Pharmacy Technician

General Conditions of Employment

PU-AMI is a humanitarian organization committed to safeguarding and protecting individuals affected by our activities and to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all staff and beneficiaries. Adherence to the ethical framework (including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH), child safeguarding, fraud, corruption, and other forms of misconduct) is a fundamental requirement for all roles. All selected candidates must sign the Code of Conduct, complete all mandatory training and demonstrate a clear understanding of, and commitment to, PU-AMI’s ethical framework and safeguarding policies, including their responsibilities to prevent, report, and respond to concerns in accordance with the established reporting and referral procedures, and to uphold accountability to affected populations.

As part of PU-AMI's commitment to safe recruitment, all candidates will be subject to appropriate screening procedures, which may include reference checks, verification of employment history, and disclosure of any past misconduct related to safeguarding, PSEAH, or other serious violations.

PU-AMI considers the diversity of race, beliefs, languages, gender, background, and status within its human resources as a key asset to its humanitarian work and is fully committed to upholding the principle of non-discrimination throughout its recruitment processes.

Please note that PU-AMI will under no circumstances request any financial contribution for administrative fees related to recruitment. Any such request should be considered fraudulent and disregarded.The employee shall abide by this job description, his/her employment contract, and the PU-AMI Afghanistan National Staff Regulations, including their annexes and attachments, as well as any rules, regulations, and internal policies that may be adopted by PU-AMI Afghanistan.

Overall Objective

The Pharmacy Technician supports the safe, effective and accountable management of medicines, medical supplies and pharmacy services at the assigned health facility. The role is responsible for the proper receipt, storage, inventory control, dispensing and documentation of medicines in accordance with Ministry of Public Health requirements, BPHS standards, the Afghanistan Essential Medicines List, PUI pharmacy procedures and rational medicine-use principles.

The Pharmacy Technician contributes to the continuous availability of essential medicines, prevention of stock-outs and expiries, safe dispensing, appropriate patient counselling, and accurate pharmacy reporting while maintaining confidentiality, safety and infection prevention and control standards.

Key Responsibilities

1.Pharmacy Service Delivery

·Dispense medicines accurately against authorized prescriptions and in accordance with applicable treatment guidelines and approved procedures.

·Review prescriptions for completeness, legibility, dosage, frequency, duration, potential duplication and other apparent discrepancies.

·Refer unclear or potentially inappropriate prescriptions to the authorized prescriber and do not independently modify a prescription.

·Provide patients and caregivers with clear instructions on dosage, frequency, duration, storage requirements and relevant precautions.

·Promote rational medicine use and support patients in understanding and adhering to prescribed treatment.

·Maintain patient privacy, confidentiality and respectful communication throughout service delivery.

• Support the health-facility team in maintaining the continuous availability of essential medicines and medical supplies.

2.Medicine and Medical Supply Management

• Receive medicines and medical supplies and verify quantities, batch numbers, expiry dates, physical condition and supporting documentation.
• Match deliveries against the approved request, waybill or delivery note.
• Document shortages, excess quantities, damage, quality concerns and temperature excursions identified during receipt.
• Quarantine products that do not meet acceptance requirements and report them to the appropriate supervisor.
• Ensure receipt documents are signed, dated and properly filed.
• Arrange medicines and medical supplies systematically in accordance with established storage and stock-management procedures.
• Apply First Expiry, First Out (FEFO) principles to minimize losses due to expiry.
• Monitor consumption, stock levels, near-expiry items, damaged products and potential stock-outs.
• Prepare and submit replenishment requests based on consumption, available stock and programme requirements.
• Maintain appropriate security and restricted access to pharmacy and medicine-storage areas.
• Ensure products requiring special storage conditions are handled and stored according to their specifications.

3. Stock Accountability

• Maintain full accountability for medicines and medical supplies assigned to the pharmacy.
• Ensure all receipts, issues, transfers, returns, adjustments and losses are accurately documented and supported by authorized records.
• Conduct and document formal stock handovers whenever responsibility changes, including during staff transfer, extended absence, leave or end of contract.
• Ensure each handover includes a joint physical count, reconciliation against stock records, documentation of discrepancies, and signatures of the outgoing and incoming staff members and the responsible supervisor.
• Maintain signed physical inventory, handover and reconciliation records and file them securely for monitoring, audit and verification.
• Immediately report losses, unexplained discrepancies, damage, suspected theft, diversion, misuse or falsification through established reporting channels.
• Maintain controlled access to pharmacy and storage-area keys. Keys must not be shared with unauthorized personnel.
• Ensure the issuance, transfer or use of duplicate keys is authorized and documented in accordance with PUI procedures.
• Ensure any emergency access to the pharmacy in the absence of the responsible staff member is authorized and documented.

4. Controlled Medicines

• Store controlled medicines separately in a designated and securely locked cabinet or storage area.
• Restrict access to controlled medicines to specifically authorized personnel in accordance with national requirements and PUI procedures.
• Maintain separate and up-to-date registers for all receipts, dispensing, returns, transfers, adjustments and remaining balances.
• Ensure each transaction is supported by the required prescription, authorization and stock documentation.
• Conduct regular physical counts of controlled medicines in the presence of an authorized witness.
• Ensure controlled-medicine counts, reconciliations and handovers are documented and signed by the relevant staff members.
• Reconcile physical quantities against the controlled-medicine register and immediately report any discrepancy, loss, damage, suspected misuse or diversion.
• Do not make unauthorized adjustments, transfers, substitutions or disposals of controlled medicines.

