Project Specialist (SCM East Africa Corridor)

Background information – DFS

The United Nations Department of Field Support, Logistics Support Division (UN DFS-LSD) is responsible for implementing Supply Chain Management in support of the Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support (DPKO/DFS) missions as well as Special Political Missions (SPMs). 

In 2015 the USG DFS signed off on a vision, strategy and implementation roadmap for Supply Chain Management (SCM) in field support. The Supply Chain Management Vision for DFS is to implement ‘a well-managed and agile supply chain to support UN Field Missions with effectiveness and efficiency’. Having started as one of the four pillars of the Global Field Support Strategy (GFSS), the SCM strategy will be rolled out to missions in the years ahead. SCM offers a proven approach for optimizing the chain of activities that bring goods and services from source to clients. The SCM strategy is expected to deliver improvements in efficiency, responsiveness, effectiveness and client satisfaction along the field support supply chain.

The planned end-state of supply chain management (SCM) for the Department of Field Support (DFS) is to evolve from the current state of supply chain process, where planning and management processes take place solely within functional areas and individual missions, to an integrated end-to-end process. A series of process maps have been developed of the future state of the DFS plan, source, deliver and return supply chain processes. These process maps are based on the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, which uses a simple, effective framework to assess and improve organizational supply chains based on core functional processes including plan, source, deliver, return and enable.1 These five process areas align closely with the three functional areas adopted in the SCM Vision & Strategy: planning, execution (source, deliver and return) and monitoring & control (enable).

UNOPS has been requested to assist in the implementation of this activity.

This position is located in the Supply Chain Management Service within the Office of the Director of Logistics Support Division (LSD), Department of Field Support (DFS).  Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager (SCM East Africa Corridor), the Project Specialist (SCM East Africa Corridor) will work with the Business Change Manager, and the SCM program manager. The Project Specialist (SCM East Africa Corridor) will perform the following duties:

• Develop business intelligence reports in order to collect data using existing information systems, including Umoja, and analyse supply chain management data related to the implementation of an end-to-end supply chain management for a limited set of commodities commonly used by the peacekeeping missions of the EAC and improve the overall performance of the supply chain.
• Develop a performance management framework based on the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, as well as a baseline from an in-depth analysis of selected commodities to measure and assess the timeliness, effectiveness and efficiency of the supply chain.
• Apply knowledge of metrics from the Performance element of the SCOR model in order to define appropriate key performance indicators, which will be used to establish a baseline of current implementation status.
• Make business-related recommendations including viability of usage of existing IT systems and/or infrastructure and industry IT standards/solutions relevant to information requirements of the Supply Chain process owners
• Facilitate customer workshops/interviews to collect, analyse, validate and document business requirements, processes, business rules and workflows
• Plan and execute change management activities to ensure efficient transition into Operations and utilization of project deliverables by the business 
• Work closely with cross-functional teams and technical staff to produce and manage documentation in support of supply chain management projects and service delivery;
• Compose complex technical documents including business cases, software and technical requirements, standard operating procedures, guidelines, process and project documentation, workflows, and special reports;
• Develop and produce reports and briefings including strategy papers and analytical reports. 
• Assist project manager(s) in project planning, update and risk related matters and serve as back-up as and when needed.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Professionalism: Strong theoretical background and knowledge of supply chain management best practice implementation. Strong conceptual and analytical skills and demonstrated problem solving abilities required. Excellent experience in ERP, SCM and project management. Best practice implementation in the field of project management and business analysis.  Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.  Willingness to learn new technologies and maintain industry knowledge.

Client Orientation: Ability to identify and analyse client needs and develop appropriate technology solutions to meet business requirements. Considers all those to whom services are provided to be "clients" and seeks to see things from clients' point of view. Meets time line for delivery of product or services to client. Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills is required.

Communications: Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to convey complex technical concepts both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise manner. Ability to communicate with various levels of technical experience (developers/ operations/ end users/management / support staff). Exceptional technical written and oral English language skills, including knowledge of synonyms and understanding of technical terminology in a wide variety of fields to avoid duplication in Material and Service Master Records. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Planning & Organizing: Ability to organize, plan and implement work assignments, manage competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills. Ability to prioritize and multitask.

Education

Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) in supply chain management, logistics, information systems and/or information technology, business administration, public administration, or related field is required. A first level university degree and extensive relevant experience maybe accepted in lieu of advanced degree. 

Certifications

PRINCE2 Practitioner certification is required and SCOR certification is desirable.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in project management, supply chain management, and/or business process analysis and engineering.
• Operational experience in managing large scale projects in multi-party setting is required.
• Proven experience in managing teams is desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Diverse knowledge of technologies and methodologies in use by the UN, such as industry standard business analysis tools and enterprise resource planning systems, as well as a strong understanding of supply chain management and related approaches, is highly desirable.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency in one or more official UN languages is desirable.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.

Based in the New York, the UNOPS Development Group Cluster supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. For example, within the United Nations Development Programme, the Cluster works with the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and the Office of South-South Cooperation.

The cluster also supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as a broadening community of other New York-based United Nations organizations in the delivery of project management and implementation services

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.