Supply Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the IOM-FOM issued for this Compendium / Fast Track exercise, as well as the  Revised Policy and Procedures on Assignments (UNHCR/HCP/2015/2 refers). Supply Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Supply Officer takes on the role of leading, coordinating and supervising supply activities within an office. The incumbent maintains contact with other UN agencies, NGOs, government partners and commercial contractors in the area to facilitate the operation. The incumbent directly supervises professional and general service staff in the office, and reports to the Head of Office at the same level as the Programme and Administration functions.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- UNHCR has an effective local supply chain that enables the office to meet the needs of persons of concern.
- UNHCR delivers timely and quality goods and services to persons of concern.
- The office has a supply chain infrastructure that is robust and flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the operation and that enables timely emergency responses.
- The office has effective partners to support supply activities.
- The offices' supply chain is optimised and aligned with the operations' evolving needs and management systems.

Responsibility

Strategy

- Contribute to development of a supply chain strategy, structure and budget that is aligned with the global strategy and inserted in the operations plans.
- Prepare plans for delivery of relief items according to UNHCR's short and medium term requirements.
- Contribute to planning and development an effective procurement strategy for the geographical area of responsibility taking into account the procurement of important commodities and services in advance. Use procurement planning tools to their best effect to produce realistic procurement plans.
- Draw up plans for the disposal and replacement of old and obsolete assets.
- Ensure adequate capacity to respond to an emergency and develop contingency plans for the supply function as part of the operational plan.
- Determine the criteria and profile for the location's supply workforce.

Operational Support

- Identify partners for supply chain projects based on objectives, priorities, strengths and resources of the implementing partner and/or contractor, according to criteria consistent with UNHCR rules and regulations.
- Implement supply operations in the field based on interpretations of the situation and conclusions to how the operation can be best implemented.
- Resolve difficulties in the local supply chain by finding solutions to problems and bottlenecks, and provide regular reports on supply chain activities, the status of requests and the availability of items in the supply chain.
- Develop relevant contacts and build constructive relations with government authorities, implementing partners, UN agencies and others, to foster mutual cooperation for the timely delivery of relief items avoiding bottlenecks.
- Coordinate, manage and support all activities pertaining to the supply chain function including planning, sourcing, transport, shipping, customs clearance, warehousing, asset and fleet management in the operation. Apply distribution control techniques to optimise stock levels.
- Coordinate activities of implementing partners and/or contractors performing supply related activities, and ensure that they understand and adhere to relevant UNHCR rules and procedures.
- Maintain an up-to-date overview of the location's supply chain capacity and preparedness, as well as, that of its partners to ensure that adequate capacity exist also to cover emergencies.

Infrastructure Support

- Coordinate, manage and support the procurement process to ensure timely, cost-effective and adequate delivery of commodities and services to support operational needs.
- Identify, assess and select vendors based on their capability for delivering commodities and services. Maintain vendor and item master databases.
- Implement effective asset and fleet management that regularly monitors the asset/fleet pool, saves cost and safeguards the investment of the organisation.
- Analyse the quality of commodities and services delivered in relation to the needs of the location and established quality standards. Establish a local quality assurance process.

Business Support

- Analyse the existing infrastructure and ensure that it is optimally aligned with the operational needs.
- Disseminate, promote commitment to and monitor compliance with UNHCR's global policies, standards and guidance on supply chain management.
- Monitor the quality and accuracy of supply chain related data in relevant business systems. Compile and analyse statistical information, identify trends and developments in supply chain related matters that will assist in decision making.
- Set up and adapt standard supply chain structures to the local environment that are consistent with the operational needs. Ensure effective information flow in the supply chain and adapt process and documents to the prevailing environment.
- Establish and maintain an efficient and skilled workforce that is capable of supporting on-going operations.
- Any other responsibility deemed necessary or as delegated by the Supervisor in order to meet the level of service required by the organisation.

Authority

- Allocate resources in compliance with the resources allocation framework and determine the location's supply chain structure (including the location of warehouses, staff, trans-shipment points and other infrastructure).
- Determine shipment methods, routes and delivery schedules to meet demand in the most timely and cost-effective manner.
- Award, approve and terminate local contracts and frame-agreements in accordance with delegated authorities, as well as, relevant UNHCR regulations, rules and procedures.
- Enforce local compliance with relevant UNHCR regulations, rules and procedures related to supply chain.
- Approve the criteria and profile for the location's supply chain workforce within standards established by UNHCR.
- Appraise the performance of supervised staff.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED


- University degree in Social Science, Economics, Business Administration, Marketing or a related field.
- Minimum of 8 years previous relevant professional job experience.
- Fluency in English with working knowledge of another relevant UN language.

