Supply Chain Officer

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

Cameroon is a lower-middle-income country with a population of 23.3 million people of diverse ethnic and two linguistic groups. Ranked 153rd of 188 countries in the 2016 Human Development Index, the average life expectancy is 58 years; 24% live on less than USD 2 per day and poverty is concentrated in the Northern and Eastern regions, where 90 percent of people requiring humanitarian support reside. At least 75 percent of the people over 15 years of age are illiterate, with wide disparity between men and boys (78 percent) and women and girls (65 percent).

Cameroon is confronted with three major complex crises: the crisis in the Lake Chad basin impacting the Far North region; the consequences of the influx Central African refugees in the east and the crisis in the Northwest and Southwest (SW/NW). More than one million people are displaced, and 4.5 million people have humanitarian needs. These challenges are reinforced by structural factors and chronic vulnerabilities that aggravate the impact of crises and affect people's resilience capacity.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. WFP’s current Country Strategy Programme (2018-2021) contributes to all four United Nations Development Assistance Framework pillars: (i) increase employment opportunities and measures to protect women, young people, children and socially vulnerable people in target areas; (ii) improve the health of target populations and prevent child malnutrition in all its forms; (iii) improve access to education and quality vocational training; and (iv) strengthen the resilience of target populations addressing food insecurity and environmental, social and economic shocks.

WFP Cameroon is currently seeking for International UN Volunteers to provide support and technical expertise to the Field Offices with the design and management of programmes of moderate size or complexity that effectively meet food assistance needs or contribute to policy formulation and / or provide technical advice or oversight on programme strategy and implementation.

Under the general supervision of the Head of Field Office, and the technical supervision of the CO Head of Supply, the incumbent UN Volunteer will perform the following tasks:

1. Participate in the development and implementation of supply chain plans and procedures, in line with the global WFP supply chain strategy and regional/functional strategies, policies and plans, to achieve operational cost efficiency, agility, reliability, quality and to support national capacity strengthening.
2. Analyze regional/country context, and design and manage end-to-end operational supply chain and retail networks, to proactively mitigate and/or address dynamic supply chain challenges and obtain operational optimization.
3. Plan and manage implementation of innovative supply chain operations, initiatives and services to ensure timely, cost-effective and integrated approach with core activities and services and in close cooperation with key supply chain stakeholders.
4. Provide technical advice and identify opportunities for improvement and innovation initiatives analyzing best practices from the humanitarian and development fields, academia and private sector.
5. Plan, monitor and manage resources to maximize effectiveness of supply chain operations.
6. Build productive partnerships and collaborate with counterparts in the key supply chain functions to ensure an integrated supply chain approach to food assistance and crossfunctional operational alignment.
7. Identify and build productive partnerships with counterparts amongst government and other national organizations, UN agencies, NGOs and private sector to share operational knowledge and resources and build capacity to ensure coordinated and cost-effective supply chain operations.
8. Perform in-depth market analysis and supply chain network mapping to inform the selection of an appropriate operation modalities to improve supply chain performance.
9. Manage supply chain operations to ensure compliance with the established supply chain strategies, policies, procedures, and controls, and following corporate standards, with special emphasis on quality control, loss prevention, risk mitigation and cost effectiveness.
10. Constantly monitor the performance of supply chain operations to ensure that appropriate internal controls are in place.
11. Manage service providers/vendors, port, fleet and warehouse operations to promote safe, efficient planning and execution of WFP operations and safeguard WFP’s interest.
12. Manage accurate and timely reporting including provision of substantial analysis of supply chain activities and trends to enable informed decision-making and consistency of information presented to a wide range of stakeholders.
13. Manage, motivate and develop a team providing coaching, training and career guidance as required to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
14. Contribute to preparedness actions, providing technical recommendations and guidance and monitoring the management of specific supply chain risks to enable WFP, governments and other partners to quickly respond and deploy food and resources at the onset of the crisis.
15. Other as required.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to WFP; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to WFP procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and WFP in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority. • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary. • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards WFP’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

• managing an area of supply chain operations including coordination with internal and external stakeholders. • implementing operational supply chain strategies in a country; • designing and implementing supply chain, retail, and partnership networks; • managing relationships and national capacity building initiatives with UN agencies, NGOs, private sector and/or government organizations; • evaluating and selecting service providers and/or suppliers; • identifying operational risks and maintaining documentation on emergency preparedness; • implementing approved corrective actions to improve performance and monitoring progress;

Maroua: is the capital city of the the Far-North region of Cameroon, located at 1,300km from Yaounde, Maroua is accessible by air with weekly national flights, or with a combination of train to Ngaoundéré and then drive for 480km. With a population of 364,000 people in 2023, Maroua, is host to a major state university and has a semi-arid to dry climate most of the year. It is a very dynamic city attracting many tourists and is famous for its handcrafting and offers most of the amenities of a modern city. WFP has a Field Office in Maroua, which oversees two antenna offices in Kousseri and Garoua and implements emergency and development programmes using General Food Assistance (GFA), Cash Based Transfers (CBT)and resilience-focused activities, Food for Assets (FFA) to support refugees from Nigeria, host communities and communities at large that are affected by natural disasters.