The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is looking for 2 Spanish speaking experts within Logistics willing to be deployed to Venezuela. You will be seconded by MSB to UNICEF and duty station is Caracas. You will be travelling frequently to UNICEF`s local offices. Duration of this mission is 12 months, with start as soon as possible (visa takes approx. 1-2 months to process).

MSB is now looking for two different profiles within Logistics for a mission in Venezuela. The profiles requested, that will support national and field level are: Construction Contracting (P3) and Supply & Logistics contract administration (P2).

1. Construction Contracting (P3)
This person will work within procurement as a Contracting Specialist and therefore you'll need to have construction/engineering expertise.

Your key functions and accountabilities will be:
1. Preparation of construction annual workplan: Contribute in the development of the annual work plan for the construction, prepare and collect information required for the annual work plan on regular activities, ensure appropriate staffing deployment and timely recruitment according to project’s needs and supervise/coach unit staff.
2. Collaboration with UNICEF Programme and coordination with Government counterparts: In collaboration with the Government counterparts, develop and produce innovative cost-effective construction designs using local construction materials, attend steering and technical cooperation meetings, provide programme/operations sections with information on projects' progress.
3. Preparation of design and technical documents: Apply UNICEF norms and standards (child-friendly, accessibility, MOSS, MORSS, etc.) to construction projects and check technical documents related to construction.
4. Support to procurement process: Conduct surveys to identify potential construction companies and engineering firms available in the local market, prepare tender documents in relation to construction works and engineering services, conduct the evaluation of technical proposals received and prepare the evaluation report.
5. Monitoring of construction projects: Conduct the kick-off meeting of construction works with the construction company, the engineering firm and relevant government counterparts, provide close monitoring on construction activities by undertaking regular site visits and conducting regular technical meetings including joint monitoring with relevant Government technical services; follow up progress for each activity per milestones and review site supervision reports to ensure work compliance with norms, standards, and timeline, verify quality and precautions on health and safety standards on ground.

Expected outcomes: Construction strategy 2021+ developed in close collaboration with WASH team and Supply Division 〉 Revised procurement tools (in Spanish) developed and implemented for all construction / works contracting processes 〉 Staff, suppler and partner capacity developed in relation to construction / works tenders 〉 Market research and analysis undertaken, and supplier base established and developed.
Exit Strategy: Once the incumbent has laid the foundation of these processes, Venezuela Country and Field Office staff will be able to maintain and further improve the standards on a routine and ongoing basis.

2. Supply & Logistics Contract Administration (P2)
Contract administration involves planning, budgeting, scheduling and monitoring the progress of work and taking corrective actions to safeguard the interests of UNICEF and of the contractor. Contract administration involves all tasks performed by the personnel of UNICEF and of the contractor from the time a contract has been signed until it is successfully completed or terminated, payment is made and disputes are resolved. Ineffective administration of a contract leads to increased costs and delays in delivery and may expose UNICEF to legal complications with unpredictable results.

Administration of contract calls for multidisciplinary skills: financial management, technical knowledge; procurement expertise; project management; legal advice etc. It is an accepted practice to hire experts, such as engineers, architects, subject matter experts, etc. to complement the skills available among existing staff.

Your key functions and accountabilities will be:
1. Compliance with contract requirements: cost control, schedule control, quality control, management and custody of securities, bonds and insurance policies.
2. Measurement of performance and reporting: certification of payments against measurement of accomplishment, estimating and accounting for cost, periodic reporting, dealing with contractor's performance problems and contract close-out.
3. Management of contract changes: changes and variations, force majeure, issue of 'suspension' notice, exercising remedies; price/fee adjustment and contract amendment.
4. Resolution of claims and disputes: legal advice, settlement of claims, resolution of disputes, contract termination.

In order to undertake the above tasks, the incumbent will use the available UNICEF Supply and Logistics dashboards to monitor and report on all procurement transactions from open requisitions to open commitments and pending payments until contract close out. The incumbent will also monitor supplier performance.

Expected outcomes: New and compliant processes and SOPs developed (from bid opening to contract expediting) 〉 Monthly, midyear and annual reporting mechanisms and tools established, including standard procurement statistics for sharing in key governance committees 〉 On an ongoing basis, purchase that orders and contracts are monitored and administered in a timely manner considering expiring grants and milestones and deliverables.
Exit Strategy: As part of the deliverables, the incumbent will develop SOPs and roll out a capacity development strategy for an overall S&L approach to expediting of S&L purchase orders and contracts, and the use of reactive tools.

Duty station: Both positions will be roving but duty station is Caracas.
Duration: 12 months.

Experience

3-5 years of experience working with logistics for the Supply & Logistics administration role.
3-5 years of experience from construction and/or logistics for the Construction Contracting role.
Meritorious: Experience from working with logistics or similar in a humanitarian context.

Education

Level: Bachelor's degree
Field of study: Business studies or Transportation for the S&L administration role.
Preferrably Construction Engineering studies for the Construction contracting role.
Or equivalent years of work within required field.

Languages

Fluency in both spoken and written English and Spanish is required.

Other requriements

We are looking for persons with a strong commitment towards humanitarian relief and disaster operations. It is of utmost priority that you understand, respect and act in the spirit of the mandate and core values of the MSB.
You must undergo a pre-employment medical examination by a licensed physician before being contracted.
You must inform your regular employer of your potential assignment with the MSB.

You must be able to interact with sensitivity and display respect for diversity and gender in multi-cultural environments. A capacity for working under pressure is essential, as work is often performed under difficult and demanding conditions, where the focus frequently shifts due to changes in priority.
You must possess a high level of professional and personal maturity together with an ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, managers and external partners, such as UN organizations, NGOs, recipient governments and host populations.
You are expected to have excellent analytical and communicative skills, show initiative and take both a hands-on and an analytical approach to tasks and problems.

Selection for interview will be done continuously throughout the advertisement period. It's important that you indicate in your "personal letter" which one of the positions you are interested in.

Working with the MSB on international operations means that you are temporarily employed by the MSB. The MSB pays salary as well as a comprehensive allowances and benefits package to field staff on international operations, ranging from free home leave travel to access to psychosocial support. In addition, participants on induction training and relevant specialist training courses receive remuneration from the MSB.
If selected for this position an evaluation will be done after the mission. The evaluation can result in an offer to be registered on the MSB roster. When you are registered on the MSB roster you can continuously receive interesting international job opportunities and invitations to stimulating and valuable trainings and exercises.
A registration on MSB roster is valid for three years. After this period your registration will be evaluated and you may be offered an extended registration. After being registered on the roster you need to conduct the MSB induction training and any specialist training courses required.

How to apply
The MSB applies a policy of equal opportunities to avoid any form of discrimination. We strive for gender balance and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.
If you wish to apply for the position please press the apply button and register your details on MyPages. Please note; the information that you provide on MyPages will form the basis for your CV. After registering on MyPages do not forget to apply for the position by submitting your application through MyPages.
It is your responsibility as an applicant to document your skills in a way that allows an objective and qualitative assessment. As a government agency we are subject to the principle of public access to official records. This means that if someone requests copies of application documents, we are obliged to disclose them.

Application deadline

2021-03-31

Hanna Sandström
hanna.sandstrom@msb.se
0046 102405073