Job Description

The Senior Technical Officer (STO), Demand Planning-Malaria provides technical support to the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) to ensure availability and efficient management of Malaria commodities and related supply chain systems and supports the implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement of malaria demand planning activities. The role provides technical guidance and capacity building, demand planning and supply systems strengthening to NMCP and other malaria stakeholders in Tanzania. The STO contributes to knowledge products through the creation and management of reports, technical materials, and conflict-sensitive solutions on demand planning activities relating to Malaria. Working closely with project leadership, s/he supports project implementation by evaluating programmatic effectiveness, providing technical oversight, and preparing technical assessment reports. The role contributes to business development efforts, including supporting the management of opportunity identification, capture, proposal development, and strategic partnering.

Accountabilities:

Technical Requirements:

• Provides the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and key stakeholders with technical support and guidance to strengthen malaria commodity demand planning and supply chain management.
• Strengthens staff and partner capacity through technical assistance, mentoring and training in malaria demand planning for Malaria ecosystem including supply chain management.
• Ensures timely availability of quality Malaria commodities across the health system.
• Plans for and ensures execution of quantification exercises for Malaria commodities while advocating for best practices in forecasting and supply planning.
• Participates in Bottom-up quantification (BUQ) exercises and supply chain reviews for Malaria commodities.
• Supports NMCP in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of integrated Malaria interventions and ensures that Malaria commodities are consistently available at the right quantities, of the required quality, and at the right time.
• Participates in pipeline analyses, tracks supplies, identifies potential challenges relating to supply chain and supports mitigation measures.
• Strengthens capacity of frontline workers and stakeholders on logistics and supply chain systems related to malaria.
• Supports the development and maintenance of feedback mechanisms for dissemination of approved malaria stock status reports, to all levels of the health system and stakeholders.
• Monitors progress in performance of demand planning activities for malaria and share regular updates with NMCP and the Project.
• Works closely with the team to ensure project implementation remains technically sound and adheres to organizational strategy and standard operating procedures (SOP’s).
• Develops or writes technical briefs, reports, or other necessary materials to facilitate research, best practices, policies, and procedures on demand planning for Malaria activities.
• Provides mentorship and team building at the task level.
• Provides technical support in the development and dissemination of tools, materials, reports, papers, and intervention for research projects on Malaria activities.
• Provides technical input on Malaria best practices to assist with implementation
• Monitors performance milestones for demand planning and supply chain activities and reports to supervisors.

Business Development and Client/Funder Support:

• Contributes to proposal writing for procurement of malaria commodities, diagnostics and other related lifesaving commodities.
• Develops technical proposals, budgets, and work plans related to malaria demand planning and supply chain strengthening.

Applied Knowledge & Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of concepts, practices, and procedures for forecasting, demand planning and supply chain management with providing technical support for forecasting and supply chain planning activities. Ability to develop scopes of work, technical specifications for partners and consultants, etc.
• Broad knowledge of quality assurance standards and continuous quality improvement principles.
• Proficiency in database management software and online search tools.
• Demonstrates cultural sensitivity and diversity as well as understanding of the political, contextual, and ethical issues in assigned work
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with clients and staff.
• Must be able to read, write, and speak fluent English and Kiswahili.
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with others.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and government relationship management experience.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify issues, and prepare reports, solves problems and implement corrective action.
• Experience using data for decision making and evidence-based forecasting.

