Title: Associate – Primary Healthcare & Pharmacy

Program: Health System Strengthening Cluster

Job Location: Kigali

Start date: Immediately

Type of Assignment: Full-Time Paid

Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to strengthening integrated health systems around the world and expanding access to care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other illnesses. Based on the premise that business-oriented strategy can facilitate solutions to global health challenges, CHAI acts as a catalyst to mobilize new resources and optimize the impact of these resources to save lives, via improved organization of commodity markets and more effective local management. CHAI does not operate stand-alone programs, nor does it build parallel health systems. Rather, CHAI works at the invitation and in support of governments. We focus on large-scale impact and have secured lower pricing agreements for treatment options in more than 70 countries. CHAI’s teams are working side-by-side with over 30 governments to tackle many of the largest barriers to effective health care. For more information, please visit: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

Program and Position Overview

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) is committed to ensuring the availability and affordability of essential medicines through a responsive and efficient health financing and supply chain system. The Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), through its Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) scheme, plays a central role in ensuring financial access to quality pharmaceutical services for the majority of the population. Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS), as the national medical store, is mandated to procure and distribute essential medicines and health commodities to public health facilities.

Despite progress, challenges persist in ensuring consistent medicine availability at the primary healthcare level, rational medicine use, and alignment between supply chain and provider payment systems. System inefficiencies—ranging from procurement and reimbursement delays to prescribing and pricing inconsistencies—threaten the sustainability and effectiveness of pharmaceutical benefits under CBHI.

CHAI is supporting RSSB to address these challenges by providing strategic technical assistance to design and operationalize a community pharmacy model; improve coordination with relevant instutions such as Rwanda Medica Supply; promote rational medicine use; and strengthen pharmaceutical service delivery.

CHAI seeks an expert to be seconded to RSSB to lead this work. The candidate will play a critical role in improving access to affordable and quality medicines for CBHI beneficiaries through system design, policy alignment, stakeholder engagement, and implementation support.

The Associate will report to the Head of CBHI at RSSB and parallelly to CHAI HSS Program Manager and work closely with the CHAI Health Financing team, and all relevant government stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and support the implementation of a community pharmacy model to improve access to medicines for CBHI beneficiaries, particularly at the primary healthcare level.
• Collaborate with Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS) to optimize procurement and distribution processes, including the facilitation of direct invoice payments and improved coordination between RSSB and RMS.
• Monitor and analyze prescribing and dispensing practices across CBHI-contracted facilities to promote rational medicine use and reduce inefficiencies.
• Support enforcement of adherence to national treatment guidelines and essential medicines policies in CBHI-covered health facilities.
• Contribute to the design and refinement of pharmaceutical benefit packages under CBHI to enhance cost-effectiveness and population health outcomes.
• Provide technical support for reforms to the provider payment system that improve medicine availability, incentivize appropriate prescribing practices, and promote efficient stock management at health facilities.
• Support the development and implementation of systems for medicine price monitoring and benchmarking, drawing on local and international data to inform procurement and reimbursement strategies.
• Engage in the coordination of key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health (MoH), RMS, Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), district authorities, and health facilities to ensure alignment of pharmaceutical reforms with CBHI policies and priorities.
• Contribute to data analysis, development of pharmaceutical indicators, performance monitoring, and reporting related to CBHI pharmaceutical services.
• Participate in field-level supervision, quality assurance initiatives, and periodic evaluations of pharmaceutical service delivery across the CBHI network.
• Other responsibilities as assigned by the direct supervisor.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy or any related fields required; a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, or a related field is strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience in pharmaceutical services or supply chain management.
• Demonstrated experience in health systems strengthening, particularly in pharmacy-related interventions or insurance-based healthcare programs.
• Experience with provider payment systems or health financing reforms is an asset
• Strong understanding of Rwanda’s health sector policies, pharmaceutical regulations, treatment guidelines, and procurement systems.

Required Competencies:

• Excellent skills in data analysis, price benchmarking, and health system evaluation.
• Proficient in tools such as eLMIS, Excel, and pharmaceutical management software.
• Strong interpersonal and communication abilities for cross-institutional coordination.
• Solid understanding of treatment protocols, pharmacy regulations, and CBHI operations.
• High levels of integrity, attention to detail, and regulatory compliance.
• Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda required; French is an asset.

Interested candidates should email a letter of interest (maximum 1 page) outlining how their background meets the requirements outlined above; CV (maximum 3 pages); and the names of three references to: [email protected] with “Associate, Primary Healthcare & Pharmacy” in the subject line. The deadline for applications is Sunday July 20, 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

In compliance with the data protection law of Rwanda, your submission of an application for this position constitutes your consent for the Clinton Health Access Initiative to gather and utilize your personal data solely for the recruitment process.