(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of working language of duty station and working knowledge of English.)

***For National Officer positions, very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essential.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

- Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of the position such as the Supply Chain Learning Programme (SCLP).
- Other UN procurement and logistics training - such as IAPSO and UNPD.
- Knowledge and working experience of PeopleSoft/MSRP Supply Chain applications. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3 A proven and extensive knowledge in supply management function at international officer level, including the  ability to encompass all aspects of supply function (sourcing, delivery, transport, import/export formalities, warehousing, asset management) and good knowledge pertinent guidelines and rules.   The Supply Officer must have experience in procurement procedures, preparation of CoC correspondences and memos and good inter-personal skills to negotiate with vendors and colleagues on all aspects of the complex supply chain management processes in Pakistan.  The current needs of the supply function in Pakistan operation are more geared towards the procurement management, while at the same time having to deal with the issues of asset management, global fleet management, and to a lesser degree warehouse/distribution management.
Experience in emergencies is beneficial as Pakistan is unfortunately emergency prone and may  demand  supply of  core relief items in vast quantities and in a most expeditious manner. Flexibility to work long hours and during weekends is often needed.  In this context, accurate and prompt advice and decisions are expected to enable effective delivery of service and supplies.
Supervision of national supply support staff will be required on continued basis, as well as guidance in specifically identified areas for improvement.  This includes direct supervision of staff in Islamabad, but also functional supervision of supply staff in sub-offices in Peshawar and Quetta. A good knowledge of MSRP and Excel is required as well as experience in warehouse operations and reporting for the storage and distribution in warehouses in various locations throughout Pakistan.  The incumbent should also be conversant with IPSAS, should have completed mandatory online training for IPSAS, and aware of rules and regulations pertaining to Asset Management as newly defined and guide the management accordingly.
Accurate and prompt advice and decisions are expected to enable effective delivery of supply services in Pakistan
External Environment
Collaborating and interacting with  UNHCR partners and sister UN agencies falls within the job description of this post. The incumbent must therefore be able to establish and maintain excellent working relations with other UN agencies and provide guidance and support to UNHCR partners in  the  relation to the  procurement policies and guidelines as required, in coordination with the Programme Unit.
Inter-personal Skills 
The incumbent has to be solutions oriented, as well as have the basic understanding of UNHCR programme and administration, and possess excellent inter-personal skills, and ability to works closely, support and provide advice to colleagues in other sections in the office who require the services of the supply section.  These skills are important in negotiation with government officials, vendors, UN counterparts and interlocutors, and also supervision of the supply functions in the country and  provision of advice to senior management on supply issues. The UNHCR operation in Pakistan, managed through Country Office in Islamabad and two Sub-offices in Quetta and Peshawar, is one of the oldest operations with nearly 40-year history and remains complex.  The operation has a present caseload of approximately 1.4 million refugees, and over 200,000 internally displaced persons. The office is simultaneously engaged in the provision of humanitarian and legal assistance to the world¿s longest protracted  refugee situation, asylum-seekers, and displaced populations due to conflict
Responding to the needs of the persons of concern in a rapidly changing political and security environment has always been a challenge and remains so due to volatile conditions surrounding refugees in all spheres of life.  The operation needs to be continuously in a position to respond to such needs timely, with due diligence and within prevailing policies and procedures. Islamabad is a category D non-family duty station. The working environment is very traditional, in terms of social and cultural norms and customs, The incumbent should therefore be sensitive to social, cultural and religious norms in a context where social interaction could be limited, have experience in working in insecure and stressful conditions, and have sound security awareness. The security situation in Pakistan remains volatile and unpredictable.  The incumbent must have successfully completed all the mandatory security and safety trainings before arrival.  Pakistan operation also requires that staff complete SAFE training once in the operation. Incumbent should be solutions oriented, ensuring that UNHCR policies, procedures and gudelines are respected, but also understanding the context of the operational environment and the national policies and rules and regulations as they related to the supply function.    
Ability to deliver workshops that aim at improving supply services, performance and understanding in the operation is an additional asset Coaching in specifically identified areas may need to be organized to improve the supply chain performance country-wide.
Good understanding of UNHCR programme cycle and Programme Manual, as well as Administrative rules and regulations is an asset in ensuring timely delivery and support provided by the supply function in the country. Solutions oriented attitude and the flexibility to work long hours and weekends is often required throughout the tenure of the incumbent.   Accurate and prompt advice and decisions are expected to enable effective delivery of supplies.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add. 3 to March 2017 Compendium is Thursday, 3 August 2017 (midnight Geneva time).