Supply and Logistics Manager (P-4), FT, Port Sudan – Sudan, (open to non-Sudanese nationals only)

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Supply and Logistics, the incumbent of this post will support the Government of Sudan to build their capacity for strategy development, planning and budgeting and coordination with other stakeholders to strengthen systems that improve the quality of care for women and children. This will include the management of equipment and supplies of a complex nature with significant impact on programme delivery, services, supply and logistics, processes and systems, requiring advanced professional technical mastery and expertise in support of operations and programme objectives. This requires coordinated functions with relevant Section Chiefs, Chief of Supply and UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen Denmark.
S/he will support the county health management teams (CHMTs) by building their capacity for strategy development, planning and budgeting and coordinate with the county health department to strengthen health system support for improved quality of care at health facilities and in the community.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, deliver.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference? 

Job organizational context

UNICEF envisions health systems that reliably deliver integrated service packages for children, adolescents and reproductive age women, focusing on health, nutrition, WASH and HIV. A strong health system also facilitates child protection services, is linked to social protection and social welfare initiatives and the education sector, particularly for alleviating poverty, improving health literacy, screening and ensuring early child development

Purpose for the job

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Supply and Logistics, the incumbent of this post will support the Government of Sudan to build their capacity for strategy development, planning and budgeting and coordination with other stakeholders to strengthen systems that improve the quality of care for women and children. This will include the management of equipment and supplies of a complex nature with significant impact on programme delivery, services, supply and logistics, processes and systems, requiring advanced professional technical mastery and expertise in support of operations and programme objectives. This requires coordinated functions with relevant Section Chiefs, Chief of Supply and UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen Denmark. 

S/he will support the county health management teams (CHMTs) by building their capacity for strategy development, planning and budgeting and coordinate with the county health department to strengthen health system support for improved quality of care at health facilities and in the community.

III. Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

 Procurement management system

• In coordination with relevant program officers, develops procurement component of the health section/nutrition section plan.
• Participate in the Country Programme strategy planning reviews to advice on procurement requirements for the Work Plans.
• Provide technical advice to Government counterparts on budgeting and procurement planning to ensure cost-effective efficient management of supplies
• Contribute to budget management activities including monthly budget reviews, quarterly phased budgeting and procurement planning to ensure progress of program spend is tracked and remedial actions related to areas of work within the role followed up.
• Working in collaboration with relevant units of the Supply Section (Logistics, Contract Management) and the Supply Division in Copenhagen on shipping policies.  Interprets and advises the health section on policies and procedures impacting on procurement & delivery of supplies.
• Ensure preparation of the status reports as required by programs for donor reports, budget reviews, programme analysis, annual reports, appeals, etc.
• Support NMSF in securing an enhanced ERP system which will result in enhanced visibility particularly stock management in NMSF which will culminate into improved donor confidence in the inventory management processes of NMSF, which has dwindled over the years due to extenuating circumstances.

System Strengthening – Capacity Building

• At State level, improving health managers’ capacity for evidence-based planning, budgeting, supervision and monitoring of priority interventions for children and women; integration with community-based systems; coordination with other sectors (WASH, child protection, education etc.); and efforts to formalize contingency planning and emergency response capacity.
• Promote integrated service delivery across the continuum of care through the health system,
• Strengthen collaboration and communication on Health Systems Strengthening work.
• Coordinate and maintain strong partnerships with other actors in health and nutrition at county, sub-county and community levels.
• Support FMoH to establish national and district score cards for performance monitoring
• Strengthening supply chain management information systems such as the electronic Logistics Management Information Systems for Sudan – working closely with partners such as Chemonics to set up the eLMIS system for Sudan and push for the inclusion of nutrition commodities in the national LMIS forms to ensure enhanced reporting.

Timely procurement of drugs/nutrition supplies (Procurement Services)

• Provide support and guidance to ensure that government/partners requests for procurement services (Health, Nutrition) are clear and complete with the required details, including distribution plan and schedules. Ensure government agreements/MOUs, including for any amendments (in quantity or type of supplies) that may come in process, is always obtained in written for all procurements.
• In procurement of drugs on behalf of the Government ensure that each drug brought into Sudan needs to be registered by the Sudan regulatory authority (unless the Government authorizes an exception in writing). In addition, ensures that all pharmaceuticals received have a Certificate of Analysis for each batch supplied.
• Procurement services support with Supply Division on behalf of the Health & Nutrition Sections (FMoH, NGOs and other partners such as Global Fund, FCDO, EU & the World Bank – including contract management, for Health it is mainly on behalf of the Ministry of Health for vaccines and malaria commodities)

Capacity building

• Organize trainings for project staff and FMOH staff on nutrition and health system strengthening, including supporting training of health managers (District level) on use of DHIS and interpretation of M&E data for decision making.
• Provide advice and support to the Country Office and Government on proper delivery and utilization of UNICEF supplies and equipment.
• Develop and implement Health System Strengthening training needs, assist in defining training needs, develop strategies to achieve targets and coordinate training activities.
• Support training in supply chain logistics to key district health personnel at district level during field visits. Training on Supply Chain Management of medical commodities with special emphasis on handling nutrition commodities. We will use in-house support from the UNICEF Supply Division – Supply Chain & Strengthening team to provide with the training with support from the SCO

Partnership

• Develop and maintain partnership and collaborative relations with Government, UN, and bilateral counterparts in system strengthening activities.
• Inform Programs of slow moving inventory, upcoming field distributions or deliveries, incoming materials and quality issues to ensure maximum use of available transportation.
• Taking a leading role in the coordination of existing Technical Working Group for management of health commodities

IV. Impact of Results

• Makes decisions on policy interpretation and application at the country level in consultation with the Chief of Supply and Logistics
• Makes decisions on procurement strategies in consultation with the Chief of Supply and Logistics
• Specification of supplies to ensure projects supplies meet requirements of targeted goals.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Supply Chain Manager P4.docx

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The following minimum requirements:

• Education:
• An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Management, Business Administration, Management, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Logistics or a directly-related technical field(s) is required. A valid professional certification (CSCP; SCCM; CPSM; SCMP; etc.) from an accredited supply management institution is considered an asset*.
• A first level university degree (Bachelor’s) in a relevant technical field (as identified above), in conjunction with seven (7) years of relevant work experience in supply, procurement, logistics, purchasing, contracting, administration and/or other directly-related technical fields, may be taken in lieu of an advanced university degree (Master’s).
• Experience:
  • A minimum of five 8 years of relevant experience, at the national and international levels, in programme planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, supply, logistics and/or procurement, particularly within the pharmaceutical and supply management systems is required.
  • Previous work experience in the Sector-wide Approach to programming or Planning (SWAP) framework and arrangements for procurement services and supply chain management is highly desired.
  • Previous hands-on experience liaising with major donors involved in procurement and, especially relative to the provision of technical support and to effectively represent the organization in related technical working groups will be considered and asset.
  • Previous work experience in emergency duty station is considered an asset.
• Language Requirements:

  Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

ii)Core Competencies

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (2)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.