Lab Specimen Logistics Manager Full-Time

About VillageReach

VillageReach is an NGO that develops solutions to critical health system challenges in low-resource environments, with an emphasis on strengthening the “last mile” of healthcare delivery. VillageReach combines expertise across public health, technology, and business to bring life-saving innovation – new systems, programs and technologies – to scale and sustainability in the world’s most underserved communities. VillageReach is headquartered in Seattle, WA with offices located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Mozambique.

Summary

VillageReach is a Ministry of Health social partner organization in strengthening the health system, and supply chain logistics services. As part of the Last Mile Supply Chain program (LMSC), this position will support the assessment, design, planning and management of a transport and logistics system for laboratory specimens. The position will be based in Zambezia province with the potential to expand to two other provinces.

The purpose of this position is to manage the LMSC project’s solution for specimen transport and logistics to ensure that testing is accessible to lower-level facilities without having to refer patients. One specific goal is to improve the time between specimen collection at the health unit to arrival at testing laboratory.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

Design the optimal solution for lab specimen transport

• Lead stakeholders in Zambezia through design of an optimal supply chain for lab specimens;
• Assess the existing supply chain covering for lab specimen in Zambézia;
• Map current partner interventions and capture lessons learned;
• Design the target lab specimen solution;
• Support the implementation MOH’s new lab specimen guidelines (Directriz Nacional para Referenciamento de Amostras).

Manage the overall lab specimen solution

• Ensure that the lab specimen solution is documented and updated based on experience;
• Manage associated contracts and service level agreements with partners;
• Update the solution toolkit and service level agreements based on experience;
• Work with the LMSC Technical Director to harmonize processes & tools, where possible with the goal of harmonizing and/or consolidating, where feasible, the transport and logistics management for commodities and lab specimens;
• Transfer all necessary skills to manage the lab specimen solution to the DPS before the end of the program.

Provide Technical Assistance(TA) to relevant counterparts

• Provide regular Technical Assistance at all levels (provincial, District, and Health facility) to ensure that solution operation skills are transferred to relevant government personnel and to ensure continuous performance improvement.

Work with the DPS Lab team to manage day-to-day lab sample transport operations

• Work with the DPS and partners to ensure scheduling of transportation resources;
• Work with the DPS and partners to ensure schedule adherence for each transport order;
• Work with the DPS and partners to troubleshoot day-to-day problems associated with transport resource availability and transport order execution.

Transition existing lab sample transportation to private sector service providers

• Assess existing lab sample resources;
• Identify potential for private sector to operate lab specimen transport;
• Manage transition of transport provision to private sector suppliers, where available.

Work closely with the LMSC VAN Coordinator to ensure that performance data is used to inform continuous system improvement

• Support implementation of needed processes to ensure data quality;
• Provide analysis of data including proposing needed courses of action;
• Organize/Participate in decision-making forum where corrective actions are defined and agreed with DPS and Partners.

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization;
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed;
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach;
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach;
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making.

Requirements

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily;
• The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required;
• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• This position has no supervisory responsibilities

Education & Experience:

• University Degree in relevant field (e.g.Supply Chain or Logistics, Public Health, Public Policy, etc.);
• At least 5 years of experience in managing logistics, transport or other supply chain operations.

Other Qualifications:

• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups;
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus;
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment;
• Experience in designing operations and logistics processes and flows;
• Experienced in providing technical guidance and support to government staff and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs);
• Experience in working in specimen referral in the Mozambican context;
• Strong communication, coordination and people-facing skills;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment within and across locally and remote based staff, including international staff based in other countries;
• Organized, proactive, curious, diplomatic and persistent;
• Ability to work independently;
• Fluency in written and spoken Portuguese and English;
• Knowledge of and/or experience with supply chain performance management.

Environment and Physical Demands

VillageReach has no private offices, employees work in a shared, open environment with task and conference rooms accessible to employees for privacy and meetings. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.