Logistics Officer Grade P3 at World Food Programme (WFP)  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Deadline for applications: 24 December 2014

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. We are seeking to fill the position of Logistics Officer at the P3 level, based in our Country Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Food Management Improvement Project (FMIP) was initiated by the Government of Ethiopia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, and the World Food Programme (WFP) with the aim to assist the government with making the management of the food-assistance supply-chain more efficient, effective and visible, through

1. The provision of the Commodity & Allocation Tracking System (CATS), an internet- based commodity tracking system that tracks, manages and reports commodity movements at different stages of the government supply chain.
2. The design of a Commodity Management Procedure Manual and a range of complementary products, that provide instructions on how to manage, record and report commodity movements at the regional and local levels of government.
3. The implementation of a training programme to deliver the Commodity Management Procedure Manual /storekeeper pocket guide and new forms to the local government levels in a sustainable manner
4. The setup of a strategic food and non-food coordination unit within the Ministry of Agriculture that will investigate challenges within the government supply chain and recommend efficiency/effectiveness improvements and generate policies/Standard Operating Procedures to be institutionalized.

The Logistics Officer will be hired as the FMIP Project Manager. He/she will report to the WFP Head of Logistics and work closely with the Disaster Risk Management Food Security Sector branch of the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure implementation of FMIP projects.

In accordance with the established policies and procedures, the incumbent will:

• Provide overall project coordination to obtain strategies that ensure long-term sustainability of FMIP deliverables
• Lead the FMIP team and ensure that the different projects component’s outcomes are achieved in a timely manner, and that the overall project goals are attained
• Manage the project budget efficiently; ensuring accurate forecasting of expenses and timely expenditures
• Act as a fund raiser advocate for the FMIP project and establish/maintain a high- level network of interlocutors in the government, donors and key stakeholders;
• Establish and manage project controls by establishing a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to measure the success of FMIP products
• Coordinate with different project component managers to update the project risk profiles on a regular basis
• Ensure smooth running and timely maintenance of CATS in coordination with the appointed software developer (including upgrades and possible expansion to other levels of government)
• Liaise with appointed government focal points to ensure that process changes/supply-chain improvements are fed back into the Commodity Movement Procedure Manual and its complementary products
• Oversee the Regional Commodity Management Training Programmes to be rolled out as required
• Ensure the long-term sustainability of an efficient, effective and visible supply chain through embedding the FMIP products into the nascent Food Coordination Unit (or equivalent), to be hosted within the government
• Define areas where WFP could offer its excellence in humanitarian logistics to enhance the implementation of the next generation Productive Safety Net Programme strategic objectives and new National Disaster Risk Management Policy
• Manage the relationship with government counterparts by conducting a day-to-day level liaison to facilitate communication between the different project stakeholders
• Integrate FMIP related work with other WFP units
• Work with the project component managers to maximize relationships with external service providers
• Report regularly to stakeholders on progress and challenges in the project and manage the information flow within the project
• Ensure the staffing needs are suitably addressed
• Design and facilitate large multi-stakeholder workshops
• Perform other related duties as assigned, including the country office general logistics operations.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Education:

• University degree in business administration, economics, supply chain management or management information systems.

Experience:

• At least 7 years or more of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian logistics operations including specific experience in supply chain management and/or result based project management.
• Previous working experience with government bodies and developing policies with focus on East Africa and Ethiopia is highly desirable.
• Documented experience in Project Management involving public and private sector

Technical Skills & Knowledge:

• Knowledge in supply chain management, commodity tracking systems set-up and management, project design and implementation is essential
• Knowledge of disaster risk management policies, structures and implementation
• Ability to run large multi-stakeholder workshops

Competencies:

• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under supervision;
• Strong supervisory experience, including the ability to effectively lead and delegate work to a team and follows up to ensure objectives are met while encouraging team learning and development;
• Strong writing skills and ability to draft clear and concise reports as well as concept papers;
• Good interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work productively and maintain effective working relationships with people of all backgrounds;
• Proven experience in establish good working relations with government officials and other stakeholders;
• Results driven with a proven ability to work under pressure and meet required deadlines;
• Ability to analyse data, draw conclusions and recommend a course of action;

Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages).

Terms and Conditions

Selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. He/she will be required to travel abroad sometimes to remote and difficult locations.

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, pension plan and medical insurance. For more details please visit icsc.un.org