Job Overview

King Faisal Hospital Rwanda Foundation (KFHRF) is recruiting a Senior Pharmacist (Chief Study Pharmacist) to lead investigational product management for the PROPS Trial. This is a senior-level pharmacy job in Rwanda for an experienced professional who wants to work at the intersection of clinical research, pharmaceutical regulation, and patient safety.

The PROPS Trial focuses on the efficacy of probiotic supplementation in preterm and small-for-gestational-age infants. As Chief Study Pharmacist, you will have overall responsibility for the receipt, storage, blinding integrity, allocation, distribution, monitoring, accountability, and destruction of the investigational product (IP) and placebo used in the trial.

The duty station is the central study office and pharmacy at King Faisal Hospital Rwanda Foundation in Kigali, with oversight of IP storage at participating study hospital sites. You will report to the Principal Investigator, with functional reporting to the Study Sponsor and Coordinating Centre on IP matters.

This role is best suited for a licensed pharmacist with at least ten years of post-registration experience, including hospital pharmacy, clinical trial pharmacy, or pharmaceutical supply chain management. If you are passionate about clinical research and want to contribute to a trial that could improve outcomes for vulnerable infants, this opportunity is worth serious consideration.

Why This Opportunity Matters

Clinical trial pharmacy is a specialised field that few pharmacists get to experience. This role places you at the centre of a study that has real potential to improve neonatal health outcomes in Rwanda and beyond.

What makes this opportunity valuable:

• Pioneering clinical research. The PROPS Trial investigates probiotic supplementation for preterm and small-for-gestational-age infants. Your work directly supports research that could shape clinical practice and save lives.

• Senior leadership responsibility. You will not just dispense medications. You will lead the entire investigational product lifecycle, from receipt and storage to allocation, reconciliation, and destruction. You will supervise, train, and mentor other pharmacy staff.

• Regulatory and compliance expertise. You will work in strict compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Rwanda FDA requirements, and applicable national pharmaceutical regulations. This experience is highly valued in the pharmaceutical industry, research organisations, and regulatory bodies.

• International collaboration. You will serve as the primary point of contact for the Sponsor, Coordinating Centre, external monitors, auditors, and regulatory stakeholders. This gives you exposure to international research standards and practices.

• Career growth. Experience managing investigational products in a clinical trial is a specialised skill. It positions you for senior roles in clinical research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, and academic medical centres.

• Renewable contract with potential for extension. The initial term is one year, renewable subject to performance and funding, for the duration of the PROPS trial at the Rwanda site. This offers stability and the chance to see the trial through to completion.

• Contribution to national health priorities. By ensuring the safe and compliant management of investigational products, you contribute to Rwanda's growing capacity for clinical research and pharmaceutical regulation.

Application Tips

Competition for senior clinical research pharmacy roles is strong. To stand out, you need to demonstrate not just your technical skills but also your understanding of trial integrity, regulatory compliance, and team leadership.

• Lead with your pharmacy registration and license. The role requires current registration and a valid license to practice as a pharmacist with the Rwanda Pharmacy Council or equivalent. Make sure this is prominently stated in your CV.

• Quantify your experience. The role requires a minimum of ten (10) years of post-registration professional experience. Highlight specific roles where you managed pharmaceutical inventory, storage, distribution, and accountability. Mention any experience with clinical trials or investigational products.

• Show your GCP certification. Current ICH-GCP certification is essential, or you must demonstrate willingness and ability to complete it before undertaking trial activities. If you have it, make it visible. If not, state clearly that you are ready to obtain it.

• Demonstrate supervisory and leadership experience. The role involves supervising, training, and mentoring Pharmacists and pharmacy/unblinded support staff. Share examples of how you led teams, developed SOPs, or improved pharmacy operations.

• Highlight cold-chain and temperature monitoring skills. You will manage temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products at 2–8°C, monitor temperature deviations, and ensure cold-chain integrity. Mention any experience with cold-chain systems and temperature excursion management.

