I. Overview

Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States (U.S.) sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program.

These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the capacity of WFP and further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their JPO assignments, a number of JPOs successfully compete for positions at WFP and in other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

II. General Information

Title: Supply Chain Officer

Organization/Office: RBN, Djibouti/Supply Chain Unit

Duty Station: Djibouti City, Djibouti

Start Date Required: As soon as possible

Duration: Two years

The USAID/BHA sponsored JPO will be an employee of WFP, not of the U.S. Government.

III. Duties, Responsibilities, and Output Expectations

Under the direct supervision of Head of Supply Chain, the JPO will have the following responsibilities:

• Contribute to 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.
• Provide substantive contributions to regional/country context analyses and to the management of end-to-end operational supply chain and retail networks, in support of operational supply chain challenges and operational optimization.
• Contribute to planning and implementation of supply chain operations, initiatives, and services to ensure a timely, cost-effective, and integrated approach and in close cooperation with key supply chain stakeholders.
• Perform analyses and detailed conceptual work putting together comprehensive reports identifying opportunities for improvement and effective operationalization of supply chain within the area of responsibility.
• Conduct regular financial analysis and budget reviews, drawing out insights and recommending actions to senior staff for maximizing use of resources and effectiveness of supply chain operations.
• Build and maintain productive partnerships mostly at the operational level and collaborate with counterparts in the key supply chain functions contributing to an integrated supply chain approach to food assistance and cross-functional operational alignment.
• Build and maintain productive partnerships with supply chain counterparts amongst government and other national organizations, UN agencies, NGOs and private sector to share operational knowledge contributing to coordinated and cost-effective supply chain operations.
• Provide technical contribution to market analysis and supply chain network mapping to inform the selection of an appropriate operation modalities to improve supply chain performance.
• Support management of supply chain operations, or manage less complex supply chain operations, in compliance with the established supply chain strategies, policies, procedures 3 and controls, and following corporate standards, with special emphasis on quality control, loss prevention, risk mitigation and cost effectiveness.
• Support the monitoring of supply chain activities to check that appropriate internal controls are followed to increase the day-to-day efficiencies and overall performance of supply chain operations.
• Support management of service providers/vendors, port, fleet, and warehouse operations to promote safe, efficient planning and execution of WFP operations.
• Prepare accurate, comprehensive, and timely reports, dashboards and other visual materials on supply chain activities including trends to support informed decision-making and consistency of information presented to the stakeholders.
• Guide and supervise staff, acting as a point of referral, providing training, and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.
• Contribute to preparedness actions and support quick emergency response to deploy food and resources at the onset of the crisis.

Expected Outcomes

• The JPO has gained a good experience in the management of supply chain operations within the context of WFP.
• At the end of the two-year period, the JPO has developed his skills and overall capabilities to develop a career in supply chain management or elsewhere

IV. Supervision

The incumbent will be working under the direct supervision of the Head of Supply Chain.

V. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) preferably in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Economics, Business Administration, Logistics, or any related field.

Work Experience:

• Minimum three years of relevant working experience in providing analytics and contributions to supply chain activities, and/or contributing to the planning and coordination of supply chain operations.
• Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) is required.

Languages:

Fluency in English; Working knowledge of French is desired.

Additional Desired Technical Skills:

• Experience in implementing supply chain improvement initiatives
• Experience conducting analytical and conceptual work in support of strategy design and implementation
• Experience coordinating supply chain activities with other units/ teams
• Experience supervising staff a small team of staff
• Exposure to the international arena either by direct work for an international institution/organization or by interacting with international stakeholders
• WFP’s international professionals are required to serve in different locations around the world during their career (including in hardship duty stations); willingness to be mobile would maximise opportunities for long-term retention into the Organization

UN Competencies:

Behavioral competencies:

• Leads by example with integrity
• Drives results and delivers on commitments
• Fosters inclusive and collaborative teamwork
• Applies strategic thinking
• Builds and maintains sustainable partnerships

Workforce Diversity:

The United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

VI. Learning Elements

Training Components

• Internal or external training in humanitarian logistics sector
• Internal trainings on WFP Supply Chain Fundamentals
• Internal trainings on WFP corporate systems (databases, software)
• Internal or external training on development of supervisory skills

Learning Elements

At the end of the two-year assignment, the JPO should have obtained:

• Very good knowledge of WFP Supply Chain setup and operations
• Good understanding of WFP Port Operations, Warehousing, and other Logistics activities
• Familiarity WFP policies and procedures
• Good general understanding of WFP’s overall operations and activities in the region of assignment

VII. Background Information

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. WFP’s strategy in Djibouti is aligned with Djibouti Vision 2035 and considers regional strategies of the African Union, in particular Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth, and IGAD sub-regional strategies. It is also aligned with the UNDAF for 2018– 2022 and builds on relevant recommendations of the Zero Hunger Strategic Review.

Addressing poverty is a major pathway to addressing food insecurity in Djibouti. Agricultural potential is limited, but the agricultural, pastoral and fisheries sectors offer opportunities for providing direct assistance for rural households susceptible to food insecurity and malnutrition. The two pillars of the WFP strategy are:

• To provide employment equitably for women and men in the most vulnerable households; and
• To use safety nets to ensure access to assistance that meets basic needs, including for food security.

Reporting directly to the Head of Supply Chain, the Supply Chain Officer will provide analytics and contributions to supply chain activities, contribute to the planning and coordination of field supply chain operations, to ensure actions are in line with an effective and integrated supply chain approach meeting the food assistance needs of beneficiaries and service provision requirements for partners.