Project Lead – Digital Supply Chain

The PL has overall accountability for project performance, including: (1) technical strategy and implementation; (2) project and performance management; (3) government ownership and institutional strengthening; (4) documentation and learning; and (5) donor, government, partner, and stakeholder relationships.

The PL will lead a multidisciplinary team with expertise in health supply chains, vaccine logistics, digital health, interoperability, governance, data analytics, and institutional capacity strengthening. The PL will serve as MSH’s primary project representative to the Gates Foundation and senior Government of Ethiopia counterparts and ensure strong government co-leadership and progressive transition of project-supported systems and functions to government ownership.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Project and Technical Leadership:

• Provide overall strategic, technical, managerial, and operational leadership and ensure achievement of project outcomes, deliverables, and milestones.

• Lead development and execution of the project’s technical strategy, workplans, results framework, and performance monitoring approach.

• Provide technical leadership in health product and pharmaceutical supply chain strengthening, including commodity visibility, forecasting, inventory management, distribution, last-mile delivery, vaccine logistics, and supply chain performance management.

• Oversee assessment of Ethiopia’s digital supply chain ecosystem and development of the future-state digital supply chain architecture and implementation roadmap.

• Work closely with digital health specialists to ensure that digital solutions strengthen existing government systems, interoperability, transactional systems, and data use rather than create parallel systems.

• Guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilot solutions to improve end-to-end commodity visibility and generate evidence for sustainable scale-up.

Government Ownership and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Serve as MSH’s primary liaison with the Gates Foundation and senior Government of Ethiopia counterparts.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with the Ministry of Health, Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service (EPSS), Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs), Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA), and other relevant stakeholders.

• Support government counterparts to strengthen supply chain governance, accountability, performance management, and routine use of high-quality data for decision-making.

• Lead institutional capacity strengthening, change management, sustainability, and progressive transition of project-supported functions and systems to government ownership.

• Coordinate with donors, implementing partners, local organizations, universities, and technology partners to promote alignment and avoid duplication.

Project and People Management:

• Ensure effective grant implementation in compliance with Gates Foundation requirements, MSH policies, and applicable procedures.

• Lead, manage, and mentor a multidisciplinary project team and foster collaboration, accountability, learning, and continuous performance improvement.

• Oversee project partners, subawardees, and consultants and ensure their contributions are integrated into the overall project approach.

• In partnership with project finance and operations staff, ensure effective budget monitoring, financial stewardship, risk management, and use of project resources.

• Ensure timely documentation and dissemination of project results, lessons learned, and evidence generated through implementation.

• Represent MSH and the project at relevant national and international technical meetings and forums.
• Other duties as required.

• Postgraduate degree in supply chain management, pharmacy/pharmaceutical sciences, public health, health systems management, logistics, or related field required.

• 8+ years of related experience in health product and/or pharmaceutical supply chain management, including significant experience strengthening public-sector health supply chains. 10 years of progressively responsible experience is preferred.

• Demonstrated technical expertise in health supply chain management, including several of the following: forecasting and quantification, inventory management, warehousing and distribution, last-mile delivery, commodity visibility, supply chain information systems, and performance management. Experience with vaccines and/or RMNCH commodities strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience leading large, complex donor-funded health supply chain, pharmaceutical systems, or health systems strengthening programs. Prior experience as a Project Director, Chief of Party, Team Lead, or equivalent strongly preferred.

• Significant professional experience in Ethiopia’s health sector and strong understanding of the country’s pharmaceutical and health supply chain landscape. Relevant international experience is advantageous.

• Demonstrated experience working with the Government of Ethiopia, preferably including the Ministry of Health, EPSS, RHBs, and/or EFDA.

• Demonstrated knowledge of digital health and digital supply chain systems, including interoperability, system integration, digital architecture, commodity visibility, and use of data and analytics for supply chain decision-making.

• Demonstrated experience supporting government ownership, institutional strengthening, capacity transfer, change management, and sustainable adoption of new systems or approaches.

• Strong leadership and management skills with demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and work effectively with senior government officials, donors, partners, and private-sector stakeholders.

• Demonstrated strategic planning, problem-solving, diplomacy, negotiation, and written and oral communication skills.

• Fluency in English required. Professional proficiency in Amharic or another Ethiopian language strongly preferred.

• Candidates currently based in Ethiopia and/or candidates that have work authorization for Ethiopia strongly preferred.