Logistics Coordinator at Première Urgence Internationale

Starting Date : 1st June 2021

Location : Bogota, Colombia

Duration of Mission : 6 months

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organisation. Our teams are committed to supporting civilians that are victims of marginalization and exclusion, or impacted by natural disasters, wars and economic collapses, by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency. The association leads an average 200 projects a year in the following sectors of intervention: food security, health, nutrition, construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures, water, sanitation, hygiene and economic recovery. PUI is providing assistance to around 7 million people in 20 countries – in Africa, Asia, Middle East, Eastern Europe and France

Find out about our history and values.

General Context

Since 2013, Venezuela is enduring a socio-economic crisis triggered by the fall of oil prices, contested economic measures, and ambitious social policies that fueled insecurity and a decline in the previously richest economy in Latin America. The political and humanitarian crisis worsened in 2018, with UNHCR estimating that thousands of Venezuelans were leaving their country each day to reach and remain in various destinations in Colombia. According the 2020 Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP), Colombia remains the country most impacted and largest host of arrivals from Venezuela, with an estimated 1,630,903 Venezuelans in the country as of December 2019 (52% male and 48% female, with only 641,825 having legal status), and the return of approximately 500,000 Colombians. This influx has put considerable strain on the Colombian system, meaning that those arriving now are facing harsher conditions than those of the past, as well as those arriving being generally poorer than those who were able to travel earlier.

The 2019 Colombian Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) stated that there are 1.9 million people in need in Colombia, consisting of 1,467,000 Venezuelan refugees or migrants and 403,000 Colombians. Of this, there is approximately 946,000 males (including 232,000 under 18 and 23,000 over 59 years old) and 925,000 females (including 227,000 under 18 and 24,000 over 59 years old). However, it is important to recognize that the data on Venezuelans is potentially underestimated, because it is believed that thousands are not registered due to crossing into the country informally, and it only reflects disaggregated data for people who have been assessed in need of humanitarian assistance in Colombia.

Beginning in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread quickly and exponentially throughout the world, and entered Colombia in March 2020. The Colombian government has since taken continually increasing measures to contain the virus, including shutting down the border (including that with Venezuela), installing curfews and travel restrictions, and imposing social distancing rules on gatherings. The general situation and conditions has significant impact on Venezuelan migrants and vulnerable Colombians, drastically increasing vulnerability throughout the country.

PUI’s position in the country

In 2021, PUI will continue and expand the humanitarian projects in North Santander/Santander and Arauca covering health, MHPSS, and protection. In North Santander/Santander, PUI will continue to support Venezuelan migrant and refuges, particularly PWSN, on the dangerous migration route from the border, while in Arauca PUI will expand the clinics and new mobile clinics supporting primary healthcare and MHPSS.

PUI will also be seeking to expand its humanitarian program into new areas, with a new country wide strategy taking into consideration the current and impending challenges related to the COVID-19 crisis. A potential project in Tibú is a continuation of this strategy, focusing on population affected by the armed conflict in the area of Catatumbo, in Norte de Santander. It will be an opening of new base for PUI in Colombia, within health and mental health programming intended to be implemented, also in collaboration with partners focused on protection.

As part of our activities in Colombia, we are looking for a Logistics Coordinator in Bogota.

General Context

The logistics coordinator is responsible for the smooth functioning of logistics on the mission. He/She makes sure the resources which are necessary for carrying out the programmes are available and actively participates in the mission’s safety management.

Safety: He/She assists the Head of Mission with safety management. He/She is directly responsible of the daily, concrete aspects of the mission’s safety management.
Supplies: He/She coordinates supplies and deliveries for projects and for the bases. He/She guarantees that PUI’s procedures and logistical tools are in place and are respected.
Fixed equipment: He/She is responsible of the management of computer equipment, tele/radiocommunication equipment and for the mission’s energy supply.
Fleet Management: He/She is responsible of the management of the fleet (availability, safety, maintenance etc), for the smooth functioning of the mission and the realization of activities in accordance with the available budget.
Functioning of the bases: He/She supports the teams in case of redeployment/opening/installation/rehabilitation/ closing of bases.
Representation: He/She represents the organization amongst partners, authorities and different local actors involved in the logistics and the safety of the mission.
Coordination: He/She consolidates and communicates logistics information at the heart of the mission to headquarters and coordinates internal and external logistics reports.

