The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action.

IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion.

The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpa); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. 

The Global Humanitarian Services and Supply Chain Management (GHS&SCM) Department is based at IFRC Headquarters in Geneva, with staff outposted across several global hubs, including the Global Service Centre in Budapest. It reports to the Global Head of Supply Chain in Geneva. Within this structure, the department plays a pivotal role in coordinating IFRC’s global logistics network, ensuring that operational needs from regional and country delegations are translated into coherent global supply chain strategies. The Senior Officer for Supply Chain Demand Planning and Coordination supports this vision by consolidating demand forecasts, aligning procurement and replenishment cycles, and linking supply strategies with humanitarian preparedness and response priorities across the IFRC and National Societies.

The Supply Chain Demand Planning and Coordination Officer plays a key role in advancing IFRC’s transition toward anticipatory, demand-driven, and supply-aligned logistics.

The Officer will establish and manage a structured demand and supply planning function, ensuring that risk forecasts, consumption trends, Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) versus in-kind options, predicted crises and their supply chain preparedness needs and National Societies demand are translated into practical supply chain work planning for the team.

By consolidating forecasts, aligning procurement and replenishment cycles, and leading demand–supply forums, the Officer will ensure that IFRC’s logistics network is more predictable, cost-efficient, environmentally responsible, and prepared for future risks. The role will also look at sustaining the supply chain network information on our platform SPARK.

The role’s primary interfaces include:

• Regional Hubs – for demand collection, scenario planning, and allocation.
• Global/Regional Procurement Teams – for sourcing strategies and supplier buffer management.
• Delegations, National Societies (NS), and Participating National Societies (PNS) – for demand visibility, prioritization, and stock access coordination.
• SPARK supply chain network update of the platform.

This is both a technical and coordinating role, acting as the anchor for demand management, supply alignment, and preparedness planning across the global IFRC network.

1. Supply Chain Demand Management and Forecasting

• Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Global Head of Supply Chain, create, develop and implement global demand forecasting process for preparedness and emergency response in supply chain.
• Integrate predictive models (e.g., Montandon), risk indices (eg. Index for Risk Management, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Pacific Disaster Centre) and operational data (SPARK, ERP, DREF).
• Consolidate demand inputs from Delegations, NS, and PNS into a rolling demand plan.
• Compare forecasts with actuals to improve accuracy and enhance preparedness.
• Ensure CVA vs in-kind trade-offs are systematically factored into demand planning.

2. Supply Planning and Stock Strategy Alignment

• Translate demand forecasts into supply and replenishment plans that support risk-informed preparedness.
• Ensure alignment with the tiered stock access model (Tier 1 – suppliers, Tier 2 – hubs, Tier 3 – NS/local).
• Define replenishment triggers and buffer policies based on risk, lead times, and supplier capacity.
• Provide demand forecast with the Global Procurement Team to leverage framework agreements and supplier-held buffers.

3. Preparedness and Scenario Planning

• Embed scenario planning (e.g., droughts, cyclones, displacement) into demand–supply cycles.
• Link forecasts to contingency plans, DREF triggers, and anticipatory actions.
• Support Regional Hubs and NSs to design national stock strategies under Preparedness for Effective Response (PER).
• Ensure CVA feasibility assessments are part of preparedness options.

4. Decision Forums and Governance Support

• Prepare evidence-based recommendations for stock release, allocation, and replenishment.
• Provide data and forecasts for governance at strategic (annual reviews), tactical (monthly forums), and operational (emergency escalations) levels.
• Facilitate demand–supply alignment meetings with Regional Hubs, Delegations, NS, and PNS.

5. Data Management and Digital Integration

• Ensure demand and supply data are visible across IFRC platforms (ERP, SPARK/GO Platform) providing a single view for planning and decision-making.
• Ensure that SPARK is used by IFRC operations and National Societies as the central platform for establishing supply plans related to demand forecasts.
• Collaborate with Digital & Data teams and the GO Information Management (IM) team to align SPARK with the GO platform, ensuring consistent data flows, interoperability.
• Continuously enrich SPARK by expanding real-time and manual data inputs from National Societies, progressively transitioning toward automated data integration to improve completeness and quality of global demand and supply visibility.
• Develop and monitor KPIs and alerts through SPARK/GO Platform for forecast accuracy, buffer coverage, and dispatch lead times.
• Promote standardized, accurate, and timely data flows from IFRC ERP into SPARK, strengthening data quality and governance across the Secretariat.
• Regularly assess the relevance, quality, and consistency of data within SPARK; identify and address data cleaning and validation needs in coordination with relevant stakeholders, ensuring that datasets from ERP and other systems remain accurate, complete, and fit for planning purposes.

6. Localization, CVA, and Sustainability

• Support NSs with training and tool development in collaboration with the Department's focal point to strengthen forecasting and supply planning capacity through PER/NSD.
• Systematically assess CVA vs in-kind preparedness options, reducing reliance on physical stocks where feasible.
• In coordination with the relevant IFRC and NS stakeholders, embed green logistics principles into supply planning: local sourcing, multimodal transport, reduced overstocking.

Key Deliverables

• Quarterly Forecast and Stock Strategy Report (global + regional).
• Annual Risk-Informed Supply Plan combining demand forecasts with hazard scenarios.
• Monthly dashboards (SPARK/PowerBI) with readiness KPIs.
• SOPs for forecasting, replenishment, and preparedness planning.
• Scenario playbooks linking forecasts to contingency and anticipatory triggers.
• Training modules for NSs and Delegations on demand forecasting and preparedness stock strategies.
• Updated SPARK SCM platform with latest information.

Duties applicable to all staff 

1. Work actively towards the achievement of IFRC’s goals.  

2. Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles. 

3. Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager. 

Required:

• University degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Operations Research, Economics, or related field.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree (Master’s). 

Required:

• 5+ years in supply chain management, forecasting, or planning (humanitarian or FMCG sectors, or similar).
• Experience with forecasting models, analytics, and planning tools.

Preferred:

• Humanitarian logistics experience, with exposure to NSs or PNSs.
• Familiarity with CVA programming is an asset.

Required:

• Strong understanding of supply chain resilience strategies and their application in emergency response.
• Strong analytical and planning skills.
• Ability to translate complex data into clear decisions and recommendations.
• Excellent facilitation and coordination across diverse stakeholders.
• Knowledge of humanitarian logistics, preparedness frameworks, and donor requirements.
• Familiarity with IFRC tools (SPARK, ERP, PowerBI) or equivalent systems.
• Commitment to localization, equity, and green logistics principles.
• Strong interpersonal skills, verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deliver compelling presentations and advocacy messages.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work and communicate efficiently in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and cross-functional setting, including dispersed.
• Fluent spoken and written English.

Preferred:

• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic).

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust

Comments: This is a national staff position open to Hungarian nationals and others who are legally eligible to work in Hungary. Candidates must be able to provide proof of their eligibility to work in Hungary.