Supply Chain Services Associate, Supply Chain Management Unit

The Position:

The Supply Chain Services Associate is located in the Third-Party Procurement Services (TPP) Team externally known as Supply Chain Solutions Team within Pillar 1 – Resilience and Capacity Development in the UNFPA Supply Chain Management Unit (SCMU).

The position reports directly to the Supply Chain Services & Relations Analyst (Team Lead).

The Supply Chain Services Associate will work closely with other SCMU colleagues, the new integrated HQ division, the Humanitarian Response Division, other HQ Business Units, the Regional Offices and the Country Offices and with a number of external partners.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA occupies a unique position in the sexual and reproductive health commodity ecosystem as a critical player in supply chain management, a leading public procurer of sexual and reproductive health commodities, a trusted partner to national governments, and one of the few organizations with the scale and partnerships necessary to build accountability for last mile delivery.

The UNFPA Supply Chain Management Unit (SCMU) is self-funded and was made operational in January 2022.

It is tasked with ensuring that UNFPA is able to effectively and efficiently support the delivery of life-saving reproductive health products and other programme supplies to the end user when and where they are needed.

To achieve this, it is important to strengthen the capacity of governments and implementing partners to ensure coordination, end-to-end visibility and accountability on all supply chain and logistics management related activities, in particular for programme supplies, across all UNFPA programmes.

Job Purpose:
In general, the Supply Chain Services Associate will provide foundational support and ensuring smooth day-to-day procurement services operations. In addition, the position will also assist in the procure-to-pay process for external partners.

You would be responsible for:
You will support the Supply Chain Services & Relations Analyst (Team Lead) with:

A. Foundational support and ensuring smooth day-to-day procurement services operations to achieve:

• Formulate and communicate a compelling value proposition for UNFPA Supply Chain Solutions, clarifying its distinctive advantages, its role in advancing global, regional, and national Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) goals, and the strategic shifts and investment essential for achieving success.
• Design and implement regular market landscape assessments and customer satisfaction surveys to drive continuous improvement in UNFPA's value proposition and service quality.
• Monitor the global and regional landscape, identifying trends, opportunities, threats, and risks within the sexual and reproductive health supply chain ecosystem. Provide guidance to external partners on mitigating potential impacts on project deliverables.
• Develop a growth strategy for TPP that is customercentric for expanding the reach, diversity, volumes, and impact of UNFPA Supply Chain Solutions
• Lead the development and implementation of financial solutions to support UNFPA Supply Chain Solutions to external partners.
• Oversee the development of project proposals and budgets for prospective external partners, and lead negotiations of Memorandums of Understanding.
• Ensure robustness of the procuretopay process including process requests for Cost Estimates and Pro Forma Invoices, in compliance with UNFPA procurement policies and procedures.
• Manage the entire client projects lifecycle, provide guidance towards key deliverables, managing risks, and evaluating performance against milestones and indicators.
• Establish and maintain an effective Customer Relationship Management system to manage interactions and nurture relationships with key partner accounts.
• Review and endorse operational reports for external partners and facilitate coordination/ business review meetings as required.
• Develop and monitor the implementation of annual work plans and other program performance indicators relevant to the Supply Chain Solutions team.
• Support and implement activities related to UNFPA's Governance, Risk, Compliance and Reporting function.
• Provide input to the Planning Team to conduct comprehensive forecasting and quantification exercises.

B. Capacity Strengthening

• Developing and implementing UNFPA's capacitystrengthening initiatives.
• Advocate for the training of supply chain professionals
• Coach and mentor UNFPA personnel to strengthen their capacity to provide informed technical guidance in the supply chain management function.

C. Thought Leadership, Knowledge Sharing and Advisory

• Champion UNFPA's supply chain thought leadership through actively engaging with industry experts, participating in relevant forums, contributing to research and publications, and representing UNFPA's expertise in various supply chain management discussions and initiatives.
• Foster an environment for knowledge retention and sharing and the creation of a community of practice for supply chain.
• Provide counsel and support on the full range of supply chain management issues, incorporating best practices and continuous improvement across UNFPA.

D. Partnerships and Resource Mobilization

• Prominently contribute to the development of UNFPA's value proposition and relationships with donors and partners.
• Support SCMU's collaboration with the Division for External Relations to diversify funding opportunities.
• Support SCMU's oversight of resource mobilisation proposals for quality assurance purposes

E. Collaboration and Representation

• Establish effective collaboration with relevant stakeholders within UNFPA to ensure coordinated and effective tailored solutions for each area of intervention.
• Lead the fostering of relationships with key supply chain partners with the purpose of increasing the efficiency of UNFPA's supply chain function.
• Represent SCMU and UNFPA in meetings related to supply chain management functions.

F. Carry out any other duties as may be required by the Chief, SCMU.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

• Completion of secondary education is required.
• A University degree at Bachelor Level in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Economics, Project Management, International Commerce, Marketing or equivalent field is an asset.
• A professional Supply Chain Management certification such as Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) or Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) at Level 2 would be an additional asset.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum of six years of relevant experience in sales and/or marketing, partnerships and/or fundraising, customer service, promotional activities or related areas in procurement, logistics and/or supply chain context is required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and capability to develop and maintain broad diversified partnerships is required.
• Demonstrated familiarity with public procurement processes, especially in the context of development supplies is required.
• Experience in handling and analysing customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback effectively and using it to improve timely service quality is required.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with customers, suppliers, and internal teams, especially to explain procurement processes, policies, and guidelines is required.
• Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is required.
• Professional written and spoken presentation skills, including for the development of reports, presentations, and the ability to synthesize complex supply chain documents for both technical and nontechnical audiences is an asset.
• Experience working in a matrix organizational structure is an asset.
• Experience with procurement and supply chain policies and procedures from UN Agencies and The Global Fund is an asset.
• Project management skills is an asset.
• Experience working with Google tools and analytical applications, spreadsheets for performance metrics and management reporting, Oracle ERP system, OMS system and issuing Proforma Invoices, database and dashboard development for a variety of audiences and efiling is an asset.
• Team management skills is an asset

Languages:
Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of French, Spanish or Russian is a strong asset.

Required Competencies:

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change

Core Competencies:

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
• Communicating for impact

Functional Competencies:

• Experience using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Experience with procurement and supply chain policies and procedures from UN Agencies and The Global Fund
• Familiarity with public procurement processes, especially in the context of development supplies is required
• Experience with procurement and supply chain policies and procedures from UN Agencies and The Global Fund

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply.

Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply.

UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click [here]) to learn more.

Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.

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