Pharmaceutical Advisor job at African Initiatives for Relief and Development( AIRD )

AIRD Uganda is a non-governmental, non-political, non-religious, and non-profit making organization with the main aim of protecting and seeking durable solutions for Refugees and IDPs in Africa in partnership with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

AIRD is seeking qualified personnel for the positions listed below;

Job Summary: The Pharmaceutical Advisor supports UNHCR Uganda’s public health operations by overseeing the medical supply chain, warehouse management, and pharmaceutical accountability systems across the mission. The role ensures timely and needs-based delivery of medicines and medical supplies through a coordinated “pull” system, while tracking pipelines, regional distributions, and stock levels. It strengthens partner capacity through field supervision, pharmacy quality control, stock monitoring, and training in rational drug use and reporting tools. The advisor contributes to annual and ad hoc medical quantification, supports importation clearance processes with national authorities, and ensures compliance with UNHCR and regulatory standards. Additionally, the position leads medical warehouse design, SOP development, cold chain oversight, and integration of systems that improve efficiency, safety, and operational readiness for both routine programming and emergency response.

Detail Responsibilities

Manage the medical supply chain and its deliveries

• Follow-up on the national medical supply chain for the entire UNHCR Uganda Operation Mission. Keep track of the received international medical supplies in the country and the remaining pipeline.
• Implement a medical supply chain system adapted to a “pull” system, by which medical supplies and medicines are delivered to the partners and regions, respecting the needs expressed in the annual quantification (the items and their quantities) validated by the partner and UNHCR.
• Ensure that medical supplies and medicines are reaching the field in a timely and coordinated manner.
• Follow up on UNHCR medical pipeline per region and partner; keep a track of the validated medical needs, including what has been delivered and what is still pending per region and partner.

Liaise with UNHCR public health officer and UNHCR partner, increasing their capacity and improving accountability by:

• Providing periodic and on request information regarding the medical supply chain, including medical supplies delivered, the remaining pipeline, and their timeframe per region and partner.
• Ensuring that partners and UNHCR field offices implement tools to monitor and report on stocks, average monthly consumptions, and medical supplies (Rx solutions software and Excel reporting templates)
• Performing field visits to improve pharmacy management in all field locations. Perform quality control inspections and stock management monitoring (inventories and medical deliveries)
• Providing capacity building (training) to all partners, with special emphasis on rational drug use (prescription practices), consumption monitoring, and medical supply follow-up.
• Share policies, guidelines, protocols, and any other materials relevant for pharmacy management with UNHCR partner

Support the quantification of medical needs in UNHCR Uganda Operations

• Using the data (average monthly consumptions and stocks) collected and reported by the field partner, he/she provides critical input during the calculation and design of the annual medical quantification for the entire mission.
• In the events of ad hoc local procurement, he/she supports the calculation of the quantities of medicines and medical supplies to be purchased locally.

Clearance of medical supplies and medicines imported in Uganda

• In Coordination with the PHU and Supply Chain management in UNHCR Uganda, keep updated workflows and national authorities’ requirements for import of medical items.
• He/She works together with the UNHCR public health officer for the application of the importation permits for medical supplies and medicines imported by UNHCR in Uganda
• He/she, together with the UNHCR public health officer, the technical referent for the importation of the medical supplies and medicines follows-up the applications submitted to obtain the import permits and any technical queries and needs that might arise from the National Drug Authorities in Uganda, UNHCR team, or the international suppliers.

Warehouse functions

• Design and manage medical warehouse infrastructure, layouts, and workflows, ensuring effective storage, inventory control, and handling processes in line with safety and operational standards according to UNHCR and NDA regulations.
• Establish Medical Warehouse management policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and quality assurance standards for storage, handling, distribution, cold chain maintenance, and stock control that comply with UNHCR inventory management policies.
• Lead planning and implementation of medical warehouse solutions for emergency response, including orders, dispatches, facility readiness, and transport logistics.
• Evaluate and integrate appropriate technologies and automation solutions to improve medical warehouse performance, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure compliance with health and safety standards as per National Drug Authority (NDA) and UNHCR requirements.

