Health Product Quality Assurance Specialist - Global Fund, GENEVA - SWITZERLAND

All appropriately qualified people regardless of sex, sexual orientation and/or gender identities and individuals who are living with HIV are encouraged to apply.

Health Product Quality Assurance Specialist / Grade Level D

Remuneration: Corresponding annual salary 109,704 Swiss Frs. (CHF) Salary and allowances are generally tax-free. In addition, the Global Fund operates a tax equalisation policy.

Benefits: The Global Fund offers a comprehensive package of benefits. Click here to see more details.

Vacancy Number: IRC1819

Closing Date: 24 November 2014

Contract Type: Open

Reporting to: Manager, Health Product Management Hub

Work Division or Department: Grant Management/Grant Management Support

Role Summary: The Health Products Quality Assurance (QA) Specialist contributes to ensuring the effective use of Global Fund resources for health products. Policy. The QA Specialist leads the development and the operationalization of Global Fund QA policies, including through regular updates and harmonisation with Partners’ approaches. Partnerships. The QA Specialist works with Partners to keep him/herself and the whole organization abreast of technical matters related to Health Product quality. Internal advice and support to grant implementation. He/she provides professional expertise to a range of internal stakeholders in order to ensure quality and mitigate risks throughout the supply chain (from the manufacturer to the patient). Implementation and Compliance. The QA Specialist led the implementation of the QA policies and ensures compliance with the Global Fund QA policies for health products across the grant portfolio.

Responsibilities: The QA Specialist works to ensure that health products, with a focus on pharmaceuticals and diagnostics products, procured with Global Fund funding are quality assured and of adequate standard. Policy: The Specialist identifies QA issues, challenges and risks, and proposes innovative and constructive solutions (Policy, tools, and guidance). S/he ensures availability of training, technical updates, and best-practice sharing sessions. S/he represents the Secretariat in relevant interagency working groups on QA policy harmonisation and other relevant QA matters (e.g. counterfeits). S/he manages analytical work on the effectiveness and impact of QA Policies for health products from a product and access perspective. Partnerships (including on Policy, above): The QA Specialist works in close collaboration with partners, including normative agencies such as WHO, technical partners and manufacturers S/he works with partners toward harmonisation of QA policies and approaches to respond to countries programs needs S/he collaborates on regulatory matters with WHO, regulatory authorities, national and international Procurement Agencies Internal advice and support to grant implementation. The QA Specialist : Provides support to Health Product Management Specialists (working within Country Teams) Manages the operationalization and implementation of QA Policies for health products, including review of Quality Assurance Plans submitted by Principal Recipients to minimize the quality risks of health products and provide strategic guidance on quality monitoring activities Manages implementation of quality control testing requirements, including the selection of qualified Quality Control Laboratories Guides QA monitoring of health products procured by Recipients Contributing to risk management The QA Specialist proactively identifies solutions to quality challenges experienced by recipient countries and advises on optimal risk-mitigation measures and collaborates with the Risk Management Team S/he pro-actively collaborates with technical partners and manufacturers to identify risks that may compromise the availability or quality of health products. Contributing to cross cutting work: The QA Specialist provides technical inputs on any QA matters to a range of internal stakeholders, including the Sourcing Department, Health Advisors. Subject to change by the Executive Director at any time at his sole discretion

Qualifications: Essential: Advanced university degree in pharmacy, medicine or public health

Experience: Essential: A minimum of 7 years of professional experience working in quality assurance for health products (in particular for pharmaceutical products and/or diagnostic products), including quality control, at national and  international level; Experience in developing partnerships with UN  agencies, International NGOs and Donors, on QA issues Experience in managing complex situations, issues at country, regional or international level. Proven experience in developing QA related policies, tools, and guidance.

Competencies: Languages:  An excellent knowledge of English and preferably a good working knowledge of French or one of the following: Arabic, Russian, and Spanish.   Essential Strong understanding of QA matters in the pharmaceutical manufacturing context Strong understanding of WHO pre-qualification procedures of medicines and/or other health products and the assessment/ registration procedures followed by stringent regulatory authorities, knowledge or understanding of national regulatory requirements and processes in low and middle income countries Good understanding of the influence of national and global health policy issues (in particular those related to QA) on procurement of pharmaceuticals and other health products Knowledge of pharmaceutical procurement and supply chain good practices Take the lead in solving complex issues. Adapt policy and guidance to the reality / context. Analytical thinking with ability to draw on complex data sources to provide strategic recommendations. Core Competencies: Personal Effectiveness Working with Others Core Expertise People Leadership Global Fund Mind-set

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About the Global Fund

The Global Fund is an international financing institution that fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria with a 21st century approach: partnership, transparency, constant learning and results-based funding.

Whether it be the distribution of bed nets to protect families from malaria in Honduras, training youth peer counsellors who will help other teens diagnosed as HIV-positive in South Africa, or providing equipment for the diagnosis of tuberculosis to clinics in Kazakhstan, country-driven programs to fight the pandemics receive funding through the Global Fund.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created in 2002 to dramatically increase resources to support the fight against the three pandemics. A partnership between government, civil society, the private sector and communities living with the diseases, the Global Fund is an innovative model of health funding. As an international financing institution, the Global Fund does not manage or implement programs on the ground, relying instead on local expertise. The Global Fund works with partners to ensure that funding serves the men, women and children affected by these diseases with maximum efficiency and value for money.