Pharmacist Manager (National Position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview/Summary: IRC provides primary health care and environmental health services in several refugee camps in Thailand. IRC provides preventive and curative health care services in the camps, including primary health care, reproductive health, neonatal care and health education. Clinical services include out-patient department (OPD) and in-patient department (IPD) care; laboratories supporting IPD/OPD and reproductive health clinics; pharmacy services for essential drugs; community health education, and mental health care. Environmental health services aim to create a healthy living environment for refugees living in the camps through the provision of quality water and sanitation facilities, leading efforts to improve access to chlorinated water, sanitation, and hygiene in the camps.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Health Coordinator ,the pharmacist 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. With the support of SHC, S/he will participate in 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 regulations are followed. This position is the link with external actors/partners concerning pharmaceutical issues

Major Responsibilities:

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. - With the support of Country SC team, monitors the availability of medical products to avoid stock-outs and financial losses generated by expired items; Collaborates with the Senior Health Manager/s 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 Senior Health Coordinator, Health Coordinator / Supply Chain coordinator so as to avoid stock-outs and the financial losses generated by expired items. - Provides input for international and local orders draws up the first draft of orders with the Ware-house officers and Senior Clinical Mangers. SHC reviews the parameters involved in replenishing stock, finalizes orders based on consumption 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 recommendations and policies; under the supervision of the Health Coordinator 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. - Perform other duties as assigned by the Supervisor. - 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)

Transportation and storage: - Ensure transportation of medical goods (including any dangerous goods and cold chain) is done. Conduct GDP self-assessment for the central warehouses with the support of SC team - Handle cold chain products according to the recommendations of the manufacturer and ensure that cold chain equipment is working properly, and that daily temperature monitoring of cold chain items is in place - Report to SHC 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 count.

Quality assurance of commodities: - Ensure with the support of HQ and county SC team 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

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 - Support to handle any claim or batch recall according to WHO GDP guidelines (IRC batch recall SOP) - Ensure to 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.); - Supervise the store release, distribution, and transfer of all stock to the required field site locations - 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) - Ensure that all requested items by the health team are compliant with the CP EDL and flags any discrepancy. - In coordination with the GSC Pharma QA Manager, support in market assessment for preselection of products and suppliers and organizes visits of suppliers

Technical Support and Capacity Building - Provide support supervision and provide technical guidance to the pharmacy 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 - Support to provide continuous Pharma training on the IRC Pharma SOP’s and GDPs - Support to conduct regular Country Program-Drug Management Committee meeting

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

- Position Directly Reports to: Senior Health Coordinator - Technical Referent: HU Pharmacy Advisors/GSC Senior Manager, Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance - Other Internal Contacts: Senior Clinical Managers, Supply Chain and Warehouse Managers, Health Officers, clinical teams

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

Education: MD or MBBS, Nursing Graduate, or Pharmacy degree

Work Experience: Minimum five (5) years working experience, of which at least two years in clinical care, care of pregnant women and delivery, and training of health staff, preferably in a primary care setting. Previous work experience in reproductive health in a refugee setting or in developing country is a plus.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: - Strong clinical skills with up-to-date medical knowledge - Able to manage chronic medical conditions with limited resource - Experience working in partnership with local and community-based partners in health services delivery. - Good budget management skills. - Experience in managing and mentoring multicultural staff and ability to manage sizeable multicultural team delivering assistance involving a wide array of program stakeholders. - Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written. - Strong writing and analytical skills, including ability to communicate technical matters to a range of audiences. - Competent in Windows, MS office programs, email, and relevant health database (HMIS, DHIS etc.). - Professional demeanors. - Experience in implementation of communicable disease outbreaks investigations and response.

Language Skills: - Fluency in English. Proficiency in Burmese, Thai, Karen is an advantage.

Certificates or Licenses: - Pharmacy license is preferable.

Working Environment: The position will be based in the IRC office in Mae Sot, with frequent and regular travel to the refugee camps, and the Thailand-Myanmar border area.

Standards of Professional Conduct The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others. Equal Opportunity Employer IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.