Logistics IT Project Manager - TRADE (Consultancy assignment)

Consultancy opportunity in our Rome Office

Are you a Logistics IT Project Manager and interested in humanitarian work?

If yes, this opportunity is for you!

We are looking for a solution-oriented and pro-active candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles. We select our candidates on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian organisation delivering food assistance to over 90 million beneficiaries in 80 countries on a yearly basis. With over 5000 trucks, 50 ships and close to 100 planes on the move every single day, WFP, together with its partners, operates a global network to deliver life-saving food assistance to the most hard-to reach places.

BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The World Food Programme (WFP) works in complex environments, aiming to provide timely humanitarian aid to those in need. The Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) & Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Sustainable development through global partnerships) are WFP’s mandated contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Currently, the WFP relies on a corporate enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to track food shipments from the point of physical receipt by the WFP to the point of physical handover to cooperating partners. All ERP transactions mirror physical processes (e.g., receipt of goods, transport of goods), and these transactions are entered manually (often based on scanned copies of documents), after the physical processes are completed. While the intent is to provide real–time mirroring between physical and system, all transactions rely on manual data entry, and these transactions are often delayed.

To address the above-mentioned challenges, the initiative TRADE (Traceability through Automation and Data Enhancement) was launched recently. This initiative aims to find a solution to enhance the present level of WFP’s food supply chain to an end-to-end visibility and traceability.

As part of TRADE initiative, WFP is hiring a consultant who will build on preliminary studies already developed and perform a feasibility study.

The study will build on previous knowledge and findings, assessing tracking and traceability capability and reliability of current system with the ultimate goal of identifying and prioritizing key areas of system enhancement and recommending potential solutions for AIDC (Automatic Identification and Data Capture) and interoperability.

JOB PURPOSE

The incumbent will be working in close relationship with Supply Chain Business Owners, corporate IT division (TEC) and technology partners.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

As Project Officer - TRADE, in accordance with defined project management requirements, you will be responsible for the following key duties:

Project Management

• Ensure that the project deliverables are on time, within budget and at the required level of quality
• Manage the deliverables of the external consulting company
• Delegate tasks and responsibilities to appropriate personnel
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical path
• Efficiently identify and solve project issues
• Identify Projects risks, anticipate problems and put in place mitigation efforts to ensure overall delivery is not compromised
• Plan and schedule project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools
• Track projects milestones and deliverables
• Supervise, evaluate, and guide the work of professional and support staff working on the projects
• Proactively manage changes in projects scope, identify potential crises, and devise contingency plans
• Review the quality of the work completed with the project team on a regular basis to ensure that it meets the project standards
• Undertake any other functions as required

Reporting and Communications

• Report periodically project status, issues and results to relevant parties
• Establish a communication schedule to update stakeholders including appropriate staff in the organization on the progress of the project
• Design and determine the frequency and content of status reports from the project team, analyze results, and troubleshoot problem areas

Expected deliverables

• Develop the project documents and plans as required
  • Timelines
  • Resources
  • Budgets
• Evaluate the outputs of the project as established during the planning phase
• Project documentation updated at each phase with relevant associated resources and materials

STANDARD MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education

University Degree in Business Administration or university degree with experience and advanced courses/training in one or more of the following disciplines: Computer Science, Information Management, Logistics, Communications or another related field.

Experience

You have:

• A minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience in business relationship management, account management, project management, business and technical analysis in IT or Supply Chain field;
• Experience in defining and implementing supply chain IT systems;
• Knowledge of IT Project management;
• Familiarity with SAP and other ERP/supply chain applications

Language

You have:

• You are Fluent in oral and written English
• Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable

DESIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• PRINCE2, PRINCE2 Agile, other PM certifications
• Strong coordination, planning and writing/presentation skills
• Customer service-oriented mind-set and excellent communication skills
• Ability to create and maintain strong relationships with key counterparts
• Team player and ability to deal with evolving contexts and priorities
• Proven ability to organize and meet tight deadlines under pressure
• Demonstrated ability to effectively work in a team-based information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP:

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Application deadline: 07 February 2021 (midnight Rome time)

Your CV must be submitted in English

Women applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status. No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.