Junior Professional Officer (JPO) WFP Supply Chain Officer at P2 level, N’Djamena, Chad At US Agency for International Development

I. Overview

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

These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the humanitarian coordination capacity of WFP. They 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: Supply Chain Unit, WFP Country Office Chad
Supervisor: Head of Logistics, WFP Chad Country Office
Duty Station: N’Djamena, Chad
Date Required: As soon as possible
Duration: Two years

III. Duties, Responsibilities, and Output Expectations

Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Logistics in the WFP Country Office, the JPO will have the following responsibilities:

• Support Country Office Logistics in ensuring that commodities are delivered to sub- offices and distributed to beneficiaries in time. This activity may involve trips to support colleagues in the sub-offices;
• Draft the Logistics Services Market Assessment, research and provide supplementary information to the document;
• Contribute to the cash-based transfer response and assist with reconciliation of deliveries and related invoices at the field level;
• Contribute to the effective provision of services to partner organizations—United Nations (UN) agencies and NGOs, as well as government counterparts.
• Coordinate with Finance in the reconciliation of payments related to logistics service provision and related operations;
• Participate actively in the meetings of the Logistics Working Group;
• Contribute to streamlining of the overland transport through coordination with the Cameroon Country Office on incoming shipments;
• Participate in the review of internal processes and procedures, and identify ways to improve efficiencies;
• Act in assigned emergency response roles as may be required to meet food assistance needs;
• Perform other related tasks as may be assigned by the supervisor.
  Expected Outputs:
  It is expected that the JPO will become an integral part of the Supply Chain Unit in the WFP Country Office and contribute to the successful delivery of program activities. This includes completion of Logistics Services Market Assessment and contribution to effective and efficient management of logistics operation in the Country Office.

IV. Qualifications and Experience

Education:
Advanced university degree or first-level university degree with additional relevant work experience in Supply Chain Management, Public Administrations, Business Management, or Social Sciences.

Work Experience:
A minimum of two years of relevant working experience in the field of supply chain management, either in the private sector or the development/humanitarian sector.

Languages:
Fluency in English is required, and at least intermediate knowledge of French.

Other Skills:

• Proficiency in Windows Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook);
• Behavioral competencies such as Action Management, Client Orientation, Cognitive Capacity, Innovation, Partnering, and Teamwork.

Other Considerations:
To perform the wide range of tasks and excel in this position, the ideal candidate would also possess:

• Exposure to the international arena either by direct work for an international institution/organization; or, if working for a national entity, by way of interacting with international stakeholders;
• WFP’s international professionals are required to serve in different locations around the world during the course of their career (including in hardship duty stations); willingness to be mobile would maximize opportunities for long-term retention.
  Workforce Diversity:
  The UN 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.

V. Learning Elements

In the first three months following arrival at the duty station the JPO and the direct supervisor will agree on a training development plan in line with the corporate strategy, the tasks to be performed at the Country Office, and the specific interests and wishes of the JPO. This will include on-the-job-training.

The JPO will also be expected to participate in an online WFP Supply Chain onboarding program to gain a broader understanding of interactions between the units constituting the supply chain of the Country Office and its relations with the other sections of WFP. The JPO will also be encouraged to complete Basic Humanitarian Logistics Course and Service Provision training available online on WFP platform.

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

• Very good knowledge of the WFP programs and activities in general, with technical expertise and skills on the supply chain components of program design and implementation;
• Familiarity with humanitarian supply chain operations in general and WFP’s role as lead agency in humanitarian logistics; and
• Good general understanding of WFP’s overall operations and activities in the region of assignment.

VI. Background Information

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Logistics operations in Chad primarily focus on in-kind and market-based food assistance provided to Sudanese and Central African Republic refugees in the East and South of Chad, where WFP maintains storage locations. Each year, commodities must be prepositioned before the rainy season (June to October) in those locations. WFP also assists internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Lake region and carries out resilience and nutrition projects throughout the country. The Supply Chain unit in N’Djamena plays a critical role in the delivery of in-kind food or cash-based transfers, and WFP Logistics also provides transportation and storage services to partner organizations (UN agencies and NGOs).

Chad is an arid, low-income, and land-locked country, suffering from chronic food insecurity and alarming levels of hunger. Overall, 1.78 million people are estimated to be food insecure requiring humanitarian assistance during the lean season (June to September), which corresponds to the peak of food insecurity.

Chad ranks very low in the Global Hunger Index (107 out of 107 countries) and the Gender Inequality Index (160 out of 162 countries), and ranks high in the Fragile State Index (7 out of 178 countries). The country is also among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change and suffers from rapid desertification and environmental degradation. Chad is affected by internal and external population movements driven by insecurity in the region. It hosts the largest refugee population in the Sahel: 500,307 people, including Sudanese in the East, Central Africans in the South and Nigerians in the Lac province. Additionally, there are 402,703 IDPs around Lake Chad and 100,000 Chadian returnees in the southern part of the country. The presence and critical needs of these populations put additional
pressure on Chad’s already limited resources.