ABOUT WFP 

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

As part of the global COVID-19 response, the World Food Programme is operating the supply chain backbone for the humanitarian and health response.

In order to build on its experience providing supply chain support to the humanitarian community for a wide range of sectors in humanitarian emergencies, including health, WFP has recently committed to a long-term investment to build its Temperature Sensitive Logistics (“TSL”) capacity. This investment will strengthen WFP’s ability to provide temperature sensitive storage and transport of health items, in support of the wider humanitarian and health communities. WFP has already made progress of critical importance and has further developed its Quality Management System, based on WHO’s Good Distribution Practices.

On another front, and in addition to the global TSL preparedness WFP is undergoing, WFP is part of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (“SLL”) initiative explained below:

in June 2021, the Mastercard Foundation announced that they will deploy USD 1.3 billion over the next three years as part of the “Saving Lives and Livelihoods” (SLL) initiative in partnership with the Africa Centre for Disease Control and prevention (“Africa CDC”). The initiative aims to acquire COVID-19 vaccines for at least 50 million people on the African continent, support the delivery of vaccinations to millions more across Africa, lay the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing in Africa through a focus on human capital development, and strengthen the Africa CDC.

Under the stewardship of the Africa CDC, acting as a central coordination point, WFP will work in close cooperation and communication with main stakeholders. The operation will be rolled out and coordinated via a coordination cell at the Africa CDC Headquarters in Addis Ababa as well as regional hubs.

JOB PURPOSE

Working under the guidance of the World Food Programme Supply Chain Common Services, the incumbent will assist SCOL in two main areas:

• Act as Head of TSL (Temperature Sensitive Logistics) Unit Spearheading the strategy of the TSL (Temperature Sensitive Logistics) department and ensure WFP’s global readiness, and the management of WFP’s TSL Unit, ensuring the proper implementation/ rollout of TSL Capacities worldwide,
• Project management of WFP’s main TSL Project, being the in-country logistics of Vaccines rollout in the African Continent in partnership with the Africa CDC (thereafter “The Project”)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Participate in the formulation and implementation of corporate supply chain and TSL strategies, business models, and solutions to meet operational requirements.
• Align service or country strategy, policies, and programmes to the global TSL and supply chain strategy and the WFP Strategic Plan, to achieve operational cost efficiency, agility, reliability, quality and to support national capacity strengthening.
• Analyze regional/country context and lead the design and management of end-to-end operational supply chain and retail networks, to proactively mitigate and/or address dynamic supply chain challenges and obtain operational optimization.
• Design, plan and manage the implementation of innovative supply chain operations, initiatives, and large-scale services to ensure timely, cost-effective, and integrated approach with core activities and services and in close cooperation with key supply chain stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation initiatives analyzing best practices from the humanitarian and development fields, academia, and private sector.
• Lead TSL supply chain planning and oversee and coordinate periodic planning across functions and with partners to develop consensus on supply chain operational plans. Coordinate implementation of agreed plans in close cooperation with key supply chain stakeholders.
• Plan, monitor, and manage resources to maximize the effectiveness of large supply chain operations.
• Foster productive partnerships with key stakeholders amongst government and other national organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector and academia to share knowledge and resources and build capacity, resulting in coordinated and cost-effective supply chain operations.
• Lead market analysis and supply chain network mapping to inform the selection of appropriate operation modalities to improve supply chain performance.
• Lead TSL and supply chain operations to ensure compliance with the established supply chain strategies, policies, procedures, and controls, and assist in the implementation of corporate standards, with special emphasis on quality control, loss prevention, risk mitigation, and cost-effectiveness.
• Constantly review the performance of supply chain operations to ensure that appropriate internal controls are in place.
• Coordinate management of service providers/vendors, port, fleet, and warehouse operations to promote safe, efficient planning and execution of WFP operations and safeguard WFP’s interest.
• Manage accurate and timely reporting including the provision of substantial analysis of supply chain activities and trends to enable informed decision-making and consistency of information presented to a wide range of stakeholders.
• Lead, motivate and develop a large team providing coaching, training, and career guidance as required to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
• Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance and monitoring the management of specific supply chain risks to enable WFP, governments and other partners to quickly respond and deploy food and resources at the onset of the crisis
• Take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives in all areas of work, to ensure equal participation of women and men.
• Upgrade capacity of WFP TSL workforce
• Work with other SCLO (Supply Chain Logistics Office) units to Make sure the necessary tools for delivery of TSL services across the organization are in place
• Drive forward QMS deployment of TSL and work on its continuous improvement as per requirements
• Other as required

In addition to the above, the below project-specific items are also needed:

1. Act as the Project Manager of the SLL Initiative,
2. Lead the establishment of a productive relationship with supply chain counterparts in Africa CDC, and other African Union (AU) agencies, identified Africa CDC focal points in AU member states to share capacity-building knowledge contributing to coordinated and cost-effective supply chain operations during health emergency responses.
3. Guide on the assessment and monitoring alongside Africa CDC on the implementation of WFP’s Health Supply Chain Capacity Strengthening activities to ensure the overall strategic result of this support to Africa CDC is achieved.
4. Formulate and implement the exit strategy upon completion of the Africa CDC project. Define and implement exit strategy, including equipment evaluation & subsequent recommendation for maintaining equipment at the COs or transferring to counterparts or transferring to other operations / global reserve. In terms of the latter, coordinate demobilization/hand-over at project completion

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced University degree in Transport Economics, Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Business Management or other related fields, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience: Minimum of 8 years of relevant postgraduate experience in supply chain/logistics management and coordination.

Language: Fluency (level C) in the English language. Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (A WFP’s working language)

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

Essential:

• Knowledge of Pharmaceutical quality assurance and management of health supply chains in remote settings or complex emergencies
• Experience in supply chain network design, modeling, and optimization and determining with Supply Chain actors best transport modality/timing and liaising with agents and suppliers to meet deadlines
• Experience supervising professional staff
• Experience identifying transportation operations risks and maintaining documentation on emergency logistics preparedness
• Experience preparing and managing transport and project budget

Desirable

• Experience evaluating and selecting service providers and third parties.
• Experience integrating information system tools for SC optimization
• Experience managing integrated air, sea, and land transport operations
• Experience working with interagency partners to assess and coordinate emergency/non-emergency response

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Mobility is and continues to be, a core contractual requirement in WFP. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term as well as a rotational contract with a probationary period of one year.
• WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance. For more details, please visit icsc.un.org.

How to apply 

Click here

Deadline: 12 December 2021

Note: Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status. No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.