Supply Assistant- Temporary Appointment (364 days), GS-4, Mogadishu Country Office, Somalia, #128335, (Somali Nationals only)

The Supply Assistant is responsible for assisting the uninterrupted supply of affordable and good quality supplies and services, adapted to the particular context and through compliance with UNICEF’s policies, procedures and ethics standards.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Hope.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Supply Chain Service Delivery and Response

1.Procurement/contracting:

• Provide input to the formulation of the annual Supply Plan. Conduct data review and analysis for category management and assist in the development of procurement strategies. Support market research in relevant areas for UNICEF and assist in gathering evidence on the best approaches to sustainable and best value for money procurement.
• Where relevant, support product innovation and market shaping initiatives for specific categories of supplies and services providing relevant data.
• Liaise with colleagues from respective programme sections in planning procurement and contracting initiatives, supporting development of relevant specifications, terms of reference, and logistics arrangements and timelines. From lessons learnt, contribute with good practices to strengthen sustainability of supply chains.
• Prepares documentation for the establishment of Long Term Arrangements (LTAs) and act on specific procurement requisitions as might be required. Prepare and process Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs), as might be requested by the Supervisor. Assists with bid openings, and technical and financial analysis of offers as might be required. Conduct clarifications with suppliers.
• Prepare requests for award including submissions to Contract Review Committee. Prepare purchase orders and contracts in SAP (ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning system), and submit for relevant approvals, ensuring completeness of documentation in UNICEF systems.
• Keep stakeholders/partners informed on the progress of procurement processes. Liaise with suppliers, ensuring timely follow-up on delivery schedules Implement appropriate vendor management practices e.g. supply performance reviews.
• Regularly monitor dashboard reports and coordinate to ensure necessary supply action is taken in a timely manner in support of UNICEF Programmes.
• Regularly extract reports on the status of the existing LTAs, contracts, Purchase Orders (POs) and take necessary action in coordination with the relevant Programme.
• Conduct local market surveys on ongoing and regular basis for identification of potential suppliers to procure the goods and services at competitive costs.

2. In-country logistics:

• Provide input on the logistics component of the supply plan, including advising on infrastructure constraints (e.g. customs clearance, port capacity, transport options and warehousing capacity) and different delivery mechanisms. Keep track of demurrages and detention charges. Negotiate with Airport/Port/Shipping Line for waiver of demurrage/detention charges whenever required. Calculate budget requirements for various delivery modalities and ensure establishment of budget with the colleagues from the respective programme sections.
• Liaise with supply colleagues as well as colleagues from respective programme sections, use supply dashboards to ensure pipeline monitoring establishment of appropriate logistics capacity. Monitor progress of offshore and/or regional procurement and take action to ensure timely customs clearance of supplies entering the country. Perform research, collect data and conduct analysis, produce reports and ensure information accuracy in corporate systems to enable informed decision-making.
• Provide support in logistics, following standard processes and contributing, directly or indirectly, to the effective delivery of programme supplies. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to support logistics operations management and contribute to effective service delivery.
• Review needs for contracting of logistics third party services (e.g. customs clearance, warehousing, transport, distribution) and transmit all supporting information for contracting of such service providers including establishment of KPIs and performance monitoring mechanisms.
• Maintain and process documentation for execution of logistics operations (e.g. customs clearance, invoice verification), and take appropriate actions to resolve operational issues, escalating complex issues to the supervisor.

3. Warehousing and inventory management:

• Following UNICEF policies and procedures, assess warehousing capacity including facilities, conditions of equipment, manpower, and processes. Propose corrective actions to supervisor. Assess new warehouse facilities when required. If necessary, assists the implementation of new warehouse facilities which may include installation and assembly of temporary warehouse structures (e.g. Wiik-Halls/Rub Halls type structures).
• Support to the maintenance of appropriate warehousing and inventory management processes in support of the country programme implementation. Ensure accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems are in place, and relevant records are properly maintained
• Assess availability of space and prepare stacking and storage plans to ensure appropriate storage and optimize use of space.
• Supervise receipt of consignments and dispatch of supplies.
• Prepare stock reports. Monitor inventory to track trends and account for the inventory status from source to beneficiary. Carry out regular physical counts of inventory in the warehouse. Prepare documentation for commodity disposal through Property Survey Board committee. Keep track of near to expiry supplies ensuring FIFO and FEFO approaches.

4. Alternative delivery mechanisms and procurement services:

• Ensures continuous availability of data related to procurement, including forecasting, requisitions received, orders placed, incoming goods, actual delivery schedules. Prepares periodic reports, and ad-hoc reports as needed.
• Support assessment of and collaboration with implementing partners including civil society, for establishment of Programme Cooperation Agreements (PCAs), and monitoring of supply components under Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT).
• Assist in activities that lead to building partnerships and collaborative relations with UN organizations to support harmonized and collaborative procurement and logistics arrangements.
• Support Procurement Services (PS) transactions and projects in collaboration with programme sections and UNICEF Supply Division (SD). As appropriate, support partners on forecasting and costing of PS-channel supplies. Monitor the submission of requests, PS cost estimates, Purchase Orders (POs) and/or Copenhagen Warehouse Stock Transfer Orders on PS Sales Orders. Follow up with SD and UNICEF freight forwarders as needed on timely delivery/shipment of PS orders. Support communications and follow up with programme colleagues and partners regarding partnership requests and negotiations as required.
• Maintain up-to-date files for all Procurement Service transactions, including a system for monitoring the various stages of each transaction.
• Monitor the incoming pipeline of PS shipments. If required based on the division of responsibilities agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Cost Estimate (CE), assist the arrival, customs clearance, storage, packing and in-country distribution of PS commodities to the agreed delivery point.

Other duties/responsibilities:

• In collaboration with supervisor, Supply Division, Regional Office and the global supply community, provide input to help ensure knowledge exchange and learning is prioritized to continuously build capacity of individuals and the team. Develop and facilitate training of newcomers, provide inputs towards establishment of processes or manuals to support effective workflows.
• Provide administrative support to the Supply and Logistics Section including by not limited to coordinating meetings and producing reports.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

• Education: Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to supply chain, business administration, contract/commercial law, or another relevant technical field.

• Work Experience: A minimum of 4 years of relevant administrative experience in supply chain management or a commercial context is required. (A bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position may replace three years of related work experience. A master’s degree may replace an additional one years).  Management of complex warehouse operations required.  Experience of undertaking warehousing for nutrition and health related supplies is an advantage. Understanding of development and humanitarian work is an advantage.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for supervisory role]

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF only considers Higher education 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.