Senior Technical Advisor-Regulatory System Strengthening

Job Description

Overall Responsibilities:

The goal of the USAID’s Medicines, Technologies and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS), a global five-year Program is to help low- and middle-income countries to strengthen their pharmaceutical systems to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable essential medicines and pharmaceutical services. MTaPS implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and its partners will provide technical assistance to countries, government Ministries’, national regulatory authorities to strengthen pharmaceutical systems including procurement, supply chain, information, and regulatory systems.

The STA Regulatory Systems Strengthening (RSS) provides overall technical and strategic guidance on building capacity and strengthening management systems for medical products regulatory activities including product registration, pharmacovigilance, inspection of pharmacies and distributors of medicines, and post-marketing surveillance. The STA RSS is also responsible for providing overall technical and strategic guidance regarding how MTaPS activities can contribute to addressing pharmaceutical management issues.

Technical Support (40%)

• Provide strategic technical guidance through on-the-job training as mentor to MTaPS Technical Advisors for timely and effective technical deliverables.
• Provide technical leadership and strategic guidance to other MTaPS technical teams to ensure effective development and implementation of appropriate strategies for strengthening pharmaceutical regulatory services in countries.
• Provide technical and strategic guidance to strengthen regulatory systems including pharmacovigilance systems in countries of interest
• Provide technical support to the MTaPS teams on monitoring of RSS, other related activities with a special focus on key performance indicators for better planning and monitoring.
• Prepare technical reports/documentations and give technical presentations on key activities and achievements as needed.

Coordination (30%)

• Serve as a member of the RSS team in ensuring that results are achieved and program deliverables are met.
• Work closely with the MTaPS RSS/PV Principal Technical Advisors and other technical officers in the MTaPS Program at the head office and in field offices, to ensure that all technical activities of the project are integrated making the most effective and efficient use of all program resources.
• Represent the MTaPS program at various technical meetings with other cooperating agencies, collaborating partners, senior government officials and/or donor agencies and participate in various working groups as required.
• Work with Government counterparts and other stakeholders for strengthening health systems to develop the long-term capacity building plan for strengthening regulatory and pharmaceutical management capacity and ensure effective implementation of the plans.
• Report regularly to the RSS PTA on progress/results achieved in technical work plans and barrier encountered, and resolve any challenges faced.
• Work closely with the MTaPS MIS Team to ensure that technical activities and results are appropriately captured by the pharmaceutical management information system.

Capacity Building (20%)

• Work with MTaPS Technical Advisors in the field offices and Program officers to ensure that defined technical work plans are being implemented in a timely and technically sound manner, and productively leverage collaboration with key government and other stakeholders and partners.
• Provide technical inputs in the development of training and other capacity-building strategies and plans for national and regional level system strengthening activities, in collaboration with relevant team members and partners.

M & E (10%)

• Provide technical inputs to the development of relevant performance monitoring indicators and effectively monitor the performance of health systems component through a structured mechanism.

Education

Advanced degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (preferred) or other health-related field

Experience

Required:

• At least 7 years’ experience in medicine, pharmacy with background in public health or related field.

Preferred:

• Significant experience in regulatory affairs, particularly medicines registration and pharmacovigilance desired.
• Significant experience in international public health with at least five years’ experience related to health systems strengthening, or pharmaceutical management, preferably in work funded by USAID.
• Experience in public Health programs in low- and middle-income countries in terms of providing technical assistance is desired.
• Demonstrated experience and skills in supervising technical teams.
• Experience with USAID and other donor agencies desirable.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in a team-oriented, culturally diverse environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, sound judgment, communication skills, training experience, ability to identify and resolve policy and operational constraints.
• Forward thinking, with demonstrated ability to develop creative and innovative solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with senior government officials and other stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills in English. Additional proficiency in French, Portuguese a plus.
• Demonstrated intermediate skills in Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with Microsoft Project a plus.

Competencies

• Functional competencies: Highly motivated, resourceful, results driven and persistent. Ability to think strategically, gather and analyse information in order to make appropriate decisions. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Core MSH competencies: adaptability, communication, problem solving, creativity and innovation, timeliness of work, quality of work and team relationships, resource utilization.
• Sound judgment, self-motivated, strong initiative.

International travel may be required

MSH is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job requirements. MSH will take affirmative action to ensure that qualified applicants are employed and that employees are treated without regard to their race, age, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran and disability status. In compliance with U.S. Department of Labor Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Readjustment Assistance Act, MSH has developed and maintains an affirmative action program and plan.

About the Organization

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a global health nonprofit that makes foundational changes to health systems to protect people from diseases and improve their health. MSH collaborates with local partners, from the Ministry to the community, to strengthen and complement existing health systems. Since 1971, MSH has worked in more than 150 countries to help ensure sustainable, resilient, and equitable access to quality health care around the globe.