Advisor – Supply Chain (KE)

Posting date: 28 December 2023
Deadline of application: Rolling, January 8, 2024
Position Type: Fixed Term Contract
Company/Division: inSupply Health
Hiring Manager: The CEO and/or her designee
Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Description:

About inSupply Health: inSupply Health is an East African health advisory firm committed to designing people-centred, scalable, and sustainable supply chain solutions. We prioritize data visibility and utilization, workforce development, and continuous performance improvement. As a social enterprise, we aim for business sustainability while fulfilling our social mission. Our focus is on transforming short-term supply chain solutions into enduring, sustainable systems that transcend individual projects or funding streams. Our work centres on democratizing access to quality, affordable, context-specific supply chain knowledge and innovations, empowering local and regional supply chain stakeholders to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their supply chains and healthcare systems, ultimately improving health outcomes.

Headquartered in Nairobi, inSupply Health also operates a branch in Dar es Salaam and is affiliated with JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI). Our dynamic team of local consultants collaborates closely with both public and private sector clients to design optimized, responsive, and resilient supply chain systems that ensure the availability of vital health products such as antimalarials, HIV medications, vaccines, and contraceptives in complex settings. We pioneer innovative approaches by adapting proven commercial methodologies to the local context and co-creating solutions with clients for long-term ownership, implementation, and continuous improvement.

Overview

inSupply Health Ltd is seeking an Advisor – Supply Chain to be based in Nairobi, Kenya, who is willing to travel frequently within the country. The selected candidate will assume a significant technical role in implementing supply chain interventions and in-country supply chain activities to improve supply chain performance and health commodities availability. He/she will also provide support to MOH, Programs and other stakeholders within the country in adopting and implementing effective and efficient supply chain interventions and data use approaches for continuous improvement to ensure proper inventory management of health commodities, quantification and increase the visibility of in-country inventories across all levels of supply chain. The candidate will also work closely with other relevant government entities, stakeholders and implementing partners supporting MOH and Program ensuring we are leveraging and not duplicating existing efforts to strengthen the supply chain.

The ideal candidate should be passionate about enhancing supply chain performance through data use, self-motivated, creative, flexible, a critical thinker, and committed to finding innovative solutions for complex challenges with a strong focus on outcomes. Additionally, he/she should have a proven track record in effective management, be a team player, possess experience in the health supply chain, mentoring and capacity building for healthcare workers, and be skilled in negotiating and advocating for the adoption of new approaches and strategies within the Ministry of Health and public health system in Tanzania. The candidate should exhibit intrapreneurial qualities, curiosity, flexibility, and agility, and embrace continuous learning and professional growth. He/she should be enthusiastic about actively shaping inSupply’s reputation, possess experience in managing client and partner relationships, and offer implementation and administrative support as required. This role reports to the CEO or their designee at inSupply Health but will have joint accountability to key stakeholders within the countries of support.

All staff at inSupply work across subject matter domain areas and projects, therefore the candidate must have demonstrated experience with working across teams and content areas effectively and must be comfortable with the unpredictability that is characteristic of organizations in their startup years.

Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to

• In-country project implementation and coordination:
  • In collaboration with regional and HQ teams, identify country-specific challenges, pitfalls and bottlenecks concerning the supply chain management of Preventive Chemotherapy-related medicines
  • In collaboration with the MOH, Program and other stakeholders, co-design country-specific roadmaps for strengthening supply chain performance, and identifying short and long term priorities. Plans may include transitioning to digitized LMIS, integrating with the national health supply chains where feasible and finding opportunities for innovation.
  • In collaboration with MOH, Program and HQ teams, refine treatment coverage and medicine request process to ensure timely and accurate reporting (Joint Action Plan (JAP) for WHO)
  • Utilize in-depth knowledge of supply chain management, specifically in the context of preventive chemotherapy medicines in the country, to provide technical guidance and support implementation of short-term and long-term supply chain solutions as identified in country roadmaps to improve inventory management, availability and wastage reduction.
  • In collaboration with the regional and HQ teams, build in-country capability for long-term 36-month forecasting
  • Implement IMPACT team models and frameworks (data-driven, people-centred frameworks) in the data review meetings that can serve to drive supply chain improvement. Or find opportunities to integrate preventive chemotherapy supply chain data in the established IMPACT teams or other data use teams at various levels within the country.
  • Advocate for the adoption of new approaches and strategies within the Program and other relevant stakeholders to improve preventive chemotherapy supply chain performance and efficiency.
  • Produce high-quality deliverables of planned activities, coordinate with relevant in-country stakeholders as needed based on project requirements, and contribute in the adaptive learning sessions.
  • Mentor, coach and build the capacity of healthcare workers at various levels within the health system to enhance their supply chain competencies and skills. And co-develop SOPs, and curriculum and lead and/or facilitate training to build the capacity of others in various aspects of the preventive chemotherapy supply chain.
  • Serve as a representative and brand ambassador for inSupply, actively participating in working groups, giving and attending debriefings, to promote our work, and sharing key information within the organization.
  • Monitor and ensure the progress of project implementation, emphasizing quality, accountability, and operational efficiency for key deliverables.
• Data Utilization and Analysis:
  • Leverage data to inform root cause analysis, problem-solving, and action planning for preventive chemotherapy supply chain improvement, building on inSupply’s experience in other geographies
  • Extend and triangulate supply chain data appropriately with data for program implementation, co-develop and implement solutions and improvement plans, and conduct quality assurance for deliverables as necessary.
  • Lead in analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data and visually presenting it to diverse audiences.
  • Oversee and support data collection, regular data review, and analysis of project and program monitoring indicators, along with facilitating adaptive learning sessions.
• Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration:
  • Collaborate with government institutions, non-governmental organizations, donors, and other partners to promote data utilization and evidence as core methodologies for understanding problems and driving actions, decisions, and performance improvement of preventive chemotherapy supply chain and program objectives
  • Actively participate in technical calls and meetings, maintain regular communication and coordination with other regional and HQ team members, and ensure timely completion of deliverables.
  • Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the team, integrating Human-Centered Design (HCD), Quality Improvement (QI), adaptive learning, and other relevant approaches to refine tools, methodologies, and strategies. Serve as an early adopter and advocate for trying and demonstrating new approaches
• Stakeholders Engagement:
  • Apply creative approaches to engage with stakeholders, promoting a customer-centric reputation and brand.
  • Represent inSupply Health in working groups and facilitate communication and collaboration with partners on the ground to ensure support and sustainability.
• New Business Development:
  • Support new business development efforts and proposals by gathering, interpreting, and synthesizing relevant data, investigating problems, generating reports, and adapting visuals and analytics to support projects.
  • Contribute to the documentation of success stories, lessons learned, and publications through data generation, analytics, and visuals.
• Cultural and Organizational Alignment:
  • Demonstrate a commitment to the inSupply brand and embrace continuous professional and personal growth.
  • Participate in learning and embrace growth-focused goal setting, be open-minded, and be willing to do the hard work of real learning and innovation.
• Travel:
  • Travel within Kenya for project implementation and organizational objectives, with more than 30% of travel anticipated.
• Other Duties:
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Public Health, Healthcare Supply Chain, or any health-related field focusing on commodity management and supply chain data use and visibility.
• A master’s degree in a health-related field and 7-10 years of technical experience in global health or development with at least 5-7 years specifically working in health supply chains. Master’s Degrees in supply chain or data-related disciplines are highly desirable

Experience

• A minimum of 7-10 years of work experience in global health, health systems strengthening, or development, with at least five years of experience in supply chain management.
• Demonstrated experience in implementing supply chain solutions and building relationships with the Ministry of Health and the Regional administrative and local governments.
• Familiarity with the international donor community, including bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and private foundations.
• Specific expertise in preventive chemotherapy supply chain and/or NTD program, logistics management information systems, implementation of digital health solutions, and/or designing and supporting data use and data review approaches for supply chain improvement is highly desirable, and preferred candidates will be given priority.
• Proficiency in quantitative and analytical skills, including data mining, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.
• Strong teamwork skills, self-management, proactive, and clear communication abilities.
• Strong experience in building partnerships and prior experience working at national and sub-national levels in Kenya is desirable.
• Proven ability to lead, manage, and build capacity in teams.
• Excellent writing, communication, prioritization, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in Google Suites and MS Office packages, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in English. French proficiency is an added advantage.

How to apply:

inSupply is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status, or other protected characteristics. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

inSupply Health is a child-safe organization, and the safety and well-being of children are a priority for our organization. We have robust recruitment procedures to ensure that all staff are suited to work with the children served by our programs.

inSupply does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process and only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted using a company’s email address.