The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity, and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC opened the country program in Afghanistan in 1988. Our programs span the range from humanitarian relief to early recovery and development activities, focusing on child protection, education, economic wellbeing, health, and power. The IRC works in 10 provinces throughout Afghanistan, among which some of the most security volatile, and employs over 1000 staff.

Compliance with Policies:

• Compliance with the IRC WAY (our standards for professional conduct) is a responsibility shared by all involved in delivering on the IRC’s mission. We must abide by the IRC Way and Safeguarding Policies all the time.
• The IRC has zero tolerance approach to the IRC Code of Conduct including safeguarding violations being committed by its staff, consultants, contractors, volunteers, interns, suppliers, vendors, sub-grantees/partners, implementing partners or any other associate.

JOB OVERVIEW/SUMMARY:

As the technical lead on pharma management, the Pharmacy Coordinator shall be responsible for quality assurance of all pharmaceutical products in the country programs and also act the bridge between Supply Chain and the Health Unit. S/he will participate in the definition of strategies for supply chain management, distribution and use of medical products and donations in the programs in line with the health department’s recommendations and policies whilst ensuring national and donor regulations are followed. This position is the link with external actors/partners concerning pharmaceutical issues.

KEY RESPONSBILITIES

Pharmaceuticals and Supplies Management:

• Oversee the medical drugs and supplies quantification and ensures that all procured items are in the CP Essential Drug List. S/he will ensure drug consumption data is collected at health facilities, aggregated, analyzed and used for forecasting needs of the program.
• Monitors the availability of medical products to avoid stock-outs/over-stocks and financial losses generated by expired items; Collaborates with the Senior Health & Nutrition Advisor to define stock security levels in IRC’s directly implemented facilities.
• In close collaboration with the Warehouse officer(s), develops stock levels alert (based on an average monthly consumption AMC and morbidity data); gathers stock indicators, analyze them and discuss with to the Sr. Health & Nutrition Advisor / Supply Chain coordinator so as to avoid stock-outs/over-stocks and the financial losses generated by expired items.
• Provides input for international and local orders: draws up the first draft of orders with the Sr. Health & Nutrition Advisor, reviews the parameters involved in replenishing stock, finalizes orders based on consumption/morbidity trends and future needs arising from the developments in the field.
• Participates in defining strategies for supply, management, distribution and use of medical products in line with IRC’s and donors’ recommendations and policies; under the supervision of the Sr. Health & Nutrition Advisor and in collaboration with Health and Supply Chain Managers, support development/use of new pharmaceutical stock management systems and software;
• Participates in implementing the pharmaceutical supply chain standard operating procedures;
• Applies Good Distribution Practices (GDPs) for pharmaceutical products at storage level, and Good Dispensing Practices in end user units. These include:

• Documentation verification:
  • Conduct systematic checks of all medical goods purchased locally and for direct shipments, and control their details correspond to the requested specifications and the received documentation (Certificate of Analyses)
  • Check conformity of the received goods with the PO (Purchase Order) and the PL (Packing List) (strength, origin, manufacturer, batch number)
• Transportation and storage:

• Ensure transportation of medical goods (including any dangerous goods and cold chain) is done in an appropriate manner and following national regulations.
• Conduct GDP self-assessment for the central warehouses with the assistance of GSC Pharma QA Manager and follows up on Corrective Action Preventive Action (CAPA) implementation.
  • Handle cold chain products according to the recommendations of the manufacturer.

• Ensure that cold chain equipment is working properly and that daily temperature monitoring of cold chain items is in place.
  • Report to GSC Pharma QA Manager any cold chain breach (fills the cold chain breech report), who will advise on releasing the products.
  • Ensure that appropriate storage conditions are in place for medicines (including dangerous goods products) and advise any need for improvements.
  • Ensure controlled drugs are managed according to national regulation.
  • Ensure stock rotation according to FIFO (First In First Out) and FEFO (First Expiry First Out)
  • Support in conducting monthly and annual physical stock counts.
• Quality assurance of commodities:
  • Ensure with the support of HQ that all offered donations by any partner or others are in compliance with the IRC Quality Assurance Policy and IRC Donations SOP.
  • Follow-up any claim reports from the field concerning quality (IRC Complaint Form) with the GSC Pharma QA Manager and maintains a file with all claims.
  • Investigate and put in quarantine any medical product that has been identified as suspect – meaning that it may be counterfeit, unapproved, or potentially dangerous.
• Disposal and returns:
  • Ensure disposal of health care products is done according with national regulations/or IRC Waste Disposal SOP, and that a disposal file is maintained
  • Handle with the support of GSC Pharma QA Manager, any claim or batch recall according to WHO GDP guidelines (IRC batch recall SOP)
  • Ensure full traceability of the medical products journey through all the stakeholders in the supply chain and is responsible for batch recall
  • Organize return or exchange of rejected goods with the SCC

• Manages medical stock data and indicators, analyzes and interprets performance to support the necessary programmatic decisions or course corrections in collaboration with Health and Supply Chain staff (consumption, stock levels, stock-outs, pre-stock-outs, over-stocking, donations, expired products, disposal, etc.);
• Provides support to procurement and supplier management, this includes:
  • In coordination with the GSC Pharma QA Manager, maintain, update and file the CP Pharma Database (list of validated suppliers)
  • Provide the purchasing team with a list of validated suppliers approved and validated by the GSC Pharma QA Manager (ensures that all local purchases are done via prequalified suppliers)
  • Ensure that all requested items by the Health team are compliant with the CP EDL, and flags any discrepancy. If non-standard items are requested, asks the Health Coordinator to get the green-light from HQ before proceeding with the order
  • In coordination with the GSC Pharma QA Manager, perform market assessment for preselection of products and suppliers and organizes visits of suppliers
• Supervise the store release, distribution, and
• transfer of all stock to the required field site locations;

Technical Support and Capacity Building

• Provide support supervision to the pharmacy manager, officers, technicians and dispensers at field sites to ensure proper management and reporting of medical drugs and supplies, and ensure a quality-assurance system is incorporated into the health facilities and medical stores
• Provide technical guidance to the pharmacy manager/officers in all aspects of drug supply management – continuously assess the staff needs, identify gaps and adapt plans/activities to respond to these gaps.
• Provide continuous Pharma training for Supply Chain and Health Unit staff on the IRC Pharma SOP’s and GDPs

• Minimum of (5+) years of experience in NGOs in managing and leading, pharma sectors. working and know how to work according to international health donor guidelines.
• Bachelor’s Degree / Master’s Degree in Pharmacy is preferred

For IRC- Afghanistan Internal Candidates:

(“ The IRC encourages employees to remain in a position for at least one year and be in good standing before applying for another position within the organization. if an employee is interested in a vacant position within the organization, he/she must inform his/her supervisor in advance before applying for a new position”)

(However, 1 year is a must to complete but to encourage IRCA employees somehow we are flexible who work in the current IRC position for at least 6 months or above and are given chance to compete for an opportunity in the organization)

All qualified candidates are requested to open the given link and follow the instructions:

https://rescue.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/51646?c=rescue

applications received without a given link and/or online system will be disqualified and removed from the entire process.

Shortlisted candidates will be directly contacted for a written test and after that for interviews. If you are not contacted TWO or FOUR WEEKS after the closing date .please know that your application has not been successful for the post. IRC Afghanistan Country Office, Qala-e-Fathullah, Street # 3, District 10, Old UNOCHA Office, Beside Fatemia Mosque.

Refer to submission guideline