Supply Chain Coordinator

Background/ IRC Summary

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (www.theIRC.org) is a world leader in relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict development services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. The IRC works in over 40 countries around the world, addressing both the immediate and lifesaving needs of conflict affected people in emergencies and the reconstruction needs of post-conflict societies. The IRC has been working in Uganda since 1998 supporting IDPs, refugees and various institutions in the country notably the government, community-based organizations, the civil society, and the private sector. The current program portfolio in Uganda includes health and nutrition, support to persons with specific needs (PSNs) including case management, legal assistance to refugees, prevention, and response to gender-based violence, and economic recovery and development. IRC Uganda has its head office in Kampala, with field offices in Kyegegwa, Lamwo, Kiryadongo, Karamoja, West Nile regions, Kampala for urban Refugee Program.

Job overview/summary

Supply Chain Coordinator is a key position to the success and delivery of quality programs. Supply Chain entails all the systems and functions necessary to implement programs effectively, inclusive of planning, procurement, inventory management, constructions property and asset management as well as vehicle and fleet management. The Supply Chain Coordinator is accountable for the design, planning, execution, and monitoring of supply chain activities at the country level.

The Supply Chain Coordinator will:

• Collaborate and coordinate with Programs and Finance to ensure integrated and harmonized operational systems.
• Collaborate with Deputy Director Finance to ensure that internal controls are met with minimum of bureaucracy.
• Work with Field Office Supply Chain Staff and Field Coordinators to ensure effectiveness, countrywide uniformity of Supply Chain structure and implementation of the IRC’s standard operating policies and procedures.
• Implement job and site-specific trainings to ensure that Supply Chain staff possess the knowledge and skills commensurate with their responsibilities.

Major Responsibilities

The Supply Chain Coordinator is an integral member of the country management team and reports directly to the Deputy Director of Operations. This position is responsible for the management and delivery of effective Supply Chain support throughout the country program in compliance with IRC and donor regulations. Key responsibilities include procurement, inventory, construction management.

1. Supply Chain Planning

The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for supply chain activities planning. The role holder coordinates closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop supply chain plans to support program implementation. Supply chain plans include procurement plans, warehousing plans, transport plans, staffing plans, distribution plans and training plans.

• Prepare consolidated annual procurement plans and develop country program sourcing strategy for all active and pipeline grants in collaboration with program Coordinators and Managers,

• Ensure that program team develop distribution plan for supplies and assets of closed grants in the warehouses.

• Proactively Participate in the Project Cycle Meetings, including Project design, project planning, Project opening, project review, project close-out and project learning meetings to ensure that supply chain related issues are well articulated to all stakeholders and resolved for successful project delivery. Coordinate with supply chain field staff to ensure that there is sufficient space in the warehouses before sending program supplies to the field sites.

• Ensure supply chain staff training and capacity building plans are developed as the PMEs and incorporated into the budgets.

• Ensure that supply chain department has sufficient staff and roles and responsibilities of each have clear job description.

2.       Procurement Management

The Supply Chain Coordinator is accountable for developing country procurement strategies. The Supply Chain Coordinator owns, manages, and drives IRC in country procurement strategies, policies, and procedures. The position holder ensures all country program procurement needs are met on time in accordance with Global Supply Chain and donor standards

• Ensure compliance to IRC and donor policies in the procurement of program supplies and assets.

• Ensure review and execution of procurement contracts in a timely fashion

• Lead market surveys and analyses by collecting, organizing, and analyzing market data and share results with program team and field Coordinators and Managers on a regular basis.

• Ensure the bidding process by developing and implementing the office sourcing strategy, managing the Master Agreements and RFQ/RFP Processes, and completing a purchase request process

• Develop negotiation strategies and manage negotiations for high spent categories
•   Proactively engage with Programs, Suppliers, Partners, NGOs, logistics clusters and other stakeholders to ensure good coordination and adequate information sharing to address common concerns or risks affecting the market

• Organize procurement trainings sessions for procurement / tender committees in the field offices and non - supply chain staff if deemed necessary.

• Identifying fraud and corruption red flags and address them in a timely manner.

• Establish reasonable and appropriate lead-time for all procurement of program supplies and delivery of goods to the program sites.

• Make sure supply chain monthly and quarterly reports are analyzed and communicated to stakeholders including key actions to be taken and submitted on time to the leadership team.

• Review of SC Key performance indicators (KPIs) and set improvement plans.

• Ensure all vendors’ history and performance Information, is properly documented and procurement transaction files and supplier files maintained in accordance with applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Work with Field Offices Supply Chain staff and Field Coordinator and Managers to ensure effectiveness, countrywide uniformity of supply chain structure and implementation of the IRC’s standard operating policies and procedure 

3.       Inventory Management

The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for managing and controlling all inventory and warehouses operation in the country program and to ensure excellent record keeping, in accordance with inventory standard operating procedures and controls as provided by Global Supply Chain. The Supply Chain Coordinator will:

• Ensure appropriate warehouse site selection, and Implementation of warehouse safety/security requirements

• Ensure effective handling of inventory, including drug storage, cold chain, buffer stock, contributions in kind (CIK) and food commodities

• Set up stock reorder levels as per the IRC standard operating procedures and donor requirements

• Implement the IRC inventory policies for all project Items including cycle count, investigate discrepancies and develop action plan to address them.