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy (BPharm)
• Pharmacist practicing License
• At least 3 years of working experience in pharmaceutical supply chain management and medical logistics with experience working with the National Drug Authority (NDA) and competence in the use of the NDA IRIMs.
• A certification in warehouse or supply chain management is an added advantage.

Additional Skills

• Ability to monitor stock levels, ensure proper storage conditions, and prevent drug wastage.
• High level of honesty and Integrity
• Attention to detail and accuracy, ensuring that all pharmaceutical products are correctly labelled, stored, and handled to maintain their integrity
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum supervision.
• Willingness to work in any part of the country

• Follow-up on the national medical supply chain for the entire UNHCR Uganda Operation Mission. Keep track of the received international medical supplies in the country and the remaining pipeline.
• Implement a medical supply chain system adapted to a “pull” system, by which medical supplies and medicines are delivered to the partners and regions, respecting the needs expressed in the annual quantification (the items and their quantities) validated by the partner and UNHCR.
• Ensure that medical supplies and medicines are reaching the field in a timely and coordinated manner.
• Follow up on UNHCR medical pipeline per region and partner; keep a track of the validated medical needs, including what has been delivered and what is still pending per region and partner.
• Providing periodic and on request information regarding the medical supply chain, including medical supplies delivered, the remaining pipeline, and their timeframe per region and partner.
• Ensuring that partners and UNHCR field offices implement tools to monitor and report on stocks, average monthly consumptions, and medical supplies (Rx solutions software and Excel reporting templates)
• Performing field visits to improve pharmacy management in all field locations. Perform quality control inspections and stock management monitoring (inventories and medical deliveries)
• Providing capacity building (training) to all partners, with special emphasis on rational drug use (prescription practices), consumption monitoring, and medical supply follow-up.
• Share policies, guidelines, protocols, and any other materials relevant for pharmacy management with UNHCR partner
• Using the data (average monthly consumptions and stocks) collected and reported by the field partner, he/she provides critical input during the calculation and design of the annual medical quantification for the entire mission.
• In the events of ad hoc local procurement, he/she supports the calculation of the quantities of medicines and medical supplies to be purchased locally.
• In Coordination with the PHU and Supply Chain management in UNHCR Uganda, keep updated workflows and national authorities’ requirements for import of medical items.
• He/She works together with the UNHCR public health officer for the application of the importation permits for medical supplies and medicines imported by UNHCR in Uganda
• He/she, together with the UNHCR public health officer, the technical referent for the importation of the medical supplies and medicines follows-up the applications submitted to obtain the import permits and any technical queries and needs that might arise from the National Drug Authorities in Uganda, UNHCR team, or the international suppliers.
• Design and manage medical warehouse infrastructure, layouts, and workflows, ensuring effective storage, inventory control, and handling processes in line with safety and operational standards according to UNHCR and NDA regulations.
• Establish Medical Warehouse management policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and quality assurance standards for storage, handling, distribution, cold chain maintenance, and stock control that comply with UNHCR inventory management policies.
• Lead planning and implementation of medical warehouse solutions for emergency response, including orders, dispatches, facility readiness, and transport logistics.
• Evaluate and integrate appropriate technologies and automation solutions to improve medical warehouse performance, enhance operational efficiency, and ensure compliance with health and safety standards as per National Drug Authority (NDA) and UNHCR requirements.

• Ability to monitor stock levels, ensure proper storage conditions, and prevent drug wastage.
• High level of honesty and Integrity
• Attention to detail and accuracy, ensuring that all pharmaceutical products are correctly labelled, stored, and handled to maintain their integrity
• Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages
• Ability to work under pressure with minimum supervision.
• Willingness to work in any part of the country

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy (BPharm)
• Pharmacist practicing License
• At least 3 years of working experience in pharmaceutical supply chain management and medical logistics with experience working with the National Drug Authority (NDA) and competence in the use of the NDA IRIMs.
• A certification in warehouse or supply chain management is an added advantage.