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- FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture
- Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
- Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
- FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination
- All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
- All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
Organizational Setting
FAO Afghanistan is investing, across all 34 provinces, in resilience reinforcing actions that focus on protecting agriculture livelihoods and local ecosystems, boosting local production of nutritious foods and cash-incomes, and safeguarding critical agriculture sectoral development gains achieved over the past couple of decades through revitalizing rural markets and economy.
In 2023, FAO will contribute to the humanitarian components of the UN Strategic Framework 2023-2025 through four priority actions: (i) Safeguarding Wheat Seed Security, (ii) Enhancing Local Production of Nutritious Food, (iii) Livestock Protection and Dairy Sector Support, and (iv) Restoring Irrigation Structures to Boost Cash Incomes. FAO will also contribute towards resilience building activities and longer-term transformational processes as part of the implementation of the UN Strategic Framework 2023-2025.
Reporting Lines
The Logistics Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and report to the Head of supply chain and Logistics department.
Technical Focus
Lead FAO Afghanistan logistics operation, specifically shipping, import/export customs clearance, and tax exemption, and manage the logistics supplier’s contracts to ensure timely and efficient delivery of goods for the FAO Afghanistan programmes.
Tasks and responsibilities
Shipping & Freight Forwarding
• Prepare shipping plan, conduct data review and analysis, and develop logistical and freight forwarding strategies to ensure goods' efficient and predictable flow across borders.
• Investigate and plan the most appropriate shipping route, considering the perishable or hazardous nature of goods, cost, transit time, and security elements, to suggest the best route for shipment deliveries.
• Advice suppliers to arrange appropriate packing, taking into account the climate, terrain, weight, cost, and nature of goods.
• Examine shipping documents, advice correction if needed, and issue dispatch notes if cargo is to be released for international transport.
• Deal with special arrangements for transporting delicate cargoes, such as livestock, food, security equipment, and medical supplies.
• Coordinate with shippers and freight forwarders to arrange freight bookings, and shipping documentation, including commercial invoices, packing lists, certificate of origin, technical reports, BL/AWB, and Insurance policy necessary for transit and import customs clearance in Afghanistan.
• Prepare documentation to meet customs and insurance requirements, packing specifications, and compliance with other countries' regulations and fiscal regimes.
• Prepare service-level agreements for freight forwarders and clearing agents wherever needed.
• Arrange or advise on air transport booking for urgent and high-value freight and manage the risk of door-to-door deliveries.
• Arrange courier and specialist hand-carry services for small, urgent, and high-value shipments.
• Maintain knowledge of relevant transit and trade legislation, political situations, and other factors affecting freight movement across borders.
• Liaise and coordinate with third parties to move goods (by road, air, or sea) per programme requirements and established POs.
• Maintain and process shipping documentation for logistics operations and take appropriate actions to resolve operational and complex issues as they arise.
• Undertake travel and field missions as required.
Customs Clearance and Tax Exemption
• Maintain and Keep track of all new shipments arrival and escalate customs clearance requests to the clearing agent for on-time TE and customs clearance.
• Monitor shipment delivery and solve shipping issues with suppliers, freight forwarders, and customs officials to ensure compliance with regulatory, legal, and Customs requirements.
• Advice supplier and internal teams on using the appropriate International Commercial Terms (Incoterms) for air, sea, and inland deliveries with visibility of responsibility between buyer and sellers and risk involved.
• Proffer advisory role on customs clearing and shipping procedure guidance to service contractors and suppliers in line with Incoterms.
• Examining commercial shipment invoices, packing list AWB/BL insurance certificate, COO, technical report, and shipping manifests for conformity to TE and customs clearance regulations.
• Follow-up with the Customs agent and brokers for TE and customs clearance of imported items within the shortest possible time and/or the agreed time frame.
• Liaise effectively with government departments (e.g., MOFA, MOF, Custms, ATRA, AFDA, and MAIL) to secure relevant permits and approvals for importation is obtained.
• Facilitate shipment status to the programme and other teams by monitoring the movements of goods from origin to destination.
• Negotiate contracts, transportation, handling, and delivery term and propose solutions in close coordination with other departments.
• Provide day-to-day administrative support with readily available advice on customs and trade compliance.
• Undertake data capturing activities, feed data into the customs operating system, and set up master data for transactions.
• Perform and monitor all custom clearance activities such as following upcoming shipments, obtaining import permissions, reviewing shipment documents, and monitoring day-to-day activities under import and customs compliance.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, including governmental bodies, i.e., ministries and relevant departments, to support efficient logistics operations and solve complex issues arising from import permission, TE, and customs clearance.
• Verify the accuracy of declared shipments and ensure the customs declaration complies with customs legislation and standard processes.
• Research, identify, and obtain the import permits, licenses, and certificates required for importation and customs clearance of complex shipments such as security equipment, medicine, vaccine, and dangerous goods.
• Advice suppliers and internal teams on legal (e.g., trade compliance, customs law, transit regulation, and shipments to sanctioned entities).
• Develop the Custom clearance and tax exemption work plan and prepare work schedules to expedite workflow and improve the efficiency of the Customs clearance and TE arrangement.
• Follow up with suppliers and freight forwarders to receive a complete set of shipping documents for customs clearance and TE purposes and ensure its compliance with Afghanistan Customs regulations and exemption requirements.
• Contribute to budget preparation, monitoring, and revision for all delivery modalities, ensuring adherence to relevant procedures and compliance with organization standards.
• Collect data to draft reports and updates for performance monitoring to support other team members.
• Guide other support staff in completing standard tasks to agreed standards and deadlines.
• Prepare project reports on all deliverables that have been achieved, problems noted, and lessons learned—suggest how best to overcome those problems in future projects.
Contract Management
• Conduct search for logistics suppliers sourcing on a regular basis to identify potential suppliers for logistics services (customs clearance, transportation, warehousing, general supplies and fleet maintenance) in close coordination with the logistics team and other departments for goods and services.
• Prepare and process requests for EOI, set services mandatory criteria, evaluate bids technical assessment, and conduct clarifications with suppliers in line with logistics established SOP.
• Manage suppliers and contracting activities, including setting objectives and KPI measurement.
• Maintain up-to-date files for all contract management activities and monitor the contract execution at various stages.
• Collaborate with colleagues from other departments in planning, contracting, and procuring logistics services.
• Handle a variety of technical queries and requests and ensure timely and accurate resolution of inquiries with a high standard of client service mind-set.
CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING
Minimum Requirements
• Advanced (Masters) degree or University (Bachelor) degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Procurement or closely related field;
• For advanced degree at least five (5) years of relevant work experience in managing logistics, delivery operations or supply chain;
• For university degree at least seven (7) years of relevant work experience in managing logistics, delivery operations or supply chain.
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and the local languages (Pashto and/or Dari);
• National of Afghanistan.
FAO Core Competencies
• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement
Technical/Functional Skills
• Extensive experience in customs clearance
• Knowledge of Import and Export regulations and trade compliance
• Extensive experience in international transport and freight forwarding
• In-depth understanding of International Commercial terms and its implication.
• Extensive experience in transit and cargo routes and its regulations.
• Knowledge of logistics service providers (2PL, 3PL and 4PL) and their identification and qualification
• Experience in contract execution and conflicts management
• Capacity to work with partners and find practical solutions with a short deadline
• Strong data analysis and record-keeping skills
• Good command of computers, MS Office, and knowledge of supply chains systems
• Familiarity with humanitarian organizations is desirable.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
- Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: Careers@fao.org
- Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
- Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
- For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
- Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.
FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in its staff and international consultants in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.