PHARMACY ASSISTANT

Position Description
• Location: Yobe (1)

Position Status: Full time, Regular
• Salary Level: As per the organization’s scale
• Current Team Member: New positions
• About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we collaborate to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, now and for the future. In Nigeria, Mercy Corps operates in over 13 states focusing on key thematic areas of humanitarian response, conflict mitigation and adolescent girls’ empowerment.
• Program I Department Summary

With the insurgency affecting North East Nigeria and displacing millions of people, Mercy Corps is to implement a multi-sector response that covers Nutrition, Food assistance, Agriculture, WASH, Shelter and Protection to support the conflict-affected population. The nutrition response supports both nutrition sensitive and specific interventions that contribute to prevention, detection and management of malnutrition. These include: a). Promotion of Maternal, Infant, Young Child Nutrition (via support groups, one-to-one counselling and community wide SBC for IYCF); b). Provision of supplemental Nutrition Assistance i.e. distribution of Fresh Food Vouchers, backyard gardening and poultry production aiming at improving dietary diversity among targeted households; c). Nutrition surveillance activities i.e. community nutrition screening, nutrition surveys and assessments aiming at monitoring the nutrition situation of targeted vulnerable individuals; d). Management of children with uncomplicated Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) through established Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) services, as well as support referral and follow-up of SAM patients with medical complications to Stabilization Centers (SCs) and children with Moderate Acute malnutrition (MAM) to Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program (TSFP).
• General Position Summary

The Pharmacist Assistant is responsible for the storage, management and supply chain of the nutrition and medical supplies and supports the program field team to ensure timely and appropriate utilization.
• Essential Job Responsibilities

####### STRATEGY & VISION

- Collaborate with other team member for effective integration between other services like Nutrition and health services
- Collaborate with Local authorities and other partners to harmonize different efforts for better impact and sustainability.
- Able to learn and update his/ her information or knowledge to adapt to the changing situation and context
• PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

- Follow up and ensure timely procurements and delivery of nutrition and medical supplies according to plan.

- Ensure presence of necessary store equipment/ items and items are properly
- Monitor consumption of nutrition and medical supplies at OTP sites if required, support dispersers/ store keepers in preparation of monthly consumption reports.
- Ensure stock cards and drug/ nutrition supplies tracking registers are updated as well as waybills are well documented/filled and archived according to standard
- In liaison with the clinical Officer, draft nutrition and medical supplies distribution plans
- Conduct physical inventory for nutrition and medical supplies for Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTPs) services.
- Prepare weekly summary reports of nutrition and medical supplies status and needs for each OTP site, submit supply requests based on consumption/ needs/ distribution plans and timely report any delays in delivery of supplies.
- Prepare monthly nutrition and medical supplies consumption
- Report any irregularities in stock levels e. differences observed between bin cards and physically counted figures, damages etc.
- Assist to investigate losses where necessary, document findings, and submit reports to relevant
- Identify the training needs for dispersers and/ store keepers and liaise with line manager to conduct/ arrange the training for
• FINANCE & COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

- Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to emergency

####### INFLUENCE & REPRESENTATION

- Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are

####### SECURITY

- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country

####### ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING

- As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

####### ACCOUNTABILITY TO BENEFICIARIES

- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
- Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country
• Knowledge and Experience

• Degree /Diploma in Pharmacy or a related field
• Knowledge of policies and regulations pertaining to the management of medical drugs, nutritional supplies and equipment.
• Experience in the humanitarian field and health/nutrition
• Good knowledge/skills in Microsoft
• Fluency in Hausa, and English
• Experience in logistic, and supply chain is desirable

Supervisory Responsibility

- N/A

Accountability
• Reports Directly to: Senior Program Officer - Nutrition, with dotted line to Senior Program Manager
• Works Directly with: Nutrition team.
• Success Factors

Must be a resident of either of the Konduga, Jere or Yobe. He/ She should be able to work independently, have good interpersonal and communication skills. He/ she should have understanding of humanitarian principles and their application to program implementation. Must be able to solve problems and multi-task on a range of administrative and programmatic issues. Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.