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.

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

- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Social Science, Economics, Business Administration, Marketing or a related field plus minimum 6 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) plus 5 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 4 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not 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.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR [RELEVANT JOB TITLE] positions. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. 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 <p>The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.</p>
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific security and welfare profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). These profiles have been specifically designed to answer some of the key questions (on security conditions, medical provisions, staff welfare, living and working conditions) potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care. This project is still in the pilot phase, and as such some of the information leaflets are being produced as we speak and might not be available yet. They will be soon, so keep checking. 

- University degree in Business Administration, Economics, or a related field plus minimum of 6 years previous relevant professional job experience;
- Experience in all levels of procurement, logistics, asset and fleet management;
- Solid knowledge of UN financial rules, procedures and processes, in particular IPSAS;
- Fully conversant with ERP Supply Chain applications;
- Experience in large-scale (emergency) operations;
- Experience in operating in a complex business and logistical environment;
- Strong managerial skills and ability to coach and develop the skills of locally recruited staff and of partners;
- Solid knowledge of relevant software applications (MS Office) and UNHCR corporate tools (MSRP);
- Good reporting skills in English.

The position is based at CO Kyiv and supervised by the Representative. The Supply Officer oversees procurement for the UNHCR operation in Ukraine with an annual budget of around 6m USD, including for implementation in the non-government controlled areas in eastern Ukraine, as well as logistics and asset management. UNHCR Ukraine maintains a network of warehouses and a fleet of 27 vehicles including nine AVs. The Supply Officer has a functional supervisory and consultative as well as coordinating role with several UNHCR Supply Assistants and Associates at CO Kyiv, SO Sloviansk and in the various Field Offices.  The incumbent of the post will be required to travel to Non-Government Controlled Areas of Donetsk and Luhansk and liaise with vendors and authorities there. Additionally, the post incumbent may be requested to perform sectoral-level coordination functions for the Ukraine logistics sector, involving coordination with government, UN and NGO partners.

Ukrainian is the official language of the country, with Russian widely spoken, therefore knowledge of Russian will be an asset. Ukraine has suffered from the consequences of four years of conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.  This has led to the internal displacement of an estimated 1.5 million people, according to the Government of Ukraine. UNHCR has been providing protection and material assistance to the most vulnerable IDPs and other conflict-affected communities at risk of displacement.
UNHCR and other humanitarian partners have started engaging in early recovery activities.  Yet, fighting persists along the line of contact causing new infrastructure damage and civilian casualties.  This has led to a situation where humanitarian needs continue, but recovery and development programmes are starting on the government-controlled side. 
While UNHCR has received generous donor funding, the situation as of 2018 will become more challenging as various major donors have announced significant reductions in their contributions towards humanitarian programs and agencies, including UNHCR. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has affected the socio-economic situation of the entire country. However, in large urban areas, especially the capital Kyiv, all amenities are available. Kyiv is classified as a category ¿A¿ family duty station. Food and non-food items are widely available in local shops and chains of supermarkets. Hard currencies such as USD and EUR are easily converted into the local currency, the Hryvnia (UAH). International schools and healthcare facilities are available, including modern hospitals and specialized clinics. In Kyiv, public transportation is provided by a metro system and a trolleybus network as well as by collective taxis (Marshroutka); international staff also have the option of maintaining a private vehicle. The housing market is well developed; international staff can rent apartments at competitive prices. A wide network of road, rail and air transportation exists for travel throughout the government-controlled part of Ukraine. Fast train (Intercity) connections are available and allow travelers to reach, for example, Sloviansk (location of the Sub-Office) in about 6 hours. Flights are available to and from Kyiv to many European and global destinations via two airports. The political context in Ukraine overall remains sensitive. The security situation differs in various regions: it is calm in the central and Western regions, while serious security precautions should be taken when travelling to the conflict area in eastern Ukraine.  Though officially a ceasefire is in place, there are daily violations, mainly consisting of shelling and small arms fire along the contact line separating government-controlled areas from the non-government controlled areas in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Along this line there are five checkpoints controlled by the government forces and armed groups. Cases of detention, threatening or kidnapping for hours of individuals, including foreigners, have been reported in the past at separatist checkpoints. The use of armored vehicles for travel within the conflict zone is mandatory. In general, visitors to the country are highly advised to be alerted to the possibility of street crime and petty theft as well as to pay close attention while using credit cards. In selection of international staff for appointment to positions in eastern Ukraine, attention will be given to promoting gender balance within the team.  Preference will be given to candidates with experience in international as well as local procurement in a sensitive political environment, with experience in coordination with government, UN and NGO partners and with good inter-personal skills to facilitate teamwork. Ukrainian is the official language of the country, with Russian widely spoken, therefore knowledge of Russian will be an asset.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add.4 to March 2018 Compendium is Wednesday 5 Septembe 2018 (midnight Geneva time).