Customs Officer

Purpose of the Post

The purpose of the position is to supports the importation, clearance  and distribution of life-saving health supplies and medical commodities to the Government and other Health Partners in Ukraine, ensuring follow-up, and an effective and efficient end-to end process at the incident site level.

Reporting to the OSL Lead, the incumbent is a member of the OSL team and is responsible for supporting the importation, international shipping, shipping visibility and pipeline management, as well as the customs clearance of life-saving health supplies and medical commodities destined for the Government of Ukraine and other health partners. The role ensures compliance with WHO and national inbound procedures, including the required reporting of international procurement to relevant governmental bodies. The incumbent also contributes to contingency stock planning and provides operational support to technical officers across WHO’s health programs.

This involves ongoing contacts with counterparts in the respective Regional Office, HQ, and Global Service Center. S/he will engage with other UN agencies, international partners, and NGOs to share experience and provide required support.

Objectives of the Programme

The WHO country office works with the National Authorities to achieve the highest standard of health as a fundamental human right, based on equity and on SDGs principle of leaving no one behind. WHO actions are engrained in the WHO 14th General Programme of Work with its 3 prong objectives of promoting healthier populations, keeping the world safe through addressing health emergencies, and protecting the vulnerable through Universal Health Coverage. WHO's mandate revolves around six core functions: (i) providing Global Health leadership; (ii) shaping the health research agenda; (iii) setting norms and standards; (iv) articulating evidence-based policy options; (v) providing technical support to countries; and (vi) monitoring and assessing health trends. The WHO Country Office is an integral part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe. Its main role is to facilitate and coordinate all WHO activities at country level and to implement the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe” which sets out a vision of how the WHO Regional Office for Europe can better support countries in meeting citizens’ expectations about health.
WHO at country level delivers this through practical, actionable and country focused solutions to health challenges, keeping in perspective that achieving health and well-being is a whole-of-society endeavour; This is done through facilitating the implementation of the Biennial Collaborative Agreement with the country and its corresponding workplan. The WHO Country Office maintains good working relations and ensures information exchange between the country and WHO, policy and strategic guidance on Health issues to all national and international partners in the country, provision of direct technical expertise when needed and aims at more community engagement and participation, and to promote health equity.

Summary of Assigned Duties

Key duties:

1. Customs Clearance & Regulatory Compliance

• Coordinate with customs clearance agents and relevant ministries (MoH, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Customs) to secure timely customs clearance approvals.
• Ensure adherence to National Regulatory Authorities’ requirements for the importation of medical commodities and related logistics operations.
• Apply for and obtain all necessary authorizations, permits, and notifications for shipment, reception, warehousing, and distribution of medical commodities.
• Ensure compliance with host country legislation for all activities related to importation, in-country handling of expired or redundant supplies, and destruction of humanitarian cargo.
• Serve as the primary focal point for liaison with local authorities on importation and regulatory matters.
• Ensure customs procedures (by category of items) are documented and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders involved in the process.
• Ensure timely reporting on international inbound shipments and compliance with national customs reporting requirements.

2. Shipment Coordination & Supply Chain Operations

• Establish and manage the Green Light Process for preparing and receiving inbound shipments.
• Ensure that approved distribution plans and requests for medical supplies from recipients are in place to enable timely importation, clearance, and distribution.
• Follow up closely with the Global Service Center (GSC), Regional Office, and HQ Procurement teams on shipment planning, delivery status, and outstanding issues.
• Participate in regular field assessments to monitor in-bound shipments, supply management at customs and at warehouses, stock movements, and storage conditions

3. Documentation & Information Management

• Request and collect all necessary, valid, and up-to-date supporting documents and auditable records from suppliers, freight forwarders, logistics agents, and colleagues at all three levels of the Organization.
• Provide inputs to and maintain internal databases related to the fulfilment phase, including freight forwarding, clearance, warehousing, and distribution.
• Oversee the development and regular updating of contact lists of essential stakeholders (transporters, clearing agents, administrations, MoH, Customs, airport authorities, handling agents).

4. Quality Assurance & Risk Management

• Coordinate, record, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPAs) in support of the quality system.
• Work with relevant actors to manage risks and continuously improve logistics and importation operations.

5. Additional Duties

• Perform any other related or incident-specific duties as required by the functional supervisor.

Competencies

1. Teamwork

2. Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

3. Communication

4. Producing results

5. Ensuring effective use of resources

Functional Knowledge and Skills

Demonstrated technical skills in in-bound shipping and customs management processes management in Ukraine. Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications with emphasis on database management to monitor supplies and inventory and forecast needs. Excellent organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to multitask, deliver results in time critical scenarios, identify and solve problems. Emotional intelligence; Ability to identify and manage one's own emotions, as well as helping others to do the same.

Education Qualifications

Essential
- University degree (Bachelor's level/or equivalent) in Business Administration, Social sciences, Political Sciences, logistics, engineering, supply chain management or another field of studies relevant to the position.

Desirable
- University degree (Master's level) in any of the above areas. Degree, training or qualification in Supply Chain Management and/or Logistics and/or Customs. Training or knowledge of WHO information management systems and their application to supply management and monitoring will be an advantage.

Experience

Essential
- At least one year experience, at the national level, in in-Bound Shipping & Customs, supply chain management, logistics or procurement in a health care emergency response, or humanitarian response operations, or related area

Desirable

- Experience in cooperation with National and local authorities for the importation of health or humanitarian commodities, working experience in the UN, NGOs, international organizations will be an advantage

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Expert knowledge of Ukrainian.
Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of WHO language.

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 33,420 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• The Director-General retains the discretion to not make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description, including shortening the duration of the appointment.

• WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

• WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Persons with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations (modifications or adjustments to the application or recruitment process) to support their participation in the application and recruitment process. Please send an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int with your full name, the vacancy number you are applying for, and specific details of the accommodation needed in your request.

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

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• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.

• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

• Please note that WHO's contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.

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