Project Coordinator – HRH Project

Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association (EPA) Vacancy Announcement for Human Resources for Health (HRH) Health System Strengthening Project Coordinator

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association (EPA) is a national association of pharmacists in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Established in 1974, EPA works to uphold the honor and ethics of the pharmacy profession, safeguard the professional rights of its members, and promote access to quality pharmaceutical products and services. EPA’s mission is to ensure high-quality pharmaceutical services through responsible and ethical practice and the empowerment of its members to advance pharmacy practice.

EPA is a strategic partner in the U.S. Department of State-funded Human Resources for Health (HRH) Project, implemented by Jhpiego in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Regional Health Bureaus. Through this partnership, EPA contributes to strengthening pharmacy workforce development, including pre-service education, continuing professional development, competency assessment, workforce management and retention, and digital workforce information systems.

Values of Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Association (EPA)

• Quality: dedication to the highest level of pharmaceutical excellence and commitment to improving provisions of pharmaceuticals, rational drug use and advancing patient care.
• Trust: Earning the trust of members of the association and the public by continually providing quality services and demonstrating exemplary leadership & innovative thinking.
• Integrity: Acting in an honest, ethical, professional as well as in a transparent manner, and accepting responsibility for own actions.
• People’s Right: Respecting diversity and treating all people with dignity and honor.
• Collaboration: Encourage teamwork and create environment at which thinking and working within and outside own boundaries stimulates the sharing of resources, information and ideas promoting creativity and cultivating excellence.

Position Details

SUMMARY SCOPE OF WORK

The Project Coordinator will provide overall day-to-day coordination and operational management for activities assigned to EPA under the Jhpiego-led HRH Project. Based at EPA’s Central Office in Addis Ababa, the position will serve as EPA’s principal operational focal person for translating the approved Scope of Work and annual implementation plan into coordinated activities, deliverables, and results.

The coordinator will work closely with EPA management, Jhpiego, relevant Ministry of Health and regional health bureau counterparts, higher education institutions, other professional associations, EPA regional/subnational structures, and project-supported personnel stationed in regions. The role will coordinate technical and operational inputs, monitor progress against agreed milestones, facilitate timely reporting with the Finance and M&E Officers, and identify implementation risks and corrective actions. The position is coordination- and management-focused, and may also support specialized technical activities that will be delivered by designated technical experts and partners.

The ideal candidates will have project management and coordination expertise and prior experience in leadership and coordination of related program implementation. He/she shall have experience working with diverse group of stakeholders and partners including the Ministry of Health, EPSS, EFDA, RHBs, Higher Education Institutions, UN organizations, USG and the USG funded implementing partners. Working closely with the Jhpiego’s HRH Coordinator and Area Implementation Team (AIT) members, S/he will complete deliverables on time, and achieve results effectively.

REPORTING AND COORDINATION ARRANGEMENTS

• The Project Coordinator will report structurally to the EPA Executive Director or another manager formally designated by EPA.
• The position will maintain functional coordination with Jhpiego’s designated HRH Project focal person and follow agreed project coordination and reporting arrangements.
• The coordinator will work closely with EPA’s Finance Officer and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer, including personnel engaged on a full-time, part-time, or LOE basis.
• The coordinator will organize and coordinate the work of EPA’s HRH system strengthening officers and relevant technical personnel, consistent with delegated authority.
• EPA’s activities will be implemented under Jhpiego’s overall technical coordination and in alignment with the Ministry of Health and relevant government institutions.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Project planning and coordination

• Lead preparation, consolidation, and periodic updating of EPA’s annual implementation plan, including activity schedules, milestones, deliverables, geographic coverage, and resource requirements.
• Translate the approved EPA SOW and implementation plan into actionable work plans and coordinate implementation with relevant technical and operational personnel.
• Organize regular planning and review meetings; and follow up on decisions, agreed actions, and deadlines.
• Coordinate the sequencing and integration of EPA-led activities across HRH intervention areas and implementation hubs, ensuring alignment with project priorities and national HRH directions.
• Contribute to strengthening EPA staff capacity in project development and management, and support the establishment of an EPA Project Coordination Unit.

