Senior Supply Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Senior Supply Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The post of Senior Supply Officer takes on the role of leading, coordinating and supervising all supply activities within a country or operation. The incumbent maintains contact with other UN agencies, NGOs, government partners and commercial contractors to facilitate the operation. The incumbent directly supervises professional and general service staff in the operation, and reports to the Representative or the Deputy Representative (Operations) at the same level as the Programme and Administration functions. The incumbent will also have direct working relationship/arrangement with the Head of UNHCR offices that fall within the domain of the office and will also have a responsibility to monitor, coach, guide and intervene with the staff within the given area of responsibility.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

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

Responsibility
Strategy
- Develop 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.
- Plan and develop 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. Implement the plan then periodically review it to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency.
- 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 country operation's supply workforce.

Operational Support
- Evaluate the feasibility of, and select 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 procedures.
- Assess the environment and situation in which a supply operation will take place. Implement supply operations in the field in the best manner possible through elimination of obstacles.
- Coordinate the work of the supply units so as to achieve operational objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner. Ensure the effective and efficient use of financial and material resources within the rules and procedures of UNHCR. Implement management tools and resolve difficulties by finding solutions to problems and bottlenecks through development of innovative solutions to problems that meets the needs of refugees and other persons of concern.
- 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.
- Manage the performance and 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 UNHCR's country level supply chain capacity and preparedness, as well as, that of its partners to ensure that adequate capacity exist also to cover emergencies.
- Sustain the supply chain's capacity throughout an emergency and ensure an efficient flow of relief items to the persons of concern. Rapidly respond to changing needs and quickly reallocate resources when required.
- 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.

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.
- Research the market, identify, assess and select vendors based on their capability for timely delivery of the right quality 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 operation and established quality standards. Establish a quality assurance processes which includes specific internal controls and self-evaluation criteria and procedures.

Business Support
- Analyse the existing infrastructure and ensure that it is optimally aligned with the operational needs.
- 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.
- Implement practical projects to improve supply performance that has clear objectives, timescales, tasks and resources defined. Monitor the project execution against the plans and take action when actual implementation deviates from plans.
- 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.
- Disseminate, promote commitment to and monitor compliance with UNHCR's global policies, standards and guidance on supply chain management.
- 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 country operation's supply chain structure (including the location of warehouses, Supply officers, 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 country operation's supply chain workforce within standards established by UNHCR.
- Appraise the performance of supervised staff.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

- Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) in Economics, Business Administration, Logistics or related fields.
- Minimum 8 years of previous relevant professional job experience or with purchasing/contracting and other aspects of the supply function (e.g. delivery, asset management).
- Excellent knowledge of 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
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3

Before applying to this position, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific FAQs information leaflets which can be found  on the Intranet under Staff Resources > Duty of Care. The information leaflets are specifically designed to answer some of the key questions potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. 

Interpersonal Skills
Excellent interpersonal skills, strong interaction with other units and ability to negotiate in a complex environment. Decision making and ability to direct supply-chain operation.


Experience and Skills
The potential incumbent should be vested with a deep supply-chain analytical and field and operation based experience, and in particular prior successful management of a large-scale supply-chain operation in a conflict area / emergency situation is essential.

Ability to assess and operate in a dynamic ever-changing operational environment, and deliver humanitarian relief supplies in a difficult circumstance including limited supply-chain access corridors is a key.

Accountability and in-depth knowledge on UNHCR compliant policy with regards to procurement, partner procurement, and robust asset and inventory management are essential.

Ability to negotiate (with contractors, customs and port authorities, UN sister agencies, partners), agility, and culturally acceptability are essential. Able to manage and be managed remotely. UNHCR Syria is still responding to a 7 year crisis where needs continue to grow unabated with 13.5 million people in need of assistance, including 6.3 million internally displaced. The operation is expanding in preparation for what is expected to become the world¿s largest IDP and refugee return operation, with over 5 Syrian million refugees currently in neighboring countries.  A massive response in a context of challenging locations led to a large-scale supply chain operations. With 65,000 MT of goods delivered per year, 80 million USD under direct implementation, and more than hundred contracts established and maintained in a year time, the UNHCR Syria operation is highly depending on a solid functioning unit to deliver and reach the persons of concern. The increasingly complicated and challenging operational environment including dwindling supplies of needed items, developing local procurement throughout the country, facing complex shipment options, maintaining plans and contingency options on a continual basis to anticipate developments has made additional supply expertise necessary to be on ground. The operation in Syria is a complex political and operational environment, placing enormous pressure on staff. The post of Senior Supply Officer in Damascus is a key position in the operation covering Procurement & Vendor management, and various field oriented tasks demands a range of skills that the incumbent would ideally have developed in diverse operations, big and small, including emergencies. The incumbent must possess proven supply with strong procurement background which includes, inter alia, technical knowledge of MSRP, IPSAS rules, exceptional drafting skills, strong experience in preparing and presenting submissions to the Committee on Contracts (LCC/RCC). A robust knowledge on UNHCR procurement policy is a must as the candidate will also interact with all Regional and HQ stakeholders.

With growing decentralization projects inside Syria, the candidate will be required to demonstrate networking capacities and appropriate communication skills with colleagues (both CO, SO and FO level), sensitive partners and counterparts. The incumbent should also have at least some exposure to IDP, returnee and refugee programs or experience outside of camp-centric operations. The Senior Supply Officer will report to the Deputy Representative. The fluid security and operational situation in Syria creates on-going pressures at work and in daily life as priorities are frequently upended for other urgent ad hoc tasks. The incumbent should be prepared to work under such conditions and be able to manage stressful situations. As of 12 February 2012 Syria is officially a non-family duty station with a four-week R&R cycle (to Amman). Arabic language is listed as desirable.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2017 Compendium is Monday 6 November 2017 (midnight Geneva time).