• Show understanding of blinding and randomisation. The role requires strict confidentiality and protection of trial blinding. Demonstrate that you understand why blinding matters and how to maintain it.

• Emphasise your audit and inspection readiness. You will maintain inspection- and audit-ready IP accountability records. Mention any experience supporting monitoring visits, audits, or regulatory inspections.

• Prepare for the technical interview. Expect questions about IP management, temperature excursion handling, reconciliation processes, and multi-site supply coordination. Be ready to explain how you would handle a temperature breach or a stock discrepancy.

• Tailor your CV to clinical trials. If you have experience with blinded clinical trial products, overlabelling procedures, or electronic tracking systems, make sure these are clearly highlighted.

• Apply early. The deadline is October 5, 2026. Early applications show professionalism and give you time to follow up.

• Use the official application link. Applications must be submitted via the link provided in the original announcement. Do not send applications by email unless instructed.

Responsibilities

As Senior Pharmacist (Chief Study Pharmacist), your duties will cover investigational product management, regulatory compliance, team leadership, and stakeholder coordination.

Investigational Product Receipt, Storage, and Monitoring

• Ensure investigational product is stored immediately under controlled temperature conditions of 2–8°C upon receipt.

• Maintain continuous temperature monitoring at all storage locations.

• Ensure the PROPS IP Temperature Monitoring Log, including required AM and PM readings, is completed at every storage location.

• Promptly report temperature excursions to the Site Principal Investigator within the required timeframe.

• Monitor cumulative time that IP sachets are outside the required 2–8°C range and ensure study thresholds are not exceeded.

• Take appropriate corrective action where thresholds are approached or breached.

Blinding, Allocation, and Distribution

• Coordinate and directly oversee the unblinded team responsible for overlabelling individual IP sticks to obscure manufacturer batch numbers while preserving blinding integrity.

• Ensure IP Temperature Deviation Logs are completed for any period during which IP boxes are outside the required storage range during overlabelling activities.

• Maintain master lists of available participant IDs separately for preterm and term SGA infants.

• Generate and verify daily sub-lists for IP allocation across participating study sites.

• Reconcile participant ID master lists daily and recycle unused participant IDs where permitted.

• Ensure unused participant boxes are appropriately reissued to minimise product wastage.

• Review and approve requests from site/hospital pharmacists for IP box shipments.

• Ensure participating hospital sites maintain an appropriate buffer supply, including at least a two-week supply where required.

• Ensure IP shipments are dispatched in appropriate temperature-controlled containers, including cool boxes with icepacks and thermometers, with complete and accurate shipment documentation.

Accountability, Reconciliation, and Destruction

• Maintain inspection- and audit-ready IP accountability records, including receipt, storage, overlabelling, allocation, distribution, temperature monitoring, reconciliation, return, and destruction records.

• Lead end-of-study reconciliation of remaining, unused, and expired investigational product.

• Coordinate destruction of expired or unused IP with an appropriately licensed incineration facility.

• Obtain and retain incineration certificates.

• Ensure the PROPS IP Destruction Log is completed accurately and retained within study records.

Team Leadership and Training

• Supervise, train, and mentor Pharmacist(s) and pharmacy/unblinded support staff on IP management SOPs, Product Provision SOPs, and other relevant trial procedures.

• Monitor compliance of pharmacy staff with study-specific procedures.

• Ensure required training and certifications are maintained throughout the trial.

• Ensure all pharmacy staff complete and maintain current ICH-GCP certification and study-specific training before undertaking trial-related IP activities.

Regulatory Compliance and Stakeholder Coordination

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Sponsor, Coordinating Centre, external monitors, auditors, and regulatory stakeholders on all IP-related matters.

• Maintain and, where necessary, escalate proposed updates to IP-related SOPs, logs, forms, and processes in collaboration with the Principal Investigator and Coordinating Centre.

