Technical Officer - Market Strategies, TB Diagnostics

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.

Stop TB Partnership

UNOPS hosts the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership Secretariat (STBP) as of 1 January 2015, in Geneva, Switzerland. The vision of the Stop TB Partnership is to realize the goal of elimination of Tuberculosis (TB) as a public health problem and, ultimately, to obtain a world free of TB by ensuring that every TB patient has access to effective diagnosis, treatment and cure; stopping transmission of TB; reducing the inequitable social and economic toll of TB; and developing and implementing new preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic tools and strategies. The Stop Partnership is uniquely positioned to support the development and further implementation by partners of the current and future Global Plan, acting as a coordinator and catalyst for the range of partners engaged in the fight against TB.

As a key initiative of the Stop TB Partnership, the objective of the Global Drug Facility (GDF), a ISO:9001 certified entity, is to ensure access to quality-assured anti-TB drugs, diagnostics and other supplies by employing innovative business approaches, efficient knowledge management for evidence-driven leadership in market management, strategic procurement, and high quality procurement and supply services to client countries.  

GDF’s strategic vision of success is that all people requiring TB diagnostics and medicines are able to access them from global markets optimized to meet public health needs. The TB Diagnostics Market Strategies Officer is the GDF focal point for TB diagnostics market strategies, monitoring, and coordination. The TB Diagnostics Market Strategies Officer works in close collaboration with all GDF teams and with external stakeholders to promote TB markets able to reliably deliver innovative, quality-assured, appropriately-adapted, affordable, sustainably-priced TB diagnostics.  

The Technical Officer, Market Strategies, TB Diagnostics will perform the functions and tasks below under the supervision of the GDF Manager, Market Strategies:

• Develop frameworks to guide TB diagnostics market optimization: size, structure, function, competition, etc.;
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring/evaluation of GDF market-shaping strategies for TB diagnostics;
• Engage partners and stakeholders to ensure alignment and maximum leverage in diagnostic supplier negotiations;
• Identify strategies to improve and expand access to concessional prices for diagnostics;
• In collaboration with manufacturers, countries and other stakeholders, define and align on minimum diagnostic contract terms (standard terms of service and maintenance, minimum connectivity, data protection terms, etc.) and lowest sustainable prices;
• Provide technical support for the establishment, maintenance and use of the GDF Business Intelligence System;
• In collaboration with the GDF Business Intelligence Officer and other GDF staff, develop a system to monitor and analyze TB diagnostics markets from end-to-end;
• Provide technical support to the GDF team leading work to  develop and implement strategies and systems to expedite uptake of key TB diagnostics;
• Strengthen forecasting of all WHO-recommended rapid diagnostics, including unified planned orders from major procurers;
• Oversee and manage consultancies to inform financing and procurement strategies as countries transition away from Global Fund financing;
• Support the introduction of new WHO-recommended diagnostics, including inclusion in donor and national procurement plans;
• Estimate potential market demand for various diagnostics based on current and future country diagnostic algorithms, to help make business case for investment into research & development and evaluation studies for new diagnostics
• Develop and maintain a network of experts who can provide strategic and technical guidance and support for market-shaping;
• Contribute to and draft peer-reviewed papers demonstrating GDF’s results and market impact;
• Provide technical support for GDF advisory and working groups:
• Draft reports, briefs, presentations for Board and donor meetings;
• Identify key conferences where GDF can disseminate its results and market-shaping work and organize sessions, symposia, satellites, in collaboration with key stakeholders;
• Participate in GDF country missions and regional training sessions to ensure alignment and cross-fertilization with market-shaping activities;
• Provide technical input into new proposal development for market-shaping activities;
• Develop and oversee processes for updating, revising GDF formulary to meet clinical needs and market objectives;
• Any other duty as requested by the GDF Manager, Market Strategies or the GDF Chief.

The work for this position also calls for contacts outside the organization, within the delegated authority, to broker, build and manage strategic and operational partnerships with stakeholders, networks, other organizations and donors to leverage human and financial resources

Master’s degree in medicine, pharmacy, public health, or other related to the job description.

Minimum of 7 years experience in market dynamics/market shaping for global health, policy, or diagnostic strategies,

Highly desired/considered as an advantage:

• Experience working in TB market dynamics or TB market shaping;
• Experience working in pharmaceutical market intelligence  or pharmaceutical market analytics;
• Design, conduct, and publication of primary and secondary research;
• Proficiency with other statistical analysis software (e.g. Access, SAS, Stata, R).

Excellent knowledge of English with proven excellent writing skills is essential.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.