About the position
Background:
- The Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) is a renowned African-led research institute that seeks solutions to Africa’s health challenges
- It is located within the University of the Witwatersrand and addresses some of the greatest public health concerns affecting our region, including HIV and its related problems, sexual and reproductive health, and vaccinology
Main purpose of the job:
- Assume overall direct responsibility for the deliverables of the Market Shaping (supply side work-stream), manage all milestones, timelines, and any emerging interdependencies
- Lead the implementation of the market shaping work, which utilises supply side levers to ensure the development of healthy markets for the introduction of new products
- The work ultimately enables equitable access by addressing market barriers, facilitating accelerated access to quality-assured product, and rapid scale up in a coordinated and sustainable way
Location:
- 7 Esselen Street, Hillbrow, Johannesburg
Key performance areas:
Technical leadership
- Work closely together with the Technical Head: Programme Implementation to provide overall technical leadership for the Project PrEP market shaping output 4
- Lead and coordinate implementation of the market shaping output
- Work with the Technical Head: Programme Implementation to develop detailed annual workplans for the Project PrEP output 4
- Undertake market surveillance (e.g. through analysis of landscape, through engagements with originator and generic manufacturers, pharma, MOH’s etc.) for long acting PrEP products, as well as other products and diagnostics for different disease areas.
- Fundraising: Develop a detailed multiyear strategy for growing the market shaping funding basket for Wits RHI
- Develop as needed landscape analysis for new projects Collaborate, facilitate and lead deal design for long acting PrEP products under for the Project PrEP output 4, as well as any other product and/or diagnostic
- Develop an overarching market shaping strategy for Wits RHI as a whole
- Identify and design of market shaping interventions per product or diagnostic and disease area, as identified in the overarching strategy
- Together with the Technical Lead: Supplier Engagement and product development and regulatory lead, oversee the development of technical content needed to engage with all external stakeholders
Stakeholder Management
- Develop and maintain a strategic relationship with Unitaid and other key donors, generic and innovator companies as relates to the market shaping output work
- Manage the contractual relationship with CHAI and ensure that they, as sub-grantee meet all their key technical deliverables
- Work closely with CHAI to develop, implement and evaluate, a capacity building plan for Wits RHI market shaping staff
- Work closely with CHAI and oversee the implementation and monitoring of defined supply side interventions
- Together with the technical lead for supplier engagement, oversee the contractual relationship with various drug manufacturers as relates to incentives
- Manage the day-to-day relationships with relevant stakeholders, in particular with CHAI and maintain technical oversight over their deliverables and all other stakeholder inputs – e.g., ensure that Wits RHI is represented in all field verification site visits
- Ensure comprehensive and timely reporting to Unitaid
- Contribute to the strategic direction to project
- Develop and effectively manage relationships with relevant Wits RHI structures
Coordination, Communication and Integration
- Together with the Technical Lead: Programme Implementation, lead the technical coordination between Wits RHI, Unitaid, CHAI and all other stakeholders and ensure that Wits RHI is represented
- Manage day to day operations and coordination of the market shaping output
- Ensure project deliverables are on track to deliver high quality, timeous, successful project outcomes.
- Oversee coordination between the supply side output streams: (1) Supplier Engagement / Contract Management; (2) Drug Development & Regulatory Processes
- Oversee coordination between the supply and demand side workstreams under Project PrEP output 4
- Ensure that learnings and data from Project PrEP output 1 – 3 are fed into output 4 discussions, particularly with generic manufacturers so as to inform volume production
- Work closely with research and country TA workstream leads to coordinate activities and ensure that Market Shaping plans and country TA are informed by evidence
- Project PrEP regional workstream: Work closely with the Technical Lead: Country TA support and CHAI country team to support country level planning activities under country TA - quantification and supply planning
- Ensure optimal communication between and across the Wits RHI and CHAI teams is optimal and that program activities are coordinated and leveraged
- Integration: Ensure the market shaping work (output 4) dovetails with other Unitaid funded work, particularly Project PrEP (output 1, 2 and 3)
- Contribute to the achievement of Wits RHI’s corporate goals and objectives
- Actively participate in key global, regional, and national stakeholder level
Human resources and Administration
- Line manage the market shaping team staff focused on the supply side workstream
- Work closely with the Technical Head: Programme implementation to manage the market shaping budget - e.g., oversee and approve such aspects such as payments to CHAI and of incentives to drug manufacturers
- Report monthly on key achievements, challenges, and any anecdotal success stories
- Coach and train subordinates and team members to ensure the acquisition of knowledge and skills required by the organisation
Required minimum education and training:
- A Graduate-level Degree - e.g. Master’s in Public Health; Health Economics, Business Management or pplicable field, with a high level of understanding of pharmaceutical product development, regulatory affairs, commercialisation, and a willingness to learn about conceptualization, design, and execution of multi-product market-shaping opportunities
Required minimum work experience:
- Experience working closely with or for manufacturing or pharmaceutical companies
- Minimum 10 years work experience, with an understanding of product development and commercialization, market access regulatory affairs, including conceptualization, design, and execution of market-shaping opportunities
- Experience leading strategy development to overcome key barriers and issues related to product development and commercialization, filing, approval, introduction, and adoption
- Extensive experience developing and managing internal and external relationships with innovator and generic manufacturers, and other partners, Stringent Regulatory Authority (SRAs), National Drug Regulatory Authorities (NDRA)s, Ministries of Health and other key stakeholders
- Experience leading capacitation of staff with limited technical experience in product development and commercialization and regulatory affairs
- Ability to collaborate remotely with implementing partner staff spread across geographies
Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to navigate complicated situations, excellent levels of written and verbal English communication skills, ability to communicate in other SA languages, preferably area appropriate
TO APPLY:
- Only if you meet the minimum job requirements and experience as mentioned above, you may submit a detailed updated CV Plus a one-pager Cover Letter
- Please Apply Online and complete your registration via our website to enable and protect you as a candidate, and to accept the new POPIA terms and conditions
- This will then create your permanent profile with which you can apply for all jobs as advertised by AJ PERSONNEL
- However, you may remove your profile from AJ PERSONNEL when you are no longer in the job market
- Please take note that the applicants who do not adhere to the above criteria will not be considered for the respective position
- Wits Health Consortium will only respond to shortlisted candidates
- Candidates who have not been contacted within two weeks of the closing date can consider their applications to be unsuccessful
- Closing date: 05 May 2026
- Note: No CV will be accepted after the closing date
Please note:
- WHC, in accordance with its Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto
- AJ Personnel is only responsible for advertising and the response handling on behalf of their client Wits Health Consortium
- AJ Personnel does not have any salary or other information regarding the position
Desired Skills:
- Technical Leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- Administration
- Programme Implementation
- Senior Technical Specialist
- Masters Degree
- Public Health
Employer & Job Benefits:
- Medical Aid and Pension Fund
