Pharmacist

Introduction

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) translates to Doctors without Borders. We provide medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our teams are made up of tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff - bound together by our charter.  Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. We are a non-profit, self-governed, member-based organization.

MSF was founded in 1971 in Paris by a group of journalists and doctors. Today, we are a worldwide movement of nearly 63,000 people.

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Rationale/Objective for position

From training staff on how to store and manage lifesaving medications through to ensuring enough medications are flown in to tackle sudden malaria outbreaks, MSF pharmacists ensure that essential medicines are there when they are needed, well managed, transported and stored appropriately.

As a project pharmacist, you role will be to define, implement, coordinate and supervise all pharmacy related activities in the project area, according to MSF standards and protocols, following the mission pharmacist and Medical Coordinator’s guidelines and managing the staff involved in the pharmacy, in order to ensure the proper management of drugs and medical devices and its supply to the central project pharmacy (or medical warehouse) and other peripheral units within the same project. 

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Participate actively in the definition of annual planning and budgets and their update.
• Monitor correct stock management across pharmacies within project area, to guarantee a good control and up-dated data of stock levels and general control over drugs and medical devices.
• Ensure, in cooperation with the project logistic manager, storage conditions (e.g. humidity, temperature, light exposure, cleanliness, pest and rodents control, etc.), and that classification and organization of medicines and medical material meet MSF protocols.
• Supervise the functioning and organization of the project central pharmacy and other peripheral units, setting the protocols and procedures to be followed by all staff, in order to ensure the quality of the service given to the population and the accurate handling of the products and equipment in terms of hygiene and security.
• Report on drug consumption and medical devices dispensed according to protocols, informing on unusual patterns.
• Ensures that all pharmacy staff uses required clothes and equipment according to protocols, i.e. white coat, gloves, etc.
• Plan and supervise, in close coordination with the HR department, the associated processes (recruitment, training/induction, evaluation, potential detection, development and communication) of the staff under his/her responsibility in order to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required.

Qualifications

• Education
• • Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy
• Experience
• • Two years’ experience as a pharmacist
  • Ability to work well as a part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary team
  • Ability to organise and prioritise workload and use initiative
  • Willingness to work in unstable areas and ability to cope in a difficult and unpredictable environment
  • Two years previous experience in stock management and logistics
• Competencies 
• • Essential, mission language/Bilingual (English & French).  
  • Available for a minimum period of nine months.
  • Computer literacy. Knowledge of Excel and other MS-Office packages.
  • People Management.
  • Experience working in developing countries.
  • Commitment.
  • Flexibility.
  • Results oriented.
  • Teamwork