Implementation oversight and technical activity coordination

• Oversee day-to-day progress across EPA’s assigned activities, including relevant work on competency-based education and assessment, CPD, organizational capacity strengthening, clinical mentorship and workplace learning, professional accountability, and digital HRH/CPD information use, as specified in the approved work plan.
• Coordinate timely inputs from technical experts, consultants, regional/subnational officers, HEIs, health facilities, and other implementing stakeholders.
• Monitor delivery of outputs and consistency with the approved SOW, national standards and guidance, and Jhpiego project requirements.
• Escalate decisions requiring specialist expertise or management approval to the appropriate EPA or Jhpiego authority.

Stakeholder engagement and partnership management

• Serve as the central operational contact for routine coordination between EPA and Jhpiego, consistent with formal reporting and decision-making arrangements.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the Ministry of Health, regional health bureaus, woreda health offices, HEIs, health facilities, professional associations, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate EPA’s participation in national, regional, and subnational coordination meetings, technical reviews, and project forums.
• Promote coordination with government counterparts and other implementing partners to minimize duplication and support complementarity.
• Prepare meeting agendas, briefing materials, minutes, and follow-up actions.

Monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning

• Work with the M&E Officer and technical personnel to operationalize indicators, milestones, reporting tools, and monitoring arrangements relevant to EPA’s activities.
• Track activity implementation, deliverable completion, participant reach, geographic coverage, and progress against agreed targets.
• Coordinate timely quarterly technical reports and provide inputs to financial reports in collaboration with the Finance Officer and in accordance with agreed requirements.
• Ensure reports document progress, outputs, challenges, corrective actions, lessons learned, and supporting evidence.
• Facilitate periodic performance reviews and course correction when implementation is delayed or results are off track.
• Coordinate documentation and dissemination of good practices, implementation evidence, success stories, and recommendations for institutionalization and scale-up.

Financial, administrative, and resource coordination

• Work with EPA management and the Finance Officer to link activity plans to approved budgets and identify resource requirements in a timely manner.
• Monitor activity-level budget utilization with the Finance Officer and flag variances, resource constraints, and potential implementation implications.
• Coordinate preparation of activity requests, travel and event plans, procurement specifications, and supporting documentation in accordance with EPA and Jhpiego procedures.
• Ensure appropriate administrative records are maintained, including approved plans, participant lists, and activity reports.
• Do not authorize expenditure, procurement, or financial commitments unless such authority is expressly delegated by EPA.

Quality assurance, risk management, and compliance

• Monitor implementation risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks; maintain a risk and issue log and propose mitigation and corrective actions.
• Ensure deliverables receive appropriate technical and administrative review before submission to EPA management or Jhpiego.
• Promote compliance with the approved SOW, work plan, budget, reporting requirements, national standards, and applicable EPA/Jhpiego procedures.
• Identify delays in approvals, stakeholder engagement, data availability, staffing, or access and communicate them promptly to decision-makers.
• Support appropriate documentation, confidentiality, and responsible handling of project and participant information.

Institutionalization and sustainability

• Support integration of project-supported interventions, tools, learning, and coordination mechanisms into EPA’s existing structures and systems.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to identify opportunities to sustain professional development, competency assessment, mentorship, professional accountability, and workforce motivation interventions.
• Promote use of implementation evidence and lessons to inform professional standards, CPD systems, competency assessment mechanisms, and future HRH programming.

Other responsibilities

• Represent EPA in project-related meetings and engagements when delegated by EPA management.
• Perform other duties relevant to the position and consistent with its purpose, as assigned by the designated supervisor.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT

• Employment term: Project-based fixed-term appointment subject to the project period, approved budget, and EPA employment procedures.
• Work location: EPA Central Office, Addis Ababa, with travel to project implementation areas as required.
• Salary and benefits: In accordance with EPA’s organizational salary scale and/ or the approved project budget.
• Employment modality and level of effort: Full-time employment for the duration of the project, with a minimum availability of 20 hours per week at the EPA office.