Supply Chain Management Specialist (Head of Unit), P-3, Port Sudan, Sudan FTA

The Position:

The Supply Chain Management Specialist (Head of Unit) in the Sudan Country Office plays a critical role in ensuring the timely and effective delivery of essential health and other supplies in a complex humanitarian setting. His/Her work involves coordinating with internal teams and external partners to manage procurement, storage, and distribution of medical commodities, ensuring supply chain continuity despite conflict, displacement, and access challenges. The Supply Chain Management Specialist assesses supply needs, monitors stock levels, implements logistics strategies, and strengthens local capacity to support life-saving health interventions and GBV services for affected populations.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

Key Responsibilities:

The position will be based in Port Sudan and reports directly to the International Operations Manager, under the supervision of the Deputy Representative at the UNFPA Sudan Country Office. The Supply Chain Management Specialist works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations staff supporting both the country office, as well as UNFPA Field Offices across Sudan.

The incumbent is expected to manage the Supply Chain Unit and its operation in Port Sudan, including the western and southern corridors through the Chad and South Sudan corridors.

Rapid Assessments/Field Visits
●    As appropriate, participate in joint field assessments or undertake UNFPA-specific field visits/assessment missions to gain a better understanding of existing supply gaps and needs

Programme Implementation and Coordination
●    Coordinate and oversee procurement, Customs Clearances, Inventory Management, Warehouse Management and in-country logistics, and distribution plan/activities - ConOps Plan.
●    Ensure the timely maintenance and entry of data of logistics activities in the Supply Chain tracking sheets.
●    Support in the development and regular update of the supply plan, ensuring collaboration and engagement from programme and operations teams 
●    Implement a systematized approach for updates to the supply plan, kit contents and timelines for supply prioritization
●    Provide guidance, support and advice to the programme team related to specific products and quantification of items.
●    Support the Programme teams in projecting future needs of emergency and other supplies. 
●    Ensure that the coordination and communication mechanism between program management and the operation unit are well set up.
●    Support the programme team in the development of distribution plans based on response plan priorities and supply plan objectives.
●    maintains and nurtures a close line of communication, consults and seeks timely assistance as needed from UNFPA’s Supply Chain Management Unit in Copenhagen, the Logistics Specialists from the Humanitarian Response Division, and the Regional Office. 
●    Keeps CO Management regularly and timely informed, provides accurate numbers and advises on UNFPA Sudan’s Supplies status.

Monitoring and Evaluation
●    Establishes a monitoring mechanism that takes into consideration collection of essential supply data, including consumption data and issues data with IPs and supported service delivery points
●    Undertakes monitoring visits to ensure proper inventory data collection and reporting 
●    Works with the programme team to collect relevant services data in a manner which can be used to inform supply provision
●    Utilizes data collected to update supply plans and associated procurement plans with programme team

Liaising/Coordination with Partner Agencies
●    Liaises with humanitarian stakeholders working in relevant sectors/Clusters, such as Health, WASH, Protection, Logistics, Camp Management, etc. to ensure inclusion of commodities specific to UNFPA’s mandate into the national humanitarian response plan.
●    Ensures UNFPA’s attendance at the Logistics Cluster meetings and network with other UN agencies, I/NGOs and other humanitarian stakeholders for information sharing and potential collaborations.
●    Establishes partnerships with humanitarian health supply partners to ensure consistent and coordinated forecasting and supply planning for health supply gaps
●    Ensures relevant reporting on supply plan and distribution plans to the health cluster/sector
●    Establishes partnership and regular coordination mechanisms with the IP and stakeholders.
●    Engage with the national government as relevant and appropriate to ensure forecasts on supply gaps and needs are linked to any existing national data systems.

Reporting
●    Provides regular (at least weekly) updates on UNFPA emergency and other commodities and supplies management for inclusion in donor reports and OCHA SitReps.
●    Supports the communications and donor teams to quantify and report on UNFPA supply provisions and impact on a regular basis

Capacity Development
●    Provides coaching to newly recruited staff and consultants, where appropriate.
●    Coaches and builds the capacity of staff members and staff of implementing partners responding to crisis, as appropriate.
●    Regularly updates on the IP technical capacity, identifies gaps on inventory management proposes training and evaluation sessions.

Any Other Duties
●    Performs any other duties as required by the Representative and/or Head of Office

Qualifications and Experience:  
 

Education:  
●    Advanced degree in logistics management or equivalent relevant professional certification in areas such as transport, distribution, and supply chain management. A first university degree, with relevant experience, may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
 

Knowledge and Experience:

●    A minimum of 5 years of experience in supply chain management, preferably in humanitarian/emergency settings
●    Managing medical supplies in emergency settings is an advantage
●    Experience and knowledge with INGO and UN systems, especially UNFPA, is an advantage.
●    Excellent communication skills and ability to work in stressful environments, strong leadership skills are also highly desired.
●    Good knowledge of humanitarian response.
●    Proficiency in current office software applications, web-based management, and ERP  financial systems; 
●    Familiarity with the Quantum & Quantum+ modules is considered an asset.
 

Languages:  
 

Required Competencies: 

Values:

Core Competencies: 

Functional Competencies:

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.