Private Sector Promotion Coordinator, Kampala

Private Sector Promotion Coordinator, Kampala
Closing Date: Thursday, 31 January 2013

About the Clinton Health Access Initiative:

The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems in the developing world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. CHAI's solution-oriented approach focuses on improving market dynamics for medicines and diagnostics; lowering prices for treatment; accelerating access to life-saving technologies; and helping governments build the capacity required for high-quality care and treatment programs.Read more..

Since its establishment in 2002 by President William J. Clinton, CHAI has worked on the demand and supply sides of the market to help more than 2 million HIV+ people access the medicines needed for treatment—representing nearly half of all people on HIV treatment in developing countries. Building on this model, CHAI has expanded its scope to include efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery systems and to combat malaria and childhood illnesses.

In 2007, CHAI signed an MOU with the government of Uganda to provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and strengthen health systems. Since then, CHAI has worked hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health to increase access to lifesaving pediatric HIV treatment by >400%; coordinate with private sector suppliers to lower costs and expand access to malaria drugs; pilot a point-of-care diagnostic technology, leading to scale up to >250 health facilities nationwide; introduce a new severe malaria drug which will save thousands of lives annually; and many other initiatives. Currently, CHAI Uganda works with the Ministry of Health around HIV, malaria, childhood illnesses, laboratory systems and drug logistics.

Background:

It is estimated that ~60% of care and treatment in Uganda is sought in the private sector. Yet a number of barriers can impede access to appropriate drugs and diagnostics, such as high prices, limited product availability, and low provider/retailer awareness of treatment guidelines.

Diarrhea kills roughly two million children every year worldwide. In Uganda, diarrhea is responsible for ~15,000 child deaths, approximately 10% of all child mortality (third behind only malaria and pneumonia). This is in spite of the fact that a simple, highly-effective, and affordable treatment solution exists in the form of oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc. However, diarrhea remains grossly neglected: from 2007-2011, $6.5 billion of global funds were allocated to address HIV/AIDS; while only 0.23% of this figure ($15 million) was used to tackle diarrhea. This imbalance is now being addressed through an international effort, of which CHAI has been a driving member, leading to the development of treatment scale up programs in 10 high burden countries, including Uganda.

In Uganda, a program to scale-up diarrhea treatment with ORS and zinc is being undertaken by CHAI in partnership with the Ministry of Health. The problem is that these treatments are caught in a market trap: low levels of consumer/caregiver awareness about the appropriate treatment lead to poor demand for these products; this results in an anemic market, which provides no incentive for suppliers to optimize distribution networks, promote the products, or reduce margins; this, in turn, leads to a lack of availability, unaffordable prices, and minimal marketing - completing the vicious cycle and ensuring that consumer access is repressed. CHAI now seeks to break this vicious cycle by addressing both demand and supply-side barriers to access.

Description:

The Private Sector Promotion (PSP) Coordinator will be responsible for establishing, implementing and coordinating demand- and supply-side interventions to ensure the availability of affordable, high-quality ORS and zinc products in the private sector. The PSP Coordinator will work at various levels of the private sector supply chain to: (1) conduct rigorous market analysis and perform market projection modeling to inform the development of a compelling business case that will be used to guide suppliers' engagement in ORS and zinc scale-up; (2) be responsible for the formation and management of a private sector forum to coordinate national scale-up plans within the private sector; (3) develop relationships with suppliers to enhance ongoing promotion activities to providers, including medical detailing and Continuous Medical Education (CME) efforts; (4) design and implement incentive schemes, paying particular attention to the level within the supply chain where they will be most effective; and (5) explore the potential for expansion of ORS and zinc distribution beyond traditional pharmaceutical channels, through partnerships with Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies and other delivery channels.

The PSP Coordinator will also spend a small portion of his/her time supporting CHAI's private sector malaria strategy. The PSP Coordinator will spend ~15% of his/her time travelling domestically, primarily to regions with limited facilities.

Responsibilities:

Analyze and map the private sector value chain to identify key decision makers and areas of inefficiency
Conduct market analyses and develop business cases to demonstrate to suppliers the market potential
Develop and coordinate a private sector forum to harmonize efforts in the scaling-up of access to diarrhea treatment and malaria treatment and diagnosis
Develop incentive structures to encourage expansion of distribution and provider education efforts, potentially including marketing-match grants and volume-based bonuses
Enhancement of private suppliers' promotion efforts, including detailing and CMEs
Exploration of distribution opportunities beyond traditional pharmaceutical channels

Qualifications:

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with outstanding analytical, management, and communication skills. The candidate must be able to function independently and flexibly, build strong relationships with government officials, have a deep personal commitment to producing results, and have the demonstrated ability to lead in a challenging professional environment. This role requires an individual with exceptional time-management skills and the ability to manage multiple work streams in parallel. In addition, the ability to recognize and develop opportunities that cut across products and disease areas demands outstanding entrepreneurialism.

Specific qualifications include:

Minimum of 2 years' experience in a demanding, results-oriented environment in the private sector, ideally with a focus on supply chain or marketing and sales
Entrepreneurial mindset and strong self-motivation
Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and be effective under tight deadlines and in high-pressure situations
Demonstrated success in coordinating partners and developing relationships in order to drive a multi-stakeholder process
Strong problem solving skills and quantitative analytical capabilities, including fluency in Excel
Ability to develop and execute a coherent programmatic strategy, amidst substantial ambiguity and changing circumstances
CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, entrepreneurialism, flexibility, independence, humility, and work ethic

Advantages:

Advanced degree in business, medicine, public health, or a related field
Experience in a rigorous private sector environment such as strategy consulting or finance
Experience in private sector supply and distribution, ideally in the pharmaceutical or Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) fields
Marketing and sales experience for pharma or consumable products
Experience with the pharmaceutical supply chain in Uganda

How to apply:

Please apply to this position at: click

The CHAI Uganda office is hiring for multiple positions. For more information please visit: click