UN Logistics Officer Jobs – United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Job Title: Logistics Officer (CBT-Market Facilitation & Hub Management)
Organisation: United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About US:
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) 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. In emergencies, WFP gets food to where it is needed, saving the lives of victims of war, civil conflict and natural disasters. After an emergency, WFP uses food to help communities rebuild their lives. On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 80 countries each year. The organization has the global footprint, deep field presence and local knowledge and relationships necessary to provide access to food and contribute to lasting solutions, especially in many of the world’s most remote and fragile areas.
Background and Purpose
Concurrent emergencies in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi led to close to one million people arriving in Uganda between June 2016 and July 2018. With more than 1.5 million refugees, Uganda is now home to the largest refugee population in Africa and the third largest globally. The ongoing influx has put a strain on existing services and resources, with a resultant impact on the quality and efficiency of the existing capacity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to present serious risks to an already fragile situation, compounding the economic crisis, increasing prices and threatening to further exacerbate food insecurity. Digitization of cash and strengthening CBT preparedness – In an effort to effectively respond to food needs in refugee settlements, in 2020 WFP Uganda (UGCO) expanded the use of cash as part of its General Food Assistance (GFA). Specifically, UGCO is looking to expand the use of CBT as part of its emergency preparedness initiatives.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Market Development Activities:
- Develop internal strategies, work planning for Supply Chain staff in WFP Uganda on Market Development Activities in close alignment with WFP corporate strategies, policies, tools & approaches.
- Build local capacity of internal WFP staff to deliver and execute on Supply Chain Markets development & facilitation activities through delivery of training and coaching activities.
- Provide and coordinate strategic leadership on Supply Chain role in market development, establish regular risk assessment reporting systems for recommendations for management decision making for CBT and other market facilitation interventions.
- In partnership with Vulnerability Analysis & Mapping (VAM) to achieve a consensus on approaches for the implementation of market assessments and analyses for value chains and market systems.
- Map the Supply Chain of targeted food commodities from production/point of entry to relevant merchant/retail markets to provide recommendations for informed decision making.
- Ensure WFP Supply Chain Staff have technical capacities in Market Facilitation activities and sufficient familiarity with corporate tools to perform in-depth market analysis and supply chain network mapping to improve supply chain performance and plan market development activities.
Market Development Activities…
- Develop and maintain an active/up-to-date database and/or shortlist of market actors (Retailers, Merchants, Suppliers, Wholesalers, Transporters, etc.) and Financial Service Providers (FSPs) as applicable/relevant to WFP interventions in Uganda.
- Support planning for the implementation of Market Development Activities such as setting up Buying Clubs, Smallholder corporations, Preferred Wholesalers, or Business to Business activities that improve market functionality by addressing supply chain inefficiencies in local markets’ respective commercial supply chain linkages.
- Provide supervision, guidance, and training on the creation of Supply Chain POCBs for Mobile money and Bank transactions while also ensuring any retailer’ contracts, onboarding process, Financial Service Provider contracts and supporting documents are attached to POCB in wings.
- Stipulate approaches for WFP Supply Chain in Uganda to support and conduct substantial analyses of Market development analyses to enable informed decision-making.
- Develop Supply Chain CBT operational planning in support of CBT initatives for ongoing monitoring of Retailers/Merchants, Market Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Supply Chain Service providers by analyzing data/reports from various data sources (Retailer Performance Monitoring Evaluation (RPME), VAM market price data, market situational monitoring, value chain and market systems assessments.
Market Development Activities….
- Work in close collaboration with WFP cross functional counterparts, especially the internal Cash Working Group (CWG) to ensure Supply Chain unit is providing appropriate support for CBT initiatives.
- Provide technical advice/awareness raising for building capacity of external partners (including FSP, retailers and local market actors) to take a strategic and proactive approach to improving market facilitation through provision of trainings and conduct capacity strengthening activities to support government authorities’ development of social protection programmes.
- Follow-up with relevant units (i.e. Programme and Finance) in Area & Field Offices for timely commitment of funds and payment of CBT Retailers, Financial Service Providers, etc. and proposed solutions to ease payment bottlenecks (e.g. POCB releases/adjustments) and participate in CBT-related functional group discussions to incorporate Supply Chain inputs in Programme design
- Manage, motivate and develop Nationwide Supply Chain team providing coaching, training and career guidance as required to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
- Create and review Supply Chain CBT budget plans and monitor ongoing projects performance against budget, ensuring adherence to WFP CO Uganda Supply Chain policies.
Gulu Logistics Hub/CDP Activities
- Maintain an oversight role for Gulu Logistics hub/CDP workplans, activities, Supply Chain operations and Staff to ensure compliance is in place with the established logistics operations and supply chain strategies, policies, procedures, controls, and following corporate standards, with emphasis on food quality control, loss prevention, risk mitigation, and cost-effectiveness.
- Oversight on Logistics Operations within Gulu logistics hub, effectively manage budgets/funds and provide input for logs project/activity proposals in timely reporting as required and maintain technically and professionally the ongoing operations and provide coaching and guidance to team members to deliver on the expected results.
- Support WFP Logistics Operations sponsored learning and training events as well as self-learning towards career development of the hub staff within WFP Logistics and Supply Chain.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate must hold a (Masters) degree in business administration, Logistics, Supply chain, Social Sciences or other field relevant to supply chain and logistics.
- At least six years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian logistics, including land, shipping or air transport and logistics/transport operations.
- Strong communication skills
- Strong general analytical skills
- Good understanding/experience of the Humanitarian reform
- Emergency logistics assessments and analysis
- Emergency preparedness and contingency planning
- Team management and development skills.
- Fluent in English including strong writing skills
How to Apply:
All candidates who wish to join the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the aforementioned capacity should apply online at the online portal link below.
Deadline: 5th May 2022
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