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.


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 Supply Officer 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 them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country 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). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

 

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

 

Training and capacity building of implementing and governmental partners;
Demonstrated drafting skills in English;
On-the-job coaching and mentoring of national staff;
Experience in dealing with multiple crises;
Ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges;
Strong negotiation skills Nigeria has 36 states and one Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to the 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), 6 states in North-east Nigeria have been affected by continuing military confrontations between the national army and Boko Haram insurgents for over 8 years now where 10.2 million people have been in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018. The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), 2018/2019 is targeting 6.1 million persons, 52 per cent are women and girls, and 48 per cent are men and boys.
In view of the above, UNHCR retains offices in Maiduguri, Damaturu and Yola, and is responsible for the coordination of Protection and CCCM/Shelter/NFI Sectors. The assistance focuses on protracted emergency, with a level 3 declared since August 2016.
The environment of military offensives has increasingly exposed populations to extremely vulnerable humanitarian situation in terms of access to basic services and other rights. The security remains very unstable, seriously impacting the capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance, humanitarian access and the protection of the affected populations. However, the Federal and State Governments have been encouraging the return of IDPs into their areas of origin which are still not conducive for return.
UNHCR also provides a coordination platform for other humanitarian agencies in the Protection Sector, and also shares coordination responsibility in the CCCM/Shelter/NFI Sector with IOM.
In addition, the presence of UNHCR in NE Nigeria is also justified by the presence of Nigerian refugees in neighboring countries (Niger, Chad, Cameroon) originating from Borno (90%), Yobe (7%) and Adamawa (3%). UNHCR Nigeria consists of a Representation in the Federal Capital City, Abuja, a Field Office in Lagos, a Sub-Office in Maiduguri (Borno State), a Field Unit in Damaturu (Yobe State), a Field Office in Yola (Adamawa State) a Field Office in Adikpo (Benue State), a Field Office in Ikom/Ogoja (Cross River State) and a Sub Office in Calabar (Cross River State). UNHCR Nigeria has 146 staff, of whom 46 are international and 100 national.

Abuja is a C duty station with good living conditions. The cost of accommodation is very high (yearly rent payment required) and safety is still a concern. The security situation requires international staff deployed to Nigeria to undertake security briefings on terrorism related issues. Borno State is at security level 4 while Yobe and Adamawa states are at level 3 (except some LGA). The South-East of Nigeria is at level 2.

Accessibility to affected populations in the North East is difficult due to the volatile security situation. Adequate security measures and equipment, are required to operate in the area, including armored vehicles and other personal protection paraphernalia In addition to NE Nigeria, another emergency has been declared since February 2018 in SE Nigeria due to ongoing violence in the western regions of Cameroon which caused the influx into Nigeria of tens of thousands of Cameroonians seeking safety. The precarious situation in Cameroon began in 2016 with civil demonstrations over the marginalisation of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which escalated in October 2017 after the attempted unilateral declaration of independence by the Ambazonia Governing Council of Southern Cameroon. UNHCR is working together with the Nigerian authorities to register and assist the refugees in Cross River, Taraba and Benue states.  There are currently above 26,000 refugees registered by UNHCR and the government accommodated in 2 formal settlements. An emergency response that needs to be scaled up, particularly in the areas of shelter, education, health, food security and water-sanitation.
In addition, UNHCR Nigeria deals with a legacy protracted refugee caseload of various nationalities and urban tendency in and around Lagos.
The UNHCR Representation is also a liaison office with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and coordinates with various departments to ensure information dissemination, capacity building, and participation at various events towards ensuring the dynamic growth of the UNHCR-ECOWAS Cooperation and expansion of the protection space for persons of concern in West Africa.

(Cont...) UNHCR also provides support to the Government of Nigeria through the National Commission for Refugees and some other agencies of Government. It also works with other UN agencies within various theme groups, with the objective of expanding the protection space for the benefit of all persons of concern.
In this context, the Supply Officer at Abuja will be responsible for procurement, asset managemen, logistics and warehouse management in Nigeria.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2018 Compendium is Thursday 18 October  2018 (midnight Geneva time).