Specific objectives and linked activities

1-ENSURING THE SECURITY OF GOODS AND PEOPLE

He/She helps the Head of Mission to define the mission’s safety management tools, in collaboration with the base managers concerned.
He/She ensures that general rules and safety plans for the mission and for the bases are put in place and respected and makes sure everyone (expatriate and local) is familiar with and understands the general rules and safety plans. He/She also monitors these rules and plans and ensures they are update.
He/She ensures that the material and personnel resources on-site are sufficiently adapted to the level of safety which is judged to be optimal in the bases and among the teams in the field.
He/She participates in collecting safety information in the PUI’s operation areas and communicates these in accordance with the channels defined (ML, BM, +/-others).
He/She participates in analyzing the mission’s safety circumstances and conditions, alerts and issues recommendations to the Head of Mission concerning potential changes relating to risks as well as measures to be put in place.
He/She communicates, on a regular basis, with the guards and the drivers concerning accidents, risks and behavior to be embraced (regular meetings and training if necessary).
He/She evaluates the security conditions in the PUI’s operation areas and outside, according to planned operational development leads.

2-SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Purchases

He/She guarantees that purchase procedures are respected in the field, the capital and the headquarters, from the direct purchase to the international call for offers and supervises the purchasing process for the whole of the mission. He/She works in close collaboration with the person requesting the purchase, with strong technical specificity, and carries out the appropriate conformity tests.
He/She ensures that contracts signed are adequate in terms of effectiveness and protection of the PUI.
He/She centralizes and optimizes the grouping of purchases.
He/She supervises the identification and referencing of suppliers and has detailed invoices for recurrent purchases at his/her disposal. He/She consolidates/updates the mission’s price catalogue for the mission’s operation areas.
He/She ensures that purchase files are correctly archived in collaboration with the logistic manager

Shipment

He/She chooses the mode of transport and the packaging of the merchandise.
He/She plans and supervises the shipment and delivery of materials up to their final destination.
He/She coordinates with the logistics department at headquarters for the shipment of merchandise coming from abroad and supervises the potential process involved with clearing customs.

Storage

He/She guarantees the management and monitoring of the mission’s stock, according to the PUI’s procedures and tools. He/She ensures that these are known to and understood by everyone and are applied on all the mission’s bases.
He/She ensures that stocking sites are appropriate to the mission’s needs and that merchandise is stocked appropriately in terms of location, layout and salubriousness.
He/She organizes fluxes in merchandise, makes sure that the goods received are of a certain quality and carries out physical checks of stocked merchandise. He/She is attentive to the use-by-date of products, if need be.
He/She ensures the movement/transfer of documents is properly referenced. He/She checks stock reports on a monthly basis.

3-MANAGING THE MISSION’S FIXED EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT AND ENERGY

He/She defines the mission’s technical needs on each base and makes sure that their funding is possible, especially when new projects are being planned.
He/she issues technical recommendations on the choice of computer equipment, telecommunication means and energy supply. He/She authorizes the choice of the suppliers for the purchase of new equipment.
He/She authorizes the use of equipment, creates utilization procedures and trains personnel on how to use them.
He/She ensures the monitoring of equipment (state, location, proprietor/backer etc) through regular updates of monitoring tools (property list) and the keeping of physical inventories.
He/She supervises the installation of equipment and ensures they run smoothly,are maintained and ensures any necessary repairs are duly carried out.
He/She controls the consumption of equipment, if needed, and, if required, carries out necessary adjustments in accordance with utilization procedures.