Supervision Given/Received:

• Mentors’ junior staff- to strengthen their technical capacity and performance.
• Reports to Senior Technical Advisor, Systems Strengthening & Demand Planning

Education:

Master’s degree (or its International Equivalent) in public health, Pharmacy, Laboratory or a related field, with a minimum of six years of professional experience in commodity forecasting, quantification, demand planning or supply chain management

Experience:

• Minimum of 6+ years of progressives responsible experience in national quantifications for malaria commodities, demand planning or supply chain management at national or sub-national level.
• Experience working with non-governmental organization/s (NGO), government ministry or entity, implementing partners, donors or private organization/s.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Tanzania’s health supply chains systems and malaria commodity management
• Proficiency in national quantification and forecasting tools including Quantimed, Pipelines, ForLab, or equivalent tools)
• Experience using LMIS/eLMIS platforms and other electronic logistics information systems for forecasting, reporting and supply chain performance monitoring

Typical Physical Demands:

• Typical office environment.
• Ability to spend long hours looking at computer screen and doing repetitive work on a keyboard.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift/move up to 5 lbs.

Technology to be Used:

Personal Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

• Provides the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and key stakeholders with technical support and guidance to strengthen malaria commodity demand planning and supply chain management.
• Strengthens staff and partner capacity through technical assistance, mentoring and training in malaria demand planning for Malaria ecosystem including supply chain management.
• Ensures timely availability of quality Malaria commodities across the health system.
• Plans for and ensures execution of quantification exercises for Malaria commodities while advocating for best practices in forecasting and supply planning.
• Participates in Bottom-up quantification (BUQ) exercises and supply chain reviews for Malaria commodities.
• Supports NMCP in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of integrated Malaria interventions and ensures that Malaria commodities are consistently available at the right quantities, of the required quality, and at the right time.
• Participates in pipeline analyses, tracks supplies, identifies potential challenges relating to supply chain and supports mitigation measures.
• Strengthens capacity of frontline workers and stakeholders on logistics and supply chain systems related to malaria.
• Supports the development and maintenance of feedback mechanisms for dissemination of approved malaria stock status reports, to all levels of the health system and stakeholders.
• Monitors progress in performance of demand planning activities for malaria and share regular updates with NMCP and the Project.
• Works closely with the team to ensure project implementation remains technically sound and adheres to organizational strategy and standard operating procedures (SOP’s).
• Develops or writes technical briefs, reports, or other necessary materials to facilitate research, best practices, policies, and procedures on demand planning for Malaria activities.
• Provides mentorship and team building at the task level.
• Provides technical support in the development and dissemination of tools, materials, reports, papers, and intervention for research projects on Malaria activities.
• Provides technical input on Malaria best practices to assist with implementation
• Monitors performance milestones for demand planning and supply chain activities and reports to supervisors.
• Contributes to proposal writing for procurement of malaria commodities, diagnostics and other related lifesaving commodities.
• Develops technical proposals, budgets, and work plans related to malaria demand planning and supply chain strengthening.

• In-depth knowledge of concepts, practices, and procedures for forecasting, demand planning and supply chain management with providing technical support for forecasting and supply chain planning activities. Ability to develop scopes of work, technical specifications for partners and consultants, etc.
• Broad knowledge of quality assurance standards and continuous quality improvement principles.
• Proficiency in database management software and online search tools.
• Demonstrates cultural sensitivity and diversity as well as understanding of the political, contextual, and ethical issues in assigned work
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with clients and staff.
• Must be able to read, write, and speak fluent English and Kiswahili.
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with others.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and government relationship management experience.
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify issues, and prepare reports, solves problems and implement corrective action.
• Experience using data for decision making and evidence-based forecasting.

• Master’s degree (or its International Equivalent) in public health, Pharmacy, Laboratory or a related field, with a minimum of six years of professional experience in commodity forecasting, quantification, demand planning or supply chain management
• Minimum of 6+ years of progressive responsible experience in national quantifications for malaria commodities, demand planning or supply chain management at national or sub-national level.
• Experience working with non-governmental organization/s (NGO), government ministry or entity, implementing partners, donors or private organization/s.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Tanzania’s health supply chains systems and malaria commodity management
• Proficiency in national quantification and forecasting tools including Quantimed, Pipelines, ForLab, or equivalent tools)
• Experience using LMIS/eLMIS platforms and other electronic logistics information systems for forecasting, reporting and supply chain performance monitoring