PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The Procurement, Administration and Logistics Management (PALM) department plays a central role ensuring Mercy Corps receives Value for Money through performance and preventing fraud. PALM focuses primarily on these supply chain activities: procurement; warehousing; fleet and transport; assets; and food commodities. The team supports the implementation of Mercy Corps’ field programs, concentrating on four areas of focus: technical support; efficient policies, procedures, and best practices; tools such as software and management controls; and ensuring Mercy Corps has the best logistics talent and capacity. As a HQ support function, PALM works closely compliance, financial management, legal, human resources, talent acquisition, emergency and strategic response, infrastructure and program sector experts.
POSITION SUMMARY: The four main roles of the specialist are: field deployments during country program pivot points; country level technical assistance and monitoring; management of key projects to improve logistics performance across all levels of the agency, and assisting PALM efforts to build logistics capacity in the field. Specialist plays a key role in ensuring that Mercy Corps field policies and procedures are implemented.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Field Deployments
- Deploy during country program pivot points to provide technical assistance and guidance.
- Advise on key staffing and structural changes during growth or reductions
- Special projects, significant procurement milestones, audit response fraud mitigation
- Conduct trainings.
- Emergency responses.
- conduct functional analysis and gap analysis for staffing structure and work-load
- Gap filling for critical operations and logistics roles at field level.
- Country / office start-up and country / grant close down.
Country Level Technical Assistance
- Provide technical support on key operations functions (i.e. procurement, asset management, fleet management, warehousing and administration) to field operations teams in country programs on-site and remotely, at large.
- Support HQ and country programs to assess field level PALM policies, procedures, controls and performance in the above functional areas in operations.
- Membership of program oversight board, audit follow up teams.
Systems Development
- Specialist will also contribute to and manage PALM projects, or as subject matter experts for other department led projects.
- Manage department level projects and coordinate with stakeholders at HQ and field level.
- provide subject matter expertise or act as member of project management or design team for agency level projects led by other departments
- Develop project concept charters / concept notes.
- Develop project plans using Mercy Corps project management software.
- Coordinate with stakeholders, working groups, design teams and etc.
- Act as project manager for specific project assuring the successful completion of project within given timeframe and budget.
- Reporting status of on-going project to PALM management and stakeholders.
- Update policies, processes to stay in line with best practices, program implementation
- Develop monitoring tools and software
- Work with HQ and country program teams on initiatives to improve field level efficiency, compliance and process improvements.
Capacity Building – Talent Development
- Support recruitment of key field level operations and logistics staff.
- Coordinate PALM led short term assignments / deployments.
- Help manage short term assignments, recruiting and orientation, problem solving and mentoring for logistics team members.
- Monitor and regular contributor to relevant communities of practice
- Update Supply Chain Chessboard 2.0 and Operations Country Tracker.
- Content development and technical review for training materials
- Lead role in delivering trainings to field team members on PALM policies, procedures and systems – methods include in person, webinar, short videos.
- Provide face-to-face and remote orientation to newly hired field based key logistics personnel at MC HQ and in designated counties as required. Also facilitate other agency level training programs (i.e. finance manager HQ orientation, CDLP, SRGE and etc).
- Support and contribute to the development of organizational culture that promotes accountability and high performance through capacity building of field logistics teams.
Organizational Learning
- As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve – we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None – During deployments as assigned
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Director of Procurement, Administration and Logistics Management
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Country Director, Operations Director / Manager, Key Logistics and Administration Team Members, senior field finance team members, HQ PALM team, members of HQ cross-operations support departments such as International Finance, compliance teams, legal, people team.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- BA/S or equivalent field experience in Logistics/Supply Chain Management, Business Administration or related field.
- Five to seven years experience with an International NGO in logistics, administration and procurement function preferably in field operations.
- Knowledge of rules and regulations governing the compliance/regulatory management of grants from US Government, DFID, EC and other donors is an advantage.
- Thorough knowledge of MS Excel, MS Access and experience with commodity management software is necessary.
- Demonstrated experience and understanding of supply chain management, asset tracking and general administration is required.
- Effective verbal and written communication, analytical, organizational and prioritization skills are necessary.
- Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members is required.
- Proven ability to successfully communicate details related to procurement and initiate and maintain positive relationships with field staff and donor agencies is vital to effective performance.
- Proven training and capacity building skills.
- Employment overseas and experience working for an NGO and/or major international donor is preferred.
- Previous experience with Mercy Corps desired.
- French language skills are strongly preferred and Arabic and Spanish are preferred.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The candidate must be conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment and ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks. They have a willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people and consider both sides of issues. They understand the importance of working as part of a team and coordinating with project personnel. They possess very good spoken and written English and are highly effective communicators. They are computer literate and possess strong organizational skills.
LIVING /ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
The exact location for this position is flexible with up to 50-60% travel expected for this role. The Global Supply Chain Specialist will typically make three to eight field visits per year, with a duration of one to twelve weeks, directly supporting program implementation. Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
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