Access to Medicine Officer – Liberia 219 views0 applications

TITLE: Access to Medicine Officer – Liberia

LOCATION: Monrovia, Liberia

REPORTS TO: Country Director, Liberia

​LENGTH: 12 Months, with potential to extend based on program need, performance, and funding availability

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ABOUT AMERICARES:

Americares is an emergency response and global health organization committed to saving lives and building healthier futures for people in crisis in the United States and around the world. Since it was established in 1979, Americares has delivered more than $17 billion in humanitarian aid to 164 countries, including the United States. Together with its global network of more than 4,000 hospitals, clinics and community health partners, Americares is improving health outcomes for millions of people in need each year.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Access to Medicine Officer will work closely with the Country Director (CD), Finance and Operations Officer, and Headquarters (HQ) staff. The Officer will be directly responsible for managing the Americares Warehouse, including its maintenance and organization, to ensure that commodities are properly stored and can be easily accessed. The Officer will also forecast product needs, analyze product offers, and facilitate all inbound shipments with the freight forwarder and customs clearing agent. S/he will generate monthly and quarterly activity and inventory reports and will actively work to minimize the expiry of products.

The Officer will be expected to use Americares inventory software and will actively distribute commodities to Americares partners. The Officer will also be responsible for all Gift-in-Kind (GIK) sub-recipient partner network management, including identifying, vetting, onboarding, and monitoring partners for compliance with requirements.

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The Responsibilities of the Access to Medicine Officer will include, but are not limited to the following:

Warehouse Management:

• Contribute to the periodic review and update of warehouse and partner management procedures for Americares Liberia in accordance with and with approval from Americares HQ
• Ensure proper warehouse management, including proper storage, organization, documentation, temperature monitoring, and arrangement of stock
• Manage emergency preparedness and response stock; sequester such stock and ensure it is used in line with applicable Americares guidelines
• Ensure warehouse maintenance or repairs are completed with high quality after securing appropriate approvals; develop a budget and track expenses for any necessary infrastructure improvements
• Conduct monthly cycle counts and annual full physical inventory counts of products to ensure the physical inventory matches what is in the FIT Tool and share findings with CD and HQ. Take appropriate action to rectify any discrepancies as applicable.
• Conduct quality assurance checks on products during cycle counts and full inventory counts
• Generate and share monthly and quarterly activity and inventory reports with CD and HQ, highlighting any short-dated inventory items
• Prepare a budget and destruction plan for any items that need to be disposed of and follow appropriate waste management guidelines

Acceptance and Receipt of Gift-In-Kind Commodities:

• Forecast partner product needs, analyze and respond to offers of products and shipments from HQ within deadlines given, and ensure consistent information on product need and impact is available to HQ staff through the partner priorities survey database and other communication routes
• Make pre-acceptance sub-distribution and allocation plans regarding where accepted products would go, and obtain approval for these plans from CD and HQ
• Work with the CD, HQ, freight forwarder, and customs clearing agent to arrange for importation and clearing of products, as well as shipment from the airport or seaport to warehouse
• Check shipping documents to ensure that all products that were supposed to be shipped arrived at the warehouse as expected and send confirmation of receipt paperwork to HQ
• Ensure that a record is kept of all products entering and leaving the warehouse using the FIT Tool
• Register and enter all procured products for donation into the FIT Tool to keep records of product purchase and distribution

Distribution of Gift-In-Kind Commodities:

• Identify new potential GIK partners in line with Americares requirements and strategic plans
• Assist partners throughout application and vetting process and ensure all portions of their applications are complete and in line with Americares requirements and strategic plan
• Onboard approved partners and ensure they complete the partner priorities survey and that their responses are incorporated into the consolidated priorities list for the Liberia office
• Ensure monthly distribution plans are developed and approved for GIK commodities
• Proactively build and offer shipments to partners based on their communicated needs, consumption rates, and the prepared distribution plan. Edit and reoffer shipments as needed to fit partner needs, prior to shipping.
• Obtain proper approval for all requests to distribute GIK commodities to health facilities, prior to shipping, including approvals from HQ prior to shipping any designated Emergency Response products
• Distribute products using a first-to-expire first-out (FEFO) methodology and proactively identify and create distribution plans for short-dated items to minimize expiries
• Ensure proper documentation and supervision of the picking, loading, movement, offloading, and delivery of products
• Ensure all waybills for deliveries are properly signed and filed electronically to the FIT Tool and in paper form in the office. Record all product movement in the FIT Tool

Monitoring of Distributed Commodities:

• Maintain updated shipping information in the FIT Tool of all approved GIK partners
• Maintain an electronic record of signed agreements between Americares and GIK partners, as well as paper files of those documents
• Follow up with all partners in line with site visit SOPs to monitor whether commodities are being used as agreed and if all Americares requirements are being met by partners
• Complete and share all site visit reports with CD and HQ and notify CD and HQ if there are any issues with partner compliance
• Ensure that partners who are further sub-distributing Americares donations submit distribution reports for commodities
• Ensure partners complete annual partnership renewal paperwork and update information and/or documentation/licenses before they expire

General Support

• Other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two to five years of inventory and warehouse management, logistics, and operations experience
• Experience working and liaising with local partners, NGOs, and MOH health facilities
• Experience coordinating with national and county government units
• Strong communication, organization and relationship building skills
• Strong English language written and verbal skills
• Must have unrestricted authorization to work in Liberia
• Fluent in Microsoft Office tools – word, excel, power point and SharePoint
• Experience working in resource limited settings for public agencies or non-profits – preferred
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required in a related field – preferred