Senior Supply Chain Advisor

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is one of the most complex and long-standing in the world, driven by armed conflict, recurrent climactic shocks, disease outbreaks, and weak governance structure, all of which contribute to persistent and pervasive poverty. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, economic and political instability has resulted in the deterioration of basic service provision across the country, increased prices of staple foods and fuel, reduced household purchasing power, and negatively impacted the ability of Afghan households to meet basic needs.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has worked in Afghanistan since 1988 and now works with thousands of villages across thirteen provinces. As Afghanistan deals with decades of conflict, natural disasters, and economic crises, the IRC helps affected communities to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. IRC supports Afghans in remote and hard-to-reach areas with vital support, such as community-based education, essential health services, emergency response, protection interventions, environmental health, economic recovery, and extensive resilience programming. IRC has also increased it’s partners and localization strategy with a forecast of 40% of its funds and programs will be implemented through partners national and internationals.

Scope of Work:

IRC Supply Chain entails all the systems and support functions vital to implement programs effectively, inclusive of procurement, logistics, inventory management, property, and asset management as well as vehicle and fleet management. The position is a key position to the success and delivery of quality programs. The position holder is accountable for the design, planning, execution and monitoring of supply chain activities at the country level.

Responsibilities:

Supply Chain Planning

He/she is responsible for the department activity planning. They will coordinate closely with partners to develop plans to support timely and efficient program implementation. Supply chain plans include detailed and up to date procurement plans, warehousing plans, transport plans, staffing plans, distribution/dispatching plans and training plans.

• Proactively participate in Project Cycle Meetings, including project design, project planning, project opening, project review, project close-out and project learning meetings to ensure that supply chain related issues are well articulated to all partners and resolved for successful project delivery.

• Prepare and maintain consolidated annual procurement plans and develop/maintain country program sourcing strategy for all active and pipeline grants in partnership with program teams.

Procurement Management

He/She owns leads and drives the procurement strategies, policies, and procedures. He/she ensures all country program procurement needs are met on time likewise the standards.

• Ensure Donor compliance during procurement.

• Adhere timely procurement contracts.

• Lead market surveys and analyses by collecting, organizing, and analyzing market data and share results with program team and field Coordinators and Managers on a regular basis.

• Create a strategy and lead the Master Agreements (MPA & MSA) and RFQ/RFP Processes and completing a purchase request process.

• Handle negotiations for high spent categories by developing strategies.

• Ensure review and execution of procurement contracts in timely fashion.

• Proactively engage with Programs, Suppliers, Partners, NGOs, logistics clusters and other partners to ensure good coordination and adequate information sharing to address common concerns or risks affecting the market.

• Organize procurement trainings sessions for procurement / tender committees in the field offices and non – supply chain staff if deemed vital.

• Identifying fraud and corruption red flags and address them, in a timely manner, through the appropriate channels.

• Establish /revise as appropriate reasonable and appropriate lead-time for all procurement and deliveries.

• Make sure supply chain monthly and quarterly reports are analyzed and communicated to partners including key actions to be taken and submitted on time to the leadership team.

• Review the department key performance indicators and set improvement plans.

• Ensure all vendors’ history and performance Information, is properly documented and procurement transaction files and supplier files maintained according to the applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Work with Field Offices Supply Chain lead and other staff and Field Coordinator and Managers to ensure effectiveness, countrywide uniformity of supply chain structure and implementation of the IRC’s standard operating policies and procedures.

• Coordinate with supply chain field leads and other staff to ensure that there is sufficient spaces in the warehouses before sending program supplies to the field sites.

• Ensure and monitor the SC activities into Integra, including oversight of the quality of data entry.

Inventory Management

He/she is in control of leading all inventory and warehouses operation in the country program and to ensure excellent record keeping, as per the inventory standard procedures and controls as provided by Global Supply Chain.

• Ensure appropriate warehouse site selection, and warehouse safety/security requirements.

• Ensure effective handling of inventory, including drug storage, cold chain, buffer stock, contributions in kind (CIK) and food commodities.

• Set up stock reorder levels as per the IRC standard operating procedures and donor requirements.

• Implement the IRC inventory policies with regard to all project Items including cycle count, investigate discrepancies and develop action plan to address them.

• Produce grants ending and year ending inventory report during each grant closing and end of fiscal year in timely manner.

• Support that program team develop and implement distribution plan for supplies and assets of closed grants in the warehouses.

• Monitor inventory levels on regular basis to mitigate financial risk due to expired inventory or closed grant inventory.

• Coordinate inventory disposal procedures as per host government, IRC and donor rules and regulations

Assets Management

The Senior Supply Chain Advisor is responsible for the procurement, maintenance, safe keeping and record or all IRC country program assets and equipment. He/She is responsible for all aspects of the administrative, financial, capital and operations of asset management in accordance with IRC and donors rules and regulations.

