Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vaccine Supply Chain Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Vaccine Supply Chain Assistant supports end-to-end vaccine logistics across procurement, cold chain storage, inventory control, distribution and last-mile delivery. This role ensures vaccine potency and traceability through temperature-controlled handling, accurate inventory management, regulatory compliance (GDP/GxP) and timely reporting. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytically strong, and experienced with WMS/ERP systems, temperature monitoring and cross-functional stakeholder coordination in public health or pharmaceutical settings.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Logistics Coordinator (Healthcare or Pharma)
Pharmacy Technician or Clinic Logistics Assistant
Supply Chain Analyst (entry-level)

Advancement To:

Cold Chain Manager / Vaccine Logistics Supervisor
Supply Chain Manager — Immunization Programs
Operations Manager — Vaccines & Biologics

Lateral Moves:

Procurement Specialist (Pharmaceuticals)
Inventory Planner / Demand Forecasting Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate end-to-end vaccine supply chain activities including procurement support, inbound receipt, cold chain storage, picking, packing and distribution to clinics and outreach teams, ensuring vaccines are delivered on-time and within temperature specifications.
Maintain accurate, batch-level inventory records in WMS/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, bespoke WMS), including lot numbers, manufacture and expiry dates, quantities received/issued and location assignments to preserve full traceability.
Monitor vaccine cold chain integrity by reviewing continuous temperature-monitoring logs, interpreting data logger outputs, initiating temperature-excursion investigations and leading corrective action plans to protect product potency.
Perform routine cycle counts, perpetual inventory reconciliations and physical stocktakes; identify, investigate and resolve variances; document root causes and recommend prevention measures to reduce wastage and expiries.
Support demand forecasting and supply planning by compiling historical consumption data, immunization schedules, campaign plans and epidemiological trends; create dynamic forecasts to inform procurement and distribution cadence.
Prepare and verify all shipping documentation for domestic and international vaccine shipments, including commercial invoices, packing lists, phytosanitary or health permits, cold chain certificates and customs declarations to avoid clearance delays.
Coordinate with suppliers, freight forwarders, carriers and customs brokers to schedule temperature-controlled shipments, confirm carrier capabilities, manage lead times and track shipment status from origin to delivery.
Implement and maintain Good Distribution Practices (GDP), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and quality management processes; assist with internal audits and ensure documentation readiness for regulatory inspections.
Oversee cold storage facility operations (refrigerators, freezers and cold rooms): monitor set points, log maintenance/calibration activities, manage preventive maintenance schedules and coordinate service escalations for equipment failures.
Track and manage near-expiry and short-dated inventory; implement FEFO (First Expire, First Out) replenishment, re-distribution or targeted campaign allocation to minimize vaccine wastage.
Lead investigations into stockouts, overstocking, temperature excursions or lost/damaged shipments; compile investigation reports, support corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and update SOPs as required.
Support campaign microplanning by translating target population data into required vaccine quantities, cold chain storage requirements, transport capacity and last-mile delivery plans for fixed-site and outreach immunization activities.
Maintain vaccine lot traceability and chain-of-custody records for recall readiness; prepare traceability documentation for regulators and partner agencies when requested.
Generate routine and ad-hoc operational dashboards and management reports (inventory levels, stockouts, wastage, temperature excursions, delivery performance) using Excel, Power BI or Tableau to inform decision-making.
Assist procurement teams with tendering: prepare RFQs, evaluate vendor compliance to cold chain and GDP requirements, review quotes and support selection / PO issuance processes.
Support temperature-controlled transport coordination, including selection of validated shippers, thermal packaging qualification, payload planning and pre-trip checks to ensure cold chain robustness during transit.
Oversee proper disposal and destruction processes for expired, compromised or improperly stored vaccines in accordance with local regulations and environmental protocols.
Train and mentor warehouse, clinic and outreach staff on vaccine handling best practices, cold chain procedures, inventory management and temperature-monitoring equipment use to ensure compliance across the network.
Maintain and update supplier and carrier performance metrics, vendor scorecards and service level agreements (SLAs); recommend vendor improvements or replacements to improve reliability and reduce costs.
Work closely with immunization program managers, public health authorities, donors and partner NGOs to align supply plans, coordinate emergency responses and share operational status during campaigns or outbreaks.
Support audits by internal QA, donor agencies and national regulators; gather required documentation, provide tours or explanations of cold chain processes and implement audit findings.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives across warehouse and distribution processes (5S, lean workflow, SOP optimization) to increase throughput, reduce lead times and lower vaccine wastage.
Ensure compliance with import/export controls, customs clearance requirements and any country-specific cold chain permitting — escalate and resolve issues to prevent delivery disruptions.

