Regional Third-Party Monitors (TPM)

Purpose: The Regional Coordinator consultant is required to support and coordinate TPM in his/her assigned region, conduct regular monitoring visits and assess the quality of nutrition supply management and gaps at Health Posts, Health Centers, Hospitals, and distribution sites. Gather last-mile supply chain data on misuse/ leakages/theft and review good practice models for consideration. 

Background

The monitoring through third-party consultants is part of CLIENT ’s strategy to improve the quality of services delivered within the scope of the Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) and Ethiopia’s Humanitarian Response Plan. These services are delivered through Health Posts, Health Centers, and the use of community platforms and include, treatment of severe acute malnutrition, Infant and Young Children Feeding, Vitamin A supplementation for children 6-59 months, prophylaxis deworming for children 24-59 months, Iron Folate supplementation for Pregnant women, and monitoring of Nutrition Situation of women and Children. CLIENT actively supports delivering these lifesaving services, particularly the treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition through more than 20,000 facilities nationwide. Additionally, CLIENT plays a crucial role in supporting the government’s humanitarian response capacity in various crises, including armed conflict, drought, flood, food insecurity, conflict, and displacement. 

While service expansion and coverage are impressive, supply misuse and leakage are hampering the delivery of the service to the most affected children. CLIENT ’s support aims to ensure optimum supply management for adequate delivery of SAM treatment services in Ethiopia. This includes logistics support (storage, transportation), and provision of all the nutrition commodities to manage SC and OTP services (RUTF, essential drugs, and therapeutic milks), with additional support from the FMOH to ensure sufficient second-line drugs to complement the SC supplies.

To address these gaps, nutrition service quality and emphasize its importance within the health system, CLIENT will deploy Third Party Monitors (TPM) in the regions/zones and woredas to support the monitoring and reporting of last mile distribution, including markets monitoring, warehouse monitoring and provide recommendations that will support good supply management practices.

Methodology

• The Regional TPM Coordinator consultant will be recruited, in consultation with the CLIENT Ethiopian country office, and He/she will work closely with CLIENT CO and Field Office.
• CLIENT CO will assign the consultant to regions to support the Third-Party Monitors based on identified priorities.
• Monitoring visits, on-the-job training, and other monthly activities should adhere to the agreed standard operating procedures (SOP).
• The Regional TPM coordinator will be responsible to ensure close liaison with the CLIENT Nutrition team in country office and Field office to enable a healthy nutrition supply chain. 

Specific Tasks

 Monitoring and field visit:

Engage full time in the assignment, conduct regular field visits and supply chain assessment on the quality of nutrition services in HPs and HCs. The Regional coordinator is expected to travel 15 days/month to support TPMs, liaison with RHB and ZHD.

To make a difference, below would be the key areas of focus for the Regional TPM Coordinator:

• Liaison between of TPMs and CLIENT.

• Monitor Supply Chain service delivery and TPM performance. 

• Collaboration with the Field office and implementing partners on supply chain issues.

• Technical, advisory support to TPMs in the respective regions 

• Innovation in monitoring misuse, leakage, and theft of RUTF supplies as well as supply chain strategies and mitigation strategies. 

Specific Tasks:

Provides technical and operational support for TPMs and conducts regular monitoring visits and assess the quality of nutrition supply management and gaps at HPs, HCs, Hospitals, WoHO, ZHD/RHB and distribution sites. He/she would use a variety of tools for the regular monitoring visits including:

• Direct observations:

• Distribution site visits

• In-depth interviews

• Group discussions

• Survey for data collection

• conducting data quality assurance

• Regional TPM Coordinator is expected to visit on average 10 health facility. In addition He/she will visit community groups, warehouse, and markets and report through ODK based tools.

• Provide support focused on improving & enabling better monitoring of supply needs, gaps, leakages, misuse, and spoilage in the Region while embedding performance & risk management routines. Alert CLIENT Field office and Country offices immediately if there are any supply issues.

• Set-up and is responsible for managing TPM, ensuring proper elements of the supply chain management system is in place (request, distribution, storage, and utilization) and misuse/abuse is not practiced at all level. 

• Monitor and advocate supply recording tools are in place and correctly used. Through critical assessment during monthly TPM monitoring visit. (Ensure bin cards are kept for nutrition supplies, RUTF, routine drugs and therapeutic milk at all levels). 

• Prioritize collecting feedback from beneficiaries during monitoring visits and from TPMs.

• Ensure that proper sampling methods for quantitative surveys and qualitative methods will be applied. 

• Prioritize the zones to ensure coverage and support TPMs while improving and optimizing efficient use of vehicles. Ensure each TPMs visits at least 15 health facilities per month with data filled within the EUM/ODK.

• Ensure TPM Reports incorporate findings related to supply management to guide measures that CLIENT and partners including the Regional Health Bureaus and NGOs will prioritize to address gaps or risks identified through the TPM mechanism.

• Provides technical and advisory support to TPM on monthly monitoring and reporting to CLIENT on distribution/ requests and appropriate utilization of therapeutic supplies (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, Therapeutic milks and essential drugs), and materials, to ensure robust supply pipeline is maintained to and within target Regions.

• Reporting: Ensure timely weekly and monthly report submission by TPMs and compile their report before sharing the summary with CLIENT country office. 

 Expected Deliverables

• Monthly Travel Plans (last week of each month for the next month). (It must be prepared in consultation with CLIENT FO/CO.

• Submission of field visit report two days after completion of the visit.

• Submission of weekly and monthly summarized report to CLIENT Nutrition team (FO/CO), including corrective actions taken by TPMs following their monitoring visits

• Submission of monthly nutrition supply status from each region where TPMs deployed.

• Fill EUM/ODK form for facilities he/she visited-minimum 10 health facilities/month. 

Qualification

• Degree level or equivalent supply chain/ Nutrition/ Public Health

•  At least 5 years of Nutrition supply chain management experience in a country leadership or regional role in a nonprofit organization.

• In depth knowledge of aid sector supply chain policies & processes; donor regulations, compliance & regulatory frameworks; Knowledge of Health Supply Chain Management, Project management experience; People management & team management experience at skilled practitioner level. Training & coaching skills. Knowledge of ERP systems and digital technology savvy. Data analysis experience. 

How To Apply

Interested applicants with the appropriate qualification and experience should submit their most recent and detailed CV, via email to “ recruitment@lonadd.com” with the subject “Regional Third-Party Monitors (TPM)” in the subject box.

Application Deadline:  July 12, 2024 

Only Shortlisted Candidates will be contacted.