Program Manager – MAGANI.ORG – Medicine Marketplace F/M

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization created in 1971 that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural disasters. MSF is one of the largest independent medical humanitarian organizations in the world, with projects located in 65 countries worldwide. Its work is based on the humanitarian principles of medical ethics; the goal of MSF is to provide emergency care and to offer assistance to people based only on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

In the context of a replacement, we are looking for a Program Manager – MAGANI.ORG – Medicine Marketplace.

Mission:

Run and develop a proof-of-concept program for the non-profit Medicine Marketplace called MAGANI. Update the scope, identify the constraints and ensure the set-up based on the legal requirements, the resources and the partnerships needed for this new activity within the MSF movement. In support of the legal representative based in the UAE, ensure the management of the MMP company ACCESS registered in Dubai DMCC that hosts the operational activities.

BACKGROUND

In many countries where MSF intervenes, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa but not only, there is a lack of availability of quality medicines at affordable prices. The shortages affect all categories of patients, including the patients suffering from non-transmittable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular or mental health diseases, as in the last decades, the non-transmittable diseases have taken a larger share of the disease burden in the low and middle-income countries.

In many cases, the availability of diagnostics tests and of follow-up by a medical doctor (or a physician assistant with prescribing capacities) is better than the availability of quality drugs at affordable prices. Because of this difference, many patients simply don’t have access to the medicines they are prescribed, while other individual patients with the required financial capacities purchase their medicines abroad, mainly when traveling or by using other travelers as carriers.

A theoretical feasibility study has been carried on and identified that a non-profit online medicine marketplace could be a response to address partially this issue. In December 2023, the OCP and WACA general management decided the implementation of activities aiming at proving the concept. In October 2024 a new autonomous legal entity called MMP ACCESS has been registered in Dubai DMCC, with MSF France as shareholder. The activities should start at the beginning of 2025.

Main responsibilities:

Overall management of the Medicine Marketplace

• Define the overall strategy and adapt it to the evolution of the internal and external context when necessary.
• Define and supervise the operational activities.
• Update the business case and secure the funding of the proof of concept via the development and submission of funding proposals (internal, TIC and others).
• Define and implement the relevant partnerships with state governments, patient’s associations, medical associations and other relevant stakeholders.
• Assess and select with the Steering Committee between EAU and Kenya the best country jurisdiction and institutional set-up to host the marketplace.
• Identify the best localization in Africa to base the team on the long term, define the appropriate calendar and organize the installation.
• Develop and ensure the follow-up of the work plan, budgets, planning and reporting.
• Evaluate and mobilize the resources (human, technical, financial) required for the project.
• Ensure the compliance with legal, regulatory and administrative aspects pertaining to the activity and to MMP ACCESS legal entity.

In collaboration with the relevant team members:

Roll out of the sales and delivery operations

• Define the most relevant therapeutic fields, pharmaceutical products and target countries to prioritize, and adapt according to the evolution of the activity and the contexts.
• Supervise the development and implementation of new Standard Operation Procedures adapted to a Medicine Marketplace.
• Put in place the data and monitoring processes in order to measure and analyze the levels the activities and the targets.
• If the proof of concept has a positive outcome, anticipate and organize the long-term development of Magani.org.

Development and implementation of the external and internal communication and advocacy activities

• Implement and adapt the general communication strategy.
• Develop and implement a communication and advocacy strategy in favor of the medicines being made available locally by governments, international organizations or local entities, based on the data provided by the Magani.org activity.
• Identify the relevant stakeholders and establish collaborative relationships around the advocacy objectives.
• Develop the ownership of the concept within the MSF movement, coordinate with other Access Initiatives and secure a partnership with other OCs and MSF regional associations.
• Ensure the coordination of and the reporting to the steering committee.
• Ensure the set-up and the animation of the Advisory Committee.
• Perform external communication activities (interviews, videos, webinars, …) as much as necessary.

Team management

• Identify, define and organize the recruitment of the people required for the project in collaboration with the MSF support departments.
• Supervise, advise, support and federate the team around the program strategy and objectives.
• Ensure the skill development of the collaborators according to the program need and to the MSF policies.

Partnerships and external suppliers’ management

• Establish partnerships with local organizations such as patient’s associations or professional medical associations.
• Identify and set-up partnerships with medicine suppliers, and potentially existing online pharmacies, with the adequate price and quality specifications.
• Evaluate the needs of external service and product providers; organize their selection and contractualization.

Professional skills

Education:

• Master’s level in business administration, public health, pharmacy or other relevant fields.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in program direction, preferably leading pluri-disciplinary teams in the medical or pharmaceutical fields.
• Several years of working experience in international drug supply topics at a senior executive level and/or in relation to the access to medicines in resource limited countries, including the management of access projects and advocacy activities, is a strong asset.
• Experience in conducting large projects involving different MSF entities and external partnerships, and with concrete applications in MSF countries of intervention.

Languages:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (C1) and French (B2), a third language is an asset (B2).

Qualities

• Capacity to work very autonomously (for example reporting to a Board of Directors).
• Excellent team leadership skills, with experience supervising multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams and fostering a collaborative work environment.

Position’s specificities

Fixed-term contract for a minimum of 9 months, renewable up to 18 months (the duration may be adjusted depending on the candidate’s location). Managerial position based in OCP Paris office – with mobility to MSF HQ offices in Abidjan or Nairobi.

Expected starting date: March 2025

Our wish is to promote inclusion and diversity. We also wish to improve the representation of people with disabilities in our workforce.