• Identify, document, and escalate IP quality concerns, temperature excursions, stock discrepancies, supply interruptions, and other issues.

• Ensure strict confidentiality and protection of information related to participant IDs, investigational products, randomisation, allocation, and trial documentation.

Quality Assurance and Documentation

• Ensure all IP management activities comply with the Investigational Product Management SOP, Product Provision SOP, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), applicable national pharmaceutical regulations, and trial requirements.

• Maintain accurate pharmaceutical records, accountability documentation, and temperature-controlled storage records.

• Support the Principal Investigator and study team with other pharmacy and IP management duties required for successful conduct and closeout of the PROPS Trial.

Requirements

Education

• Minimum of Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) or equivalent professional pharmacy qualification.

• Master's degree in Pharmacy or related pharmaceutical sciences is preferred.

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) qualification is preferred.

Experience

• Current registration and valid license to practice as a pharmacist with the Rwanda Pharmacy Council or equivalent national regulatory body.

• Minimum of ten (10) years of post-registration professional experience.

• Experience in hospital pharmacy, clinical trial pharmacy, investigational product management, pharmaceutical supply-chain management, or related areas.

• Demonstrated experience in pharmacy operations, pharmaceutical inventory management, storage, distribution, and accountability.

• Prior supervisory or team-leadership experience.

• Current ICH-GCP certification, or demonstrated willingness and ability to complete the required certification before undertaking trial activities.

• Working knowledge of Rwanda FDA requirements and applicable national pharmaceutical and regulatory requirements for clinical trials.

• Demonstrated ability to maintain accurate pharmaceutical records, accountability documentation, and temperature-controlled storage records.

• Strong understanding of confidentiality requirements and the importance of maintaining trial blinding and allocation safeguards.

Preferred Experience

• Prior experience managing investigational products in a clinical trial.

• Experience with blinded clinical trial products and overlabelling procedures.

• Experience managing temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products and cold-chain systems.

• Experience coordinating pharmaceutical supply and inventory across multiple hospital sites.

• Experience supporting clinical trial monitoring visits, audits, or regulatory inspections.

• Experience with clinical trial IP management systems, electronic tracking systems, or tablet-based applications.

• Experience working with international research institutions, Sponsors, or clinical trial Coordinating Centres.

Skills

• Investigational product management.

• Clinical trial pharmacy operations.

• Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

• Good Pharmacy Practice.

• Pharmaceutical inventory and stock management.

• Cold-chain management and temperature monitoring.

• IP receipt, storage, allocation, distribution, reconciliation, and destruction.

• Blinding and randomisation safeguards.

• Pharmaceutical documentation and accountability systems.

• Temperature deviation and excursion management.

• Multi-site pharmaceutical logistics and supply management.

• Quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

• Audit and inspection readiness.

• Staff supervision, training, and mentoring.

• Risk identification, problem-solving, and corrective action.

• Confidentiality and protection of trial information.

• Electronic data, inventory, and IP tracking systems.

• Microsoft Office and relevant pharmacy or study management systems.

• Report writing and documentation skills.

• Understanding of clinical research and pharmaceutical regulatory systems.

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How to Apply

1. Prepare your application documents. Update your CV to highlight your pharmacy registration, license, years of experience, clinical trial or IP management experience, GCP certification, and supervisory roles.

2. Write a cover letter. Explain why you are interested in the Chief Study Pharmacist role for the PROPS Trial and how your experience aligns with the responsibilities. Mention your understanding of IP management, blinding, cold-chain systems, and regulatory compliance.

3. Gather your supporting documents. You will need copies of your pharmacy degree, professional registration, valid license, GCP certification (if available), and any other relevant certifications.

4. Visit the official application link. The original announcement states that interested candidates should apply via the link provided.

5. Complete the online application. Fill in all required fields accurately and upload your documents as instructed.

6. Submit before the deadline. Applications must be received no later than October 5, 2026.

7. Wait for shortlisting. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stage of the recruitment process.