Forecasting and Supply Planning Officer – Labs Chemonics International Inc

Employment opportunities

The USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project seeks to fill the positions of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager (MEL), Provincial Administrative Logistics Officer, Regional Supply Chain Logistics Specialist and Forecasting and Supply Planning Officer to support the GHSC-PSM project in Zambia.

The USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project will be the primary vehicle through which USAID will procure and provide health commodities, provide technical assistance to improve partner countries’ management of the supply chain, and collaborate with key international stakeholders to support global health initiatives.

With 85+ staff across six offices around the country, this diverse and complex program sets out to strengthen the capacity of GRZ to develop sustainable systems that ensure the availability and security of vital and essential health commodities through (1) increased data availability and use for informed supply chain decision making, (2) improved quantification procurement planning and coordination processes, (3) provision of cost-effective, reliable international and local procurement services, (4) improved efficiency in warehousing and distribution by Zambia Medicines and Medical Supply Agency
(ZAMMSA), and (5) increased strategic management and planning by the Ministry of Health for improved commodity security. The project seeks to recruit (on a one-year contract renewable) for the following positions:

Position Title: Forecasting and Supply Planning Officer – Labs

Reporting to: Forecasting and Quantification Specialist

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The Forecasting and Supply Planning Officer will work closely with the Forecasting and Supply Planning Specialist to provide information on the national commodity supply levels and compare procurement plans against actual supplies to identify bottlenecks and address them timely. The Officer will be responsible for forecasting and quantification, procurement planning, and stock monitoring using various systems/tools.

Specific Tasks

Technical Implementation

• Provide routine updates of the Laboratory commodities Quantification Analytics Tool (QAT) databases;
• Ensure regular collaboration with the procurement internally and externally with MOH and other procurement agencies like the Global Fund to ensure tracking and updating of funded shipments;
• Support the quantification core team in collecting, updating, reviewing, and validating data for forecasting by using the forecasting data collection tools;
• Assist in stock status analysis and reporting by using Early Warning System (EWS), PowerBI, eLMIS, QAT, etc;
• Support Core-Team forecasting consensus-building activities during the annual quantification meetings;
• Represent the FASP team/Project at various meetings internally and externally where forecasting and supply planning activities are being discussed e.g. technical working groups, Supply chain meetings on Stock status with MOH/ZAMMSA and other partners;
• Ensure all contract deliverables are met within areas of forecasting and quantification;
• Work with the records supervisor to update monthly reports, funding gap analysis, and situational reports.

Management

• Support in executing team annual work plans and budgets based on project resources available and intended annual and life of project targets set according to USG priorities by;
• Working with the supervisor of records in tracking activities on the work plan such as training in the use of QAT, forecasting methodologies, etc., holding annual and review quantification meetings, PPMR-HIV and quarterly supply plan submission, and any other laboratory-specific updates and transitions;
• Exhibit Chemonics values and build a culture of “Living our Values” within the team;
• Carry out additional responsibilities as may be assigned from time to time in consultation with the supervisor of record.

Minimum Education Qualifications, Experience, and Competencies

• A Diploma in Biomedical Sciences with a minimum of two (2) years of experience working in supply chain management or conducting forecasting and quantification activities; a Degree in Biomedical Sciences is an added advantage;
• Applicants should/must verify their qualifications with the Zambia Qualifications Authority;
• Applicant must be a member of the Health Professional Council of Zambia (HPCZ);
• Experiences required;
• Knowledge of USAID funding and its contractual and reporting requirements preferred;
• Experience working on USAID-funded health programs strongly ideal;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills;
• Written and spoken English proficiency.

Location of Assignment
The location of assignment is Lusaka, Zambia with intermittent travel throughout the country.