Secondary Functions

Provide data support by extracting, cleaning and validating vaccine logistics data for analysis and reporting; collaborate with analytics teams to improve forecasting models and dashboards.
Participate in cross-functional sprint planning and project coordination for supply chain system upgrades, WMS implementations and digital temperature-monitoring rollouts.
Support ad-hoc operational research and pilot projects (e.g., new thermal packaging solutions, route optimization pilots) and document lessons learned and scalability considerations.
Liaise with IT and vendors to troubleshoot and maintain temperature data loggers, telemetric sensors and WMS integrations; coordinate firmware updates and device replacements.
Assist in budget tracking for cold chain operations and provide input on cost-saving opportunities such as route consolidation, carrier renegotiation and optimized inventory placement.
Contribute to vendor qualification activities, including facility assessments, cold chain capability reviews and validation of temperature-controlled shipping solutions.
Support emergency vaccine response activities by rapidly scaling distribution plans, reallocating stock, coordinating air or land freight and maintaining clear stakeholder communication.
Participate in interdisciplinary working groups to align vaccine supply chain strategy with immunization program goals, donor requirements and national cold chain strengthening initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Cold chain management and temperature-controlled logistics — hands-on experience monitoring data loggers, temperature excursions and qualified shippers.
Vaccine logistics and immunization supply chain operations — facility to manage lot traceability, FEFO/FIFO and expiry management.
Inventory management and WMS/ERP proficiency (SAP MM, Oracle, MS Dynamics, or similar warehouse management systems).
Advanced MS Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query) for reporting and ad-hoc analysis.
Familiarity with demand forecasting techniques and basic statistical analysis to translate consumption data into supply plans.
Regulatory compliance knowledge: Good Distribution Practices (GDP), Good Storage Practices (GSP), GxP basics and donor-specific compliance requirements.
Temperature monitoring systems and telemetric devices — ability to interpret logger data and manage integrations.
Shipping documentation and customs clearance processes for domestic and international vaccine shipments.
Experience with reporting and visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
Knowledge of cold chain packaging qualification, validated shipping containers and payload planning.
Basic project management skills — ability to coordinate cross-functional tasks, manage timelines and deliverables.
Experience with logistics KPIs and performance metrics (on-time delivery, wastage rate, stockout rate).

Soft Skills

Strong attention to detail and accuracy — critical for lot-level traceability and expiry-sensitive inventory.
Effective written and verbal communication for clear coordination with suppliers, regulators and clinic staff.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset — diagnose root causes, implement corrective actions and adapt processes.
Stakeholder management and collaboration — build rapport with internal teams, public health partners and external vendors.
Time management and prioritization under fast-moving campaign or emergency scenarios.
Training and coaching ability to upskill warehouse and clinic personnel on cold chain best practices.
Adaptability and resilience in resource-constrained or high-pressure environments.
Ethical judgment and responsibility in handling sensitive data and regulated products.
Process improvement orientation and ability to lead small operational change initiatives.
Customer-service focus — ensure timely delivery and support to immunization teams and beneficiaries.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Pharmacy, Public Health, Biology, Environmental Health, or related field; or equivalent work experience in vaccine/pharmaceutical logistics.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's or Master's in Supply Chain, Public Health, Pharmacy or Health Systems Management.
Certifications such as APICS/CPIM, CIPS, WHO PQS/Cold Chain training, or certified in GDP/GMP fundamentals.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management / Logistics
Public Health / Epidemiology / Health Systems
Pharmacy / Life Sciences / Biomedical Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years in supply chain or logistics roles; 1–3 years preferred for entry-level assistant roles.

Preferred:

2+ years’ experience specifically supporting vaccine or pharmaceutical cold chain operations.
Experience working with national immunization programs, donors (e.g., Gavi, UNICEF), NGOs or private-sector pharma distribution.
Demonstrated use of WMS/ERP systems, temperature-monitoring solutions and reporting/visualization tools.
Prior exposure to international shipment procedures, customs clearance and regulatory documentation.