4-MISSION’S FLEET MANAGEMENT

He/She defines transport means adapted to the needs of projects associated with the mission and makes sure that the funding of this transport is possible, especially when new projects are being planned.
He/She ensures that vehicles are monitored (state, location, proprietor/backer etc) and that monitoring tools are regularly updated.
He/She ensures the vehicles are working properly, that they are properly maintained and any necessary repairs are duly carried out.
He/She controls the use of vehicles and, if necessary, makes any necessary changes to utilization procedures. He/She ensures plans and monitoring tools for the management of vehicles are put in place, respected and that they are maintained through the use of log books.
He/She makes sure, above all, that questions of safety relating to the utilization of vehicles (authorized people, exceptional circumstances, safety equipment etc) are appropriately addressed.

5-SUPPORTING THE BASES (Installation/Redeployment/Normal functioning/Closing)

He/She actively contributes to the opening and the closing of base(s) and potential redeployment. He/She supports the Head of Base in the organization of logistics factors (installing equipment, building research etc).
He/She plans and supports the necessary rehabilitation and installation on the different bases (Office, Guesthouse and warehouse)

6-ENSURING THE CIRCULATION OF INFORMATION, CO-ORDINATION AND REPRESENTATION ON LOGISTICS ISSUES

He/She ensures that logistics information is effectively circulated between teams on the field, the capital and heaquarters.
He/She writes or participates in writing internal reports for everything concerning the logistics of the mission.
He/She ensures logistics coordination at the mission level by regularly visiting bases, checks, monitoring, training etc.
He/She participates in the financial and administrative management of his/her area of work. He/She makes sure that the budgetary allowance is respected in the logistics department and establishes monthly cash-flow needs.
He/She participates in the writing of reports for the donors (lists of equipment, checking functioning costs etc) and ensures the keeping of and the archiving of purchase files (help, equipment, location, omissions etc). He/She participates finally in the preparation of logistics in view of an audit which is either forthcoming or already underway.
Externally, he/she represents the PUI among authorities for any questions concerning logistics order (registering equipment, customs, etc).
Externally, he/she also develops and maintains relationships with partners, especially concerning NGOs for any question relating to logistics and security

7-SUPERVISING AND MANAGING LOGISTICS TEAMS

He/She supervises the whole of the logistics team, directly or otherwise. He/She writes and authorizes job descriptions and carries out or delegates job interviews. He/She contributes to work meetings, mediates potential conflicts, defines priorities and plans activities.
He/She participates in the recruitment of the logistics team as well as in any decision to terminate an employment contract.
He/She ensures and/or supervises continued training of local and international members of the logistics team who are in the capital or on the bases on the procedures and tools of PUI.
He/She supports the Head of Base(s) in the realization of their logistics activities, in a functional and not hierarchical relationship.
He/She creates an action plan for the logistics department in accordance with the objectives defined in the annual programming of the mission

Profile

Training:

Master degree + 2 to + 5 – in logistics (procurement, transportation etc).

Professional experiences:

Previous experience in humanitarian work or a related field from an accredited academic institution with 1 or 2 years of relevant professional experience.

Knowledge and skills:

Familiarity with stock procedure, car park management, telecommunications etc
Familiarity with the procedures of institutional backers (OFDA, ECHO, AAP, UN agencies etc)

Languages: Professional fluency in written and spoken Spanish and English.

Personal characteristics:

Independence, an ability to take the initiative and a sense of responsibility
Good resistance to stress
Sense of diplomacy and negotiation
Good analysis and discernment capacities
Organization and priority management
Adaptability to changing priorities
Pragmatism, objectivity and an ability to take a step back and analyze
Ability to make suggestions
Sense of involvement
Trustworthiness and rigor
Capacity to delegate and to supervise the work of a multidisciplinary team

Conditions

Employed with a Fixed-Term Contract
Monthly gross income: from 2 200 up to 2 530 Euros depending on the experience in International Solidarity + 50 Euros per semester seniority with PUI
Cost covered: Round-trip transportation to and from home / mission, visas, vaccines…
Insurance including medical coverage and complementary healthcare, 24/24 assistance and repatriation
Housingin collective accommodation
Daily living Expenses (« Per diem »)
Break Policy: 5 working days at 3 and 9 months
Paid Leaves Policy: 5 weeks of paid leaves per year + return ticket every 6 months