Expected starting date: Immediately
  • Location: Brussels (Belgium)
  • 33% to 50% time in the field
  • Contract type: Open-ended contract – Full time
  • Belgian contract; Salary according to MSF-OCB HQ grid
  • Meal Vouchers – Hospital Insurance (DKV) – Pension Plan – 100% reimbursement for public transportation costs – In-house canteen at fair prices
  • Adhere to the MSF principles and to our managerial values: Respect, Transparency, Integrity, Accountability, Trust and Empowerment
  • Adhere to the MSF Behavioral Commitments

Deadline for applications: 31/10/2022

How to apply

How to apply?

Please, send your CV and cover letter to [email protected] and mention “Medical Supply Chain Referent – Supply Department” in the subject of your email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

MSF values diversity and is committed to create an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

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