Quality Assurance Specialist

UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development, as described in the HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2016-2021: Connecting the Dots, leverages UNDP’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development. 

First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Sustainable Development Goals. Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health and development projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. 

Under the overall supervision of the GFPHST QA Advisor, the QA Specialist (Medical Devices and Oxygen) shall provide technical guidance and advisory services to UNDP Country Offices (COs) and the UNDP Global Health Procurement Center (GHPC), that are supporting, procuring, or implementing medical devices including oxygen supply equipment and disposables and production technologies as part of the national COVID response and preparedness plans. Upon requests and needs from GHPC and COs, the Specialist  will provide services in close coordination with GFPHST PSM colleagues.
 

1. Advise UNDP Global Health Procurement Center (GHPC) and Country Offices (COs) on a broad range of medical devices, including oxygen supply equipment and disposables to be procured according to estimated national needs and existing delivery systems for oxygen therapy;
2. Advise COs in reviewing national oxygen gas consumption and medical oxygen production capacity, national technical and regulatory assessment of oxygen production, and identification of gaps and improvement plan design;
3. Advise GHPC and COs in developing ToRs, technical specifications and technical evaluations for procuring the medical devices, adequate technologies for medical oxygen production and its implementation, installation/maintenance and capacity building of biomedical staff;
4. Facilitate the QA team in the maintenance of the QA database of COVID medical devices, including oxygen supply equipment and disposables and in the production of QA corporate reports;
5. Work with the QA Advisor to develop, revise and deliver QA training activities/packages for UNDP’s COs, GHPC and other Business Units, and guidance materials and tools, including the writing of new SOPs and development of related tools;
6. Facilitate  the QA Advisor in the communication related to the procurement of medical devices, including oxygen supply equipment and disposables (participation to inter-agency meetings, writing of reports); 
7. Represent UNDP in the relevant inter-agency technical groups e.g. medical device, medical equipment, oxygen systems, medical equipment and provide UNDP with reports of meetings. 
8. Advise UNDP QA Team in the technical evaluation of medical devices as needed; and
9. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization         

Institutional Arrangement

The Specialist will report to the GFPHST QA Advisor and collaborate with various QA Team members, Procurement, PSM, and CO staff.

• Business Development - Knowledge Facilitation: 
  • Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally
• Business Management - Risk Management:
  • Ability to identify and organise action around mitigating and proactively managing risks
• Business Management - Communication: 
  • Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
• Partnership management - Relationship management: 
  • Ability to engage with a wide range of public and private partners, build, sustain and/or strengthen working relations, trust and mutual understanding
• Procurement - Strategic sourcing: 
  • Knowledge of strategic sourcing concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
• 2030 Agenda People   Health:
  • Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM)health products
• Business Direction and Strategy - System Thinking: 
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
     

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Certification in project management is an asset  
• Experience/expertise in the design of medical oxygen systems is an asset. 
• Work experience with a UN Agency or International NGO is an asset. 
• Understanding the WHO guidance on the medical device procurement process is an asset

• At least 2 years relevant experience in managing or advising on medical devices including medical equipment within a hospital or supporting hospitals particularly in Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMIC).
• Work experience supporting a developing country.
• Development of specifications of medical equipment

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required
• Knowledge of an additional UN language is an asset.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

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