Supply Chain Information Systems Advisor at John Snow, Inc

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) is a public health management consulting and research organization dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities worldwide over the last forty years. The Country Health Information Systems and Data Use Program (CHISU) is designed to enhance the host country’s capacity to produce high-quality health information, optimally manage this information, and institutionalize evidence-based decision-making. CHISU works with USAID-supported host country health managers, health workers, and other stakeholders to strengthen the enabling environment of health information management and strategic planning in order to: improve the harmonization of fragmented information systems, reduce duplication of data collection, and improve monitoring and tracking of a country’s health trends and priorities. 

JSI is currently recruiting a Supply Chain Information Systems Advisor for the ongoing Country Health Information Systems and Data Use (CHISU) program. The CHISU program supports the Government of Malawi (GOM) in improving the coordination of the health information system, strengthening the implementation of national policies and guidelines, and improving the use of data at national and decentralized levels.

The Supply Chain Information Systems Advisor serves as a technical expert on the CHISU program for the enhancement, maintenance, and deployment of the OpenLMIS in Malawi. The Supply Chain Information Systems Advisor will serve as the contact person for the government and other supply chain stakeholders regarding the expansion of OpenLMIS regarding users, system function, and integration with other health data systems. He will collaborate closely with the Country Lead/ Resident Advisor and other technical staff. In collaboration with the project Supply Chain Systems team and the Ministry of Health, s/he will support the implementation of the National Product Catalog (NPC) and GS1 strategy.

• Lead and support the development of OpenLMIS strategies and work plans;
• Provide continued support for the OpenLMIS based on OpenLMIS technology and serve as the main point of contact communicating with the MoH, stakeholders, and the OpenLMIS community;
• Set up project management and code repository management for both local and international contractors;
• Lead the development, configuration, and support of the Continuous integration/Content Delivery (CI/CD) channel to ensure that updates are managed, prompt, and fit for purpose;
• Lead in the setting up and developing testing, training, and go-live mechanisms to ensure that QA and BA processes are well established and responsive to user needs. Consequently, ensuring the updates are relevant and responsive to the identified needs or bugs reported;
• Lead in the development of the technical specifications for OpenLMIS system improvements with a specific focus on technology fit with operational environment, scalability, user appropriateness, reporting, security, performance, regulatory compliance, training functions, operational costs, and other areas;
• Support management of local and international subcontractors to design and support the development of innovative solutions for Malawi’s vision of end-to-end supply chain visibility, including OpenLMIS and other systems;
• Provide support on the design and continuous improvement of tools to assess MIS and data analytics capacity-building needs of MOH staff at national, zonal, regional, and site levels and monitor the outcomes of project interventions in collaboration with other project technical teams;
• Ensure consistent availability of quality data through the development of SOPs and relevant databases;
• Provide direction to and manage other staff working on OpenLMIS scale-up and day-to-day management of the system;
• Provide technical leadership to add the stock management module to the OpenLMIS platform and to ensure local capacity is sufficient for local deployment and use;
• Improve OpenLMIS functionality and data visibility through a user-friendly dashboard through built-in data visualization or Superset software;
• Support Resident Advisor and 3PIU to develop and disseminate various communication materials, including success stories, infographics, and other materials for external stakeholders;
• Support implementation of global standards, including GS1, to support Malawi’s vision of end-to-end visibility in the supply chain;
• Collaborate with the HTSS LMIS team to ensure optimal use of LMIS tools;
• Assess training needs in LMIS in coordination with project counterparts;
• Conduct consultative meetings with government counterparts and stakeholders to develop & agree on a shared roadmap for Product Registry (GS1) for health commodities;
• Other duties as required.

• Advance degree in Computer Science.
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience in software development and engineering covering both database, backend, and frontend.
• Hands-on knowledge of technical IT project management tools, such as Asana, JIRA, etc., and code repository management.
• Minimum of 5 years experience, including management of information, preferably in work funded by USAID.
• Proven experience leading MIS development in similar contexts and environments.
• Understanding of Malawi’s health supply chain and operating environment.
• High proficiency with MS Access, SQL, and database management.
• Proficiency in network administration and server management.
• Excellent computer skills, including using word-processing, PowerPoint presentations and spreadsheets; Excellent working experience with databases – should be able to create complex queries; up-to-date knowledge of technological developments, including mobile and web technologies.
• Proficiency in network and server management, including MS Exchange, is a plus.
• A proven ability to work as a part of a team but self-managing of own time, good interpersonal skills for building rapport with other project staff, MOH, and other counterparts and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.