• Produce grants ending and year ending inventory report during each grant closing and end of fiscal year in timely manner.  

• Coordinate inventory disposal procedures   as per host government, IRC and donor rules and regulations 

4.       Assets Management

The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for the procurement, maintenance, safe keeping and record or all IRC country program assets and equipment. The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for all aspects of the administrative, financial, capital and operations of asset management in accordance with IRC and donors’ rules and regulations.

• Conduct Asset needs assessment
• Develop Assets maintenance plans as per IRC policies, including repairs tracking and insurance coverage process.

• Ensure spot-checks are done systematically on a quarterly basis, any discrepancies documented and reported; and action to address the root causes developed for all IRC assets, inventory, and equipment.
•  Handle asset and property disposal, including auction management as per the IRC asset disposal process

• Ensure that grants inventory and asset report is accurate, regularly produced, reviewed, and approved before the Grant closing date. 

5.       Logistics and Fleet Management

The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and coordinator all IRC country fleet transportation and Logistics activities to ensure that all IRC fleet operations are conducted with adherence to IRC Fleet management policies and procedures including vehicles procurement, vehicles movement, maintenance, and reporting accuracy. The Supply Chain Coordinator:

• Implements IRC global Fleet Management policies and procedures and/or develops country specific fleet management policies and procedures needed to comply with local regulations and ensure that they are implemented and followed in all IRC in country offices.

• Ensure that fleet legal status (customs clearance, registration, licenses, insurance) are up to date.

• Conduct transport needs assessments

• Develop and monitor fleet movement plans, vehicle maintenance, driver assignment, vehicle safety, and fuel consumption.

• Analyzes fleet spent, including fuel consumption and maintenance costs and produces reports on a periodic basis to facilitate strategic decisions and ensure fleet optimization

• Regular issuance, review, and usage of vehicle monthly reports to inform strategic decision-making process. 

6.       Compliance and Ethics

The supply Chain Coordinator is responsible for identifying and analyzing compliance risk in supply chain process, developing, and implementing strong procurement controls. The Supply Chain Coordinator:

• Identifies and sets mitigation plan to manage Supply Chain risks, including identification of red flags, and implementing internal and external audit corrective action plans to ensure all supply chain activities are conducted in an ethical manner.
• Ensures compliance to IRC and donor policies in the procurement and distribution of program supplies and assets.
• Ensure that assessments of supply chain policies, procedures, controls, and performance is conducted, and any deviations addressed in the country program where designated
• Implement and sustain segregation of duties in procurement and other related functions.
• Develop and support implementation of post-audit corrective action plans and other improvement plans.
• Familiarize with various donor regulations.
• Maintain and update donor guidelines related to Supply Chain field (procurement, asset, etc).
• Update as required the IRC standards in terms of assets/equipment to be purchased.
• Finalize Procurement Plans for all grants.
• Ensure all donor reports for assets are completed and submitted to the Grants Department on time.

7.       Staff Management and Development:

The Supply Chain Coordinator is responsible and accountable for overseeing all supply chain learning and development initiatives in country by:

• Leading the recruitment of new staff through effective utilization of the IRC supply chain competency matrix.
• Ensuring that the supply chain department is well staffed and roles and responsibilities of each have clear job description.
• Ensuring each team members' objectives are set following the organizational unit vision as well as operations context(s).
• Identify staffing and/or skill gaps and see that these gaps/needs are filled and support the recruitment of all Supply Chain staff and provide day to day supervision of department.
• Provide feedback through regular performance evaluations.
• Ensure that any staff discipline follows a progressive methodology which provides for clear and structured improvement.
• Ensuring assessment of supply chain staff competency and training gaps and develop appropriate intervention programs
• Coordinating training and maintain training records

• Develop long term plan for continued quality leadership by providing staff development and succession plans

8.       Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

• In collaboration with the health team, ensure forecasts and supply planning for pharmaceutical supply are created for all health projects by project start date.

• With the guidance and support from global pharma leadership develop a supply strategy for the supply of pharmaceuticals (global, regional, national) including freight.

• Ensure the IRC standard pharmaceutical inventory tracking tool is in place and accurately maintained in each location

• Ensure implementation IRC pharmaceutical quality assurance policy, associated SOPs, and procedures for Cold Chain best practice in the warehouse and in local transport.

• Ensure adequate drugs management and transportation tool and materials are available for the effective management of drugs.

9.Construction Management

1. Supervise construction Engineer

2. Map construction works for all grants and making sure the procurement process is started and completed on time

3. Ensure all due processes like technical drawings and Bills of Quantities (BOQ) approval are done by relevant Authorities before commencement of the procurement process.

4. Work with the supervising engineer to ensure timely, cost effective and quality delivery of the works standard as per the specification, requirement, and standard of IRC & its funding agency.

5. Ensure compliance with IRC Safety policies and procedures in construction.

6. Develop construction tracker and regular update as work progresses

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Deputy Director of Operations

Position directly supervises: Supply Chain Manager, construction Engineer, Transport Manager, Senior Supply Chain Officer, Asset staff.

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Regular relationships with HQ, regional and country Supply Chain staff at all levels, Deputy Director of Operations, Operations Coordinator, Country Directors, and interacts with IRC Program departments

External: May Serve as IRC Supply Chain representative in outside meetings, logistics clusters, other nongovernmental organizations, inter-agency groups and foundations.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.