The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is mandated to protect and assist men, women and children forced to flee their homes due to violence, conflict or persecution. UNHCR is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced and stateless people. The Agency provides protection, shelter, food, water, medical care and other life-saving assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers around the world.
The dream of most refugees is to return home. If and where possible, UNHCR helps refugees make this dream a reality. When refugees cannot go back home, we work to find solutions for them, to rebuild their lives in another country. Since its formation by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, UNHCR has helped millions of refugees restart their lives and has received the Nobel Peace Prize twice.
Standard Job Description
Supply Associate
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Supply Associate manages and supports all activities pertaining to the supply chain function including planning, sourcing & procurement, transport, shipping, customs clearance, warehousing, assets & fleet management and monitoring within the area of responsibility.
The incumbent is supervised by a higher level supply position and receives regular guidance and instructions from the supervisor on successive steps. The incumbent may supervise some staff in the office. The incumbent maintains regular contact on a working level on routine issues with other UNHCR offices, UN agencies, NGOs, government partners and commercial contractors in the area to facilitate performing the supply function. The duty of the incumbent is to support and monitor the supply activities assigned to him/her within the geographical area covered while exercising efficiency in the use of the available resources.
All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.
Duties
– In compliance with supply chain rules and procedures, support the related supply activities to facilitate UNHCR end to end processes resulting in a timely and quality delivery of goods and services to persons of concern.
– Prepare plans for delivery of relief and other non-food items according to the operational needs and regularly update the information in UNHCR IT systems
– Apply UNHCR’s sourcing & procurement strategy when planning for purchase of important commodities and services. Update the information in UNHCR IT systems. Ensure timely customs clearance of consignments.
– Maintain accurate and comprehensive records on supply activities and provide timely reports and updates both periodically and on request.
– Evaluate purchase requisitions to ensure that specifications, delivery dates and all other requirements are in order.
– Draft and dispatch quotation requests and/or tenders, and assist in the evaluation of offers and draft bid-tabulations, prepare proposals for award of contracts to the Committee on Contracts.
– Prepare Purchase Orders and send confirmations, requests for inspection and other correspondence, and monitor the manufacture/transport of ordered goods to ensure timely delivery.
– Provide guidance and advice on UNHCR procurement policies and procedures to support and assist requesting operations, HQ entities and others, as applicable.
– Provide asset management reports, customised reports, and gathers information on all assets and provides in-depth reports periodically and when requested.
– Monitor the quality and accuracy of supply chain related data in relevant business systems. Compile and analyse statistical information, identify trends and developments in supply chain related matters that will assist in decision making.
– Disseminate and promote UNHCR’s global policies, standards and guidance on supply chain management.
In the Regional Bureaux:
– Track the progress of specific operations and provide guidance that ensures timely implementation.
– Assist in coaching and advising individuals as requested.
– Track global Supply KPIs for the region and assist in devising regional ones, as required.
– Monitor all periodic Supply exercises such as monthly reconciliations, quarterly physical inventory exercises, and year-end accounts closure procedures and ensure that they are implemented throughout the region and provide relevant reports to senior managers.
– Assist country operations in MSRP management.
– Support the analysis of country financial reports and work with the Country Operations Supply Team leaders to address red areas relating to Supply aspects of operations.
– Support the country needs assessment plans and assist in combining them into regional procurement plans and monitor their timely implementation and changes based on operational needs.
– Support the work of the Regional Contracts Committee (RCC) through e.g. compiling and checking documents for RCC meetings, taking minutes, communicating decisions.
In the Country Operations:
– Ensure local liaison with partners to effectively support the supply activities.
– Manage storage of goods according to “best practices” and UNHCR rules and regulations.
– Coordinate supply activities of UNHCR Partners and/or contractors performing supply related activities, and ensure that they understand and adhere to relevant UNHCR rules and procedures.
– Implement effective asset and fleet management that regularly monitors the asset/fleet pool, saves cost and safeguards the investment of the organisation including receipt, inspection, registration & marking of new Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE), organisation of the physical verification of PPE, ensure that PPE agreements are properly issued and signed, and preparation of disposal forms and cases for the Asset Management Board, and organise the disposal of PPE according to Asset Management Board decisions.
– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
Field(s) of Education
n/a
Certificates and/or Licenses
Trade, Business Administration, Economics, Marketing
or a related field
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Not specified.
Desirable:
Other UN procurement and logistics training – such as IAPSO and UNPD.
Functional Skills
IT-Computer Literacy
SC-PeopleSoft Supply Chain Management
SC-Supply Planning
SC-Customs clearance
SC-Logistics
SC-Warehouse Management
SC-Asset Management
SC-Fleet Management
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.