• Conduct Asset needs assessment.

• Develop Assets maintenance plans as per IRC policies, including repairs tracking and insurance coverage process.

• Ensure spot-checks are done systematically on a quarterly basis, any discrepancies documented and reported; and action to address the root causes developed for all IRC assets, inventory, and equipment.

• Handle asset and property disposal, including auction management in accordance with IRC asset disposal process

• Ensure that grants inventory and asset report is accurate, regularly produced, reviewed and approved before the Grant closing date.

Logistics and Fleet Management

Being responsible for and coordinate all fleet and Logistics activities and verify IRC fleet operations are conducted with adherence to the policy and procedures including vehicles procurement, vehicles movement, and maintenance and reporting accuracy.

• Implements IRC global policies and procedures and/or develops country specific fleet management policies and procedures needed to align with the local regulations and ensure that they are implemented and followed in all IRC in country offices.

• Ensure that fleet legal status (customs clearance, registration, licenses, insurance) are latest;

• Conduct transport needs assessments

• Develop and supervise fleet movement plans, vehicle maintenance, driver assignment, vehicle safety, and fuel consumption.

• Analyzes fleet spent, including fuel consumption and maintenance costs and produces reports on a periodic basis to facilitate strategic decisions and ensure fleet optimization

• Regular issuance, review, and usage of vehicle monthly reports to inform strategic decision-making process including vehicle utilization and disposal.

Compliance and Ethics

The post holder is responsible for identifying and analyzing compliance risk in supply chain process, developing and implementing strong procurement controls. The post holder:

• Identifies and sets mitigation plan to manage Supply Chain risks, including identification of red flags, and implementing internal and external audit corrective action plans to ensure all the department activities are conducted in an ethical manner.

• Ensures compliance to all policies in the procurement and distribution of program supplies and assets.

• Ensure that assessments of the policies, procedures, controls, and performance is conducted and any deviations addressed where designated

• Take lead in donor and IRC Internal Audit process of the SC department, develop and support implementation of post-audit corrective action plans and other improvement plan.

Staff Management and Development:

He/she is in charge and accountable for overseeing all the department learning and development initiatives in country by:

• Being responsible for the recruitment and onboarding of new staff through effective utilization of the IRC supply chain competency matrix.

• Ensure that the department is appropriately staffed and that the roles and responsibilities of each team member are clear set out in their job description

• Ensuring all team members’ objectives are set following the interpersonal unit vision as well as operations context;

• Oversee field based Supply Chain Leads, assist them develop their smart goals, plan and execute Management In Partnership with Field Coordinator.

• Ensuring regular assessment of direct and indirect staffs competency and skills gaps. Develop appropriate training and capacity building plans, ensure costs are incorporate into available budgets and ensure trainings are delivered.

• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties among the department staffs, in Kabul and all field locations.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

• In collaboration with the health team, ensure forecasts and supply planning for pharmaceutical supply are created for all health projects by project start date.

• With the guidance and support from global pharma leadership develop a supply strategy for the supply of pharmaceuticals (global, regional, national) including freight.

• Ensure the IRC standard pharmaceutical inventory tracking tool is in place and accurately maintained in each location

• Ensure implementation IRC pharmaceutical quality assurance policy, associated SOPs and procedures for Cold Chain standard methodology in the warehouse and in local transport.

· Ensure adequate drugs management and transportation tool and materials are available for the effective management of drugs.

Key Working Relationships:

Position reports : Management in Partership- Deputy Director of Operations,Regional Supply Chain Director

Internal stakeholders: in country: SMT, Field Coordinators, Programs Coordinators, Compliance

IRC other stakeholders: Regional Integra Focal Point, Regional Compliance Unit.

Professional Standards

• All IRC staff are required to adhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC country employment policies.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent in Supply Chain Management.

• At least 7 years of work experience.

• Experience working with grants funded by donors including BHA, ECHO, and EU, and knowledge of specific donor guidelines.

• At least 3 years international experience managing a large multi-site Supply Chain operation, preferably within an international NGO.

• Solid knowledge and understanding of practical Supply Chain procedures

• Demonstrated excellence in training and capacity-building of specialist and non-specialist staff in Supply Chain Management.

• Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.

• Strong leadership qualities and willingness to exercise initiative.

• Ability to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the level of management and then effect change.

• Must be able to function effectively in complex work environment, set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements.

• Have fluent spoken and written English

• Strong computer skills: including competency in the use of Windows MS office programs (Word, Excel), email programs, etc.

• Willingness to travel outside Kabul depending on security clearance.

• Willingness to live in strict security protocol environment

Work Environment:

The position will be based in Kabul, Afghanistan with frequent field travels to IRCs field offices. Shared housing will be provided.

**Standard of Professional Conduct:**The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.

Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.