Transport Optimization Associate

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

H (no hardship)

Family

UNOPS LICA6

2024-05-01

May 11, 2024

1. Background
The Asset and Fleet Management Section provides safe, professional, and cost-effective fleet management services and solutions to support optimum program delivery. We are committed to provide practical guidance to field operations on the operation and management of UNHCR vehicles, support humanitarian civil servants working with UNHCR vehicles and fleet operations, while delivering the Organization’s mandate of providing protection to forcibly displaced and stateless people.
The Asset and Fleet Management Section adapts proactive management approach of UNHCR’s vehicle assets, which may include light vehicles, heavy vehicles, specialist vehicles and motorcycles. Fleet management covers a range of functions, including vehicle procurement and financing, vehicle maintenance, vehicles telematics (tracking and diagnostics), driver and personnel management, speed management, fuel management, and health and road safety management.
The section provides centralized fleet management model to UNHCR, empowering the Organization move beyond simply operating vehicles on a country-by-country and project-by-project basis to actively planning for optimizing vehicle fleet capacity composition and efficiency on a global scale.

Context of Assignment:
UNHCR Smart Fleet is a program of the Asset and Fleet Management Section (AFMS) to optimise the management of vehicle fleets at UNHCR and partner organisations. It includes a range of innovative initiatives to help operations make more effective use of their fleet, ensuring that staff have the transportation they require, while generating savings that can be used to protect people forced to flee. In addition, optimising the use of the UNHCR fleet minimises the number of vehicles that are required and reduces total kilometres driven, helping to green the UNHCR vehicle fleet by reducing carbon emissions. Two key areas of the UNHCR Smart Fleet program through which these goals are achieved are ridesharing and carpooling.
Ridesharing ensures the efficient use of the UNHCR fleet by combining rides between staff members, so that passengers on the same or similar routes travel together in a single vehicle, reducing cost and CO2 emissions. In addition, the introduction of a technology platform modernises booking and dispatch processes, ensures visibility over fleet movements and provides the tools for effective data-driven decision making.
Another key area of UNHCR Smart Fleet is inter-agency carpooling, through which UNHCR operations collaborate with other UN agencies, funds and programs to share fleet, reducing both cost and CO2 emissions. Carpooling allows each participating organisation to maintain a smaller fleet, as they can rely on vehicles from other organisations during peak times. Organisations with large fleets can offset some of the costs of maintaining them by providing rides to passengers from other UN organisations on a cost-recovery basis. For smaller organisations with few or no vehicles, carpooling provides access to secure UN transportation with well-trained and vetted drivers, well-maintained vehicles and, where appropriate, satellite tracking technology to meet the needs of their staff.
As of Mar 2024, ridesharing and carpooling solutions have already been rolled out to 115 UNHCR offices across 21 operations and bureaus with more following every month.

2. The position
The Asset and Fleet Management Section (AFMS) provides support and training to UNHCR operations that implement ridesharing and carpooling under the Smart Fleet program. The Transport Optimization Associate reports to the Project Manager for Carpooling and provides support for the Smart Fleet program. This includes providing support to UNHCR operations, liaising with technology platform vendors, analysing data from ridesharing and carpooling initiatives, preparing reports and working with operations to prepare for the implementation of Smart Fleet solutions.

3. Duties and responsibilities

The Transport Optimization Associate will undertake the following areas of responsibility.

1. Provide support for UNHCR operations that implement Smart Fleet solutions.
Duties in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Provide timely technical and operational support to UNHCR operations when approached with questions or issues relating to Smart Fleet solutions.
• Maintain records of issues with ridesharing and carpooling technology platforms, tracking them until resolution and providing regular feedback to affected operations.
• Maintain records of suggestions for improvement of Smart Fleet solutions and associated ridesharing and carpooling technology platforms.
• Collaborate with UNHCR operations and other involved organisations on the roll out of Smart Fleet solutions.
• Develop communications materials, such as slide decks, reports, pamphlets and user guides for internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide regular updates to UNHCR operations that implement Smart Fleet solutions on new developments and features or other areas of interest.
• Present ridesharing and carpooling projects to operations and other stakeholders.

2. Liaising with technology vendors
UNHCR Smart Fleet initiatives are underpinned by technology platforms that support operations in optimising the usage of the UNHCR vehicle fleet. Duties in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Providing a liaison between UNHCR operations, who often have limited technical knowledge, and software vendors to ensure the correct configuration of software platforms, request appropriate support, report issues, make suggestions for improvement and work with the vendors to ensure that the technology platforms effectively support UNHCR.
• Test new technology platform functionality to ensure that, as far as possible, it is bug free and effective before it is rolled out to UNHCR operations.
• Evaluate prospective technology platforms that may be of benefit to UNHCR operations.
• Prepare technical documentation, such as user guides, specifications documents and procurement documentation.

3. Data analysis and reporting
Duties in this area include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Analysing data from technology platforms and other sources to provide insights into the usage of UNHCR fleet by operations.
• The preparation of reports required by UNHCR operations, the Project Manager for Carpooling, UNHCR senior management and other stakeholders.
• Other data analysis and reporting as required to support the Smart Fleet Program.

4. Requirements
The successful candidate must have the following qualifications, professional experience and aptitudes:
• At least 4 years of relevant experience with a high school diploma (2 years with a university degree in a relevant discipline, such as fleet management, supply, logistics or other business or technical field).
• Strong customer-orientated approach and understanding of the value of effective communication in maintaining long-term customer relationships.
• Strong communications skills.
• Experience of data analytics.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Strong written and verbal English language skills.

The following aptitudes and experience are desirable but not essential:

• Experience or qualifications in software development or testing.
• Experience of qualifications in project management.
• Experience with fleet management, ridesharing, carpooling or mobility technology solutions or operations.
• Experience in communications or marketing.
• Experience of developing technical documentation.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Project.
• Proficiency in verbal or written French, Spanish or Arabic could be an asset.

5. Location
The successful candidate will be based in Budapest, Hungary.

6. Conditions

Supervisor: The Project Manager for Carpooling, Asset and Fleet Management Section (AFMS).

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

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Desired Languages

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Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

Home-Based

No