Logistics Senior Officer

Established in 2009, UNOPS Ethiopia Office has been providing services to various partners, including the government of Ethiopia, UN agencies such as WHO, UNHCR and WFP, and other international organizations. Since 2014, the UNOPS Ethiopia multi-country office manages and coordinates the UNOPS activities in Ethiopia, as well as Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti. The UNOPS Ethiopia multi-country office team is composed of more than 100 national and international women and men and offers a broad range of services such as infrastructure, procurement, project management, and financial and human resources management. 

Position Background

UNOPS strategy for Ethiopia Multi-Country Office is aimed at providing support to the Government and people of Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti through the delivery of projects and services in line with the governments’ own priorities and also under the UN Delivery as One initiative. The UNOPS Ethiopia Multi-Country Office (ETMCO) has been established as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been appointed as the implementation agency. At present, UNOPS ETMCO  is implementing and negotiating a number of projects in a range of sectors including infrastructure development, Procurement Support to Government Ministries and other UN agencies and  HR support to UN agencies. The functional objective of UNOPS ETMCO is to deliver projects in an efficient and effective manner, to achieve the development outcomes sought by the Government of Ethiopia and the donors.

Under the direct supervision of the Logistics Specialist, the Logistics Senior  Officer shall perform the following duties including, but not limited to: 

• Plan and manage the coordination and implementation of logistics activities to ensure timely, cost effective service and safe delivery of goods to clients, in accordance with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations and UNOPS Procurement Manual.

• Manage  the logistics component of the supply chain in coordination with the procurement Officers.

• Receipt of bid documents, review of the same, contracts and/or purchase orders as well as results of evaluation of bids/proposals and other formal/public documents.

• Ensure full compliance to the Financial Regulations and Rules of UNOPS and its Procurement Manual.

• Liaise and coordinate with partners, suppliers, freight forwarders and different government offices to ensure efficient and effective customs clearance and delivery of procured items.

• In collaboration with the procurement team, develop related storage and distribution strategies.

• Work with team member counterparts on logistics needs to deliver schedules and provide technical support on handling logistics and cost implications for safe delivery both internationally and nationally.

• Contributes in management of procurement contracts. 

• Assists in development and management of the rosters of suppliers, elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation, quality and performance measurement mechanisms. 

• Assists in planning, designing and implementation of appropriate logistics systems including warehousing and in-country transport capacity, including establishment of Long Term Arrangements and frame agreements for e.g. customs clearance, storage, transport and distribution as might be required.

• Monitor the progress of shipments for UNOPS and its partners and coordinate the delivery of the same at the partners delivery places.

• Update partners, procurement officers, logistics teams about the procured items status from the time order is placed until it is finally delivered to partners.

• Maintain inventory and logistics related documents and files.

• Draft letters for dispatch to clients related to logistics & supply chain Management.

• Keep supervisor informed of the work progress and any risks or issues.

• Develop monitoring tools related to logistics activities and update on regular bases.

• Maintain and monitor the monitoring tool and identify and rectify operational hindrance.

• Supervise custom clearance and reception of the goods and ensure that they are well registered in the monitoring sheet.

• Explore methodology and suggest for improvements to enhance the operational efficiency of the team.

• Monitor performance of the suppliers.

• Arrange transportation of equipment & materials to the designated location, including loading and uploading and ensure issuance of proper documentation, i.e. delivery notes, packing list, insurance, etc.

• Assist in coordination of storage and distribution activities;operating procedures to ensure best practices on storage and delivery.

• Assist in ensuring that goods and services are provided according to partner’s needs.

• Follow partners’ complaint regarding the quality of the goods at reception time and report timely to the procurement officers.

• Travel to the regions within Ethiopia in support of any programme issues that require additional support services.

• Establish effective relations with the different project managers in a proactive manner.

• Raises logistics bottlenecks to supervisor for prioritisation.

• For emergencies: coordinates with logistics clusters, and ensures UNOPS interest and supplies are given appropriate priority.

• Organise training for the operations/ projects staff on logistics related processes and procedures.

• Assists in preparation and synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in logistics as well as procurement.

• Perform other related duties as may be assigned.

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree)  in Purchasing , Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Procurement or related field is required.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's Degree) in Purchasing , Supply Chain  Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, Procurement or related field in combination with four (4) years relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

• CIPS and/or other Procurement Practitioner Certification would be considered an asset.

• A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience in logistics, operations management, supply chain management (warehouse management), and/or a combination of the above at the national or international level is required.
• At least one (1) year experience of working with International Commercial Terms(Incoterms) is required.
• Knowledge of UN rules and regulations is an advantage.
• Experience in working with logistic and supply chain management systems would be an asset.
• Ability to coordinate, effective planning and communication is an asset.
• Experience regarding in-country customs rules and regulations highly desirable.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.