Pharmaceutical/Medical Cold Chain Consultant – RMS Modern Medical Warehouse

About the role

UNICEF is seeking a Pharmaceutical/Medical Cold Chain Consultant to provide technical assistance for the RMS Modern Medical Warehouse project in Kigali, Rwanda. The consultant will support the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of cold‑chain facilities and review existing maintenance contracts.

Key responsibilities

• Assess, plan and finalize design specifications for pharmaceutical cold rooms, freezers and monitoring systems.
• Prepare technical specifications, support procurement and oversee installation of cold‑chain equipment.
• Conduct testing, commissioning and ensure operational readiness of the cold‑chain infrastructure.
• Review and improve existing cold‑room maintenance contracts for RMS.
• Ensure integration of temperature control systems with warehouse infrastructure to meet current and projected operational needs.

Required profile

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Refrigeration, Mechanical, Thermal, HVAC, Energy Engineering or a related discipline (or a Bachelor’s with extensive cold‑chain experience).
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in refrigeration or temperature‑controlled storage systems.
• At least 7 years of experience designing or specifying industrial or pharmaceutical cold rooms and freezer systems.
• Demonstrated experience with highly regulated pharmaceutical, vaccine or medical supply storage.

Required skills

• Refrigeration engineering
• Mechanical/thermal/HVAC engineering
• Cold‑chain design and specification
• Industrial and pharmaceutical cold‑room and freezer system implementation
• Temperature monitoring and control systems