5. Pharmaceutical Waste Management

• Identify and immediately separate expired, damaged, recalled, contaminated or otherwise unusable medicines from usable stock.
• Place these products in a clearly labelled and secure quarantine area to prevent accidental dispensing, unauthorized access or return to usable stock.
• Maintain accurate quarantine records, including the product description, quantity, batch number, expiry date, reason for quarantine and date of segregation.
• Report quarantined pharmaceutical products to the Health Facility In-Charge and Pharmacy Officer through the established reporting procedures.
• Do not remove, destroy, donate, transfer or dispose of expired or damaged pharmaceutical products without prior authorization.
• Ensure expired and damaged products are disposed of only through an authorized and documented process, in accordance with national requirements and PUI procedures.
• Ensure disposal activities are supported by approved documentation, witnessed where required, and accurately reflected in the relevant stock records and registers.
• Maintain quarantine, authorization and disposal records securely for monitoring, audit and verification.

6. Inventory and Stock Control

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date stock cards, bin cards, ledgers and other required inventory records.
• Record all stock movements promptly and accurately.
• Conduct routine physical stock counts and reconcile physical balances against pharmacy records.
• Immediately report discrepancies, losses, damage, unusual consumption or suspected misuse to the Health Facility In-Charge and Pharmacy Officer.
• Regularly monitor expiry dates and report near-expiry items for redistribution or other authorized action.
• Participate in periodic physical inventories and pharmacy verification exercises conducted by PUI or the relevant health authorities.
• Support corrective actions arising from stock counts, audits or inventory reconciliations, as instructed by the responsible supervisor.

7. Storage and Pharmacy Safety

• Maintain the pharmacy and medicine-storage areas in a clean, organized, secure and well-ventilated condition.
• Protect medicines and medical supplies from direct sunlight, moisture, excessive heat, contamination and other environmental risks.
• Maintain clear separation and identification of different categories of medicines and medical supplies.
• Monitor and record pharmacy storage temperature and humidity twice daily using the approved monitoring sheet.
• Immediately report any temperature or humidity excursion through the established reporting channels.
• Quarantine potentially affected products pending technical assessment.
• Do not return quarantined products to usable stock without documented assessment and authorization from the responsible technical supervisor.
• Ensure emergency and essential medicines are readily accessible while maintaining appropriate stock controls.
• Immediately report any damage or malfunction affecting pharmacy infrastructure, storage equipment or cold-chain equipment.

8. Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date dispensing registers, stock records and other required pharmacy documentation.
• Prepare and submit routine consumption, stock-status and pharmacy reports within the required deadlines.
• Provide timely information on stock-outs, overstock, near-expiry items, wastage, discrepancies and other pharmacy-related concerns.
• Support the compilation and verification of pharmacy data for monthly and other programme reports.
• Ensure pharmacy records are securely filed, treated confidentially and available for authorized monitoring, audit and verification.

9. Rational Medicine Use and Quality of Care

• Support implementation of the Afghanistan Essential Medicines List and relevant Standard Treatment Guidelines.
• Promote appropriate medicine selection, dosage, duration and adherence to prescribed treatment within the scope of the position.
• Identify, document and report suspected dispensing errors, adverse drug reactions, product-quality concerns and other medicine-related incidents through established channels.
• Participate in pharmacy audits, stock reviews and quality-improvement activities.
• Support the health-facility team in reducing medicine wastage and improving medicine availability and use.

10. Infection Prevention and Control

• Follow standard infection prevention and control measures within the pharmacy and medicine-storage areas.
• Maintain hand hygiene and use appropriate personal protective equipment where required.
• Ensure the safe handling of medicines, pharmaceutical waste and contaminated materials.
• Support the proper segregation and handling of pharmaceutical and medical waste in accordance with national requirements and PUI procedures.
• Promptly report infection prevention, occupational safety or pharmacy safety concerns to the Health Facility In-Charge.

11. Teamwork and Coordination

• Work closely with the Health Facility In-Charge, Pharmacy Officer, Medical Doctor, nurses, midwives, vaccinators, laboratory staff, nutrition personnel, PSS providers and other health-facility staff.
• Participate in health-facility meetings and pharmacy-related coordination activities as required.
• Coordinate with programme and logistics teams regarding medicine and medical-supply requirements, deliveries and stock concerns.
• Promptly communicate pharmacy-related risks, discrepancies and operational challenges to the appropriate supervisor.
• Support the orientation of relevant health-facility staff on medicine storage, stock documentation and rational medicine use when requested and within the scope of the position.

12. Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Support the timely preparation and availability of essential medicines and medical supplies during disease outbreaks, natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
• Assist in maintaining emergency medicine stocks in accordance with approved facility requirements.
• Provide authorized pharmacy support to mobile health teams and outreach activities when required.
• Participate in emergency preparedness and response activities relevant to pharmacy services.

13. Professional Conduct and Accountability

• Maintain professional integrity, confidentiality and accountability in all pharmacy activities.
• Dispense medicines only against an authorized prescription or in accordance with an approved national or PUI protocol.
• Do not lend, transfer, replace or distribute medicines outside approved channels without prior authorization and complete supporting documentation.
• Report suspected theft, diversion, misuse, falsification, fraud or unexplained stock discrepancies through established reporting channels.
• Comply with PUI’s Code of Conduct, safeguarding and PSEA policies, patient-rights standards, confidentiality requirements and principles of non-discrimination.
• Treat patients, caregivers and colleagues respectfully and professionally at all times.
• Perform other pharmacy-related duties reasonably assigned by the supervisor, consistent with the employee’s qualifications, competence, position and applicable procedures.