Supply Chain Specialist, P-3 at UNICEF

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Under the supervision and guidance of the Supply Chain Manager – Strategy Development & Implementation, the incumbent will work in close collaboration with UNICEF country and regional offices and both Supply Division (SD) and Programme Group (PG):

• Regional Leadership & Strategic Coordination: Act as the Supply Chain Strengthening Center/Unit focal point for ESARO and beyond, ensuring the adoption and mainstreaming of supply chain strengthening activities in regional and country plans. Support the Regional Office to develop and implement regional systems strengthening strategies. Serve as the primary representative for the Supply Chain Strengthening Unit in countries and regions, and with PG Health, Immunization and Child Survival Center.
• Represent UNICEF in existing and donor meetings, leveraging funding mechanisms to direct resources toward catalytic activities and country support. In collaboration with PG Health, Immunization, and Child Survival, we provide expert guidance and support in aligning supply chain strategies with organizational strategies and country and regional plans while leveraging UNICEF's comparative advantages. Manage technical assistance, resource mobilization efforts, implementation, and deliverables from partners to ensure coordinated and effective regional supply chain strengthening initiatives.
• Country Support & Evidence-Based Implementation: Provide targeted support to champion countries in implementing priority supply chain activities. Support and guide champion countries in articulating areas of need based on triangulation of already existing data from assessments conducted. Identify and implement the Menu of Services for identified champion countries and support the development of comprehensive country roadmaps.
• Under country leadership, drive comprehensive supply chain assessments to ascertain service performance and identify areas for improvement using tools such as the UNICEF Maturity Model, System Design, and Access and Coverage Evaluation Tool (ACE). Support roadmap design, implementation, and progress monitoring to ensure sustainable improvements.
• Define and support the adoption of evidence-informed supply chain interventions that align with national strategies and UNICEF's capabilities. Recommend strategic approaches aimed at enhancing the maturity and effectiveness of supply chains at all levels, from national to community. Define and demonstrate how to link and/or integrate immunization supply chains with other supply chains serving primary health care needs, and share learnings of shared value from context-dependent improvement initiatives and partnerships with UNICEF program and supply staff and external partners.
• Capacity Building & Knowledge Management: Support the development and dissemination of training materials and organize capacity building initiatives such as webinars and workshops to build the capacity of regional and country-level supply chain champions. Develop new and disseminate existing guidance, tools, and frameworks aimed at demonstrating system design and supply chain contributions to program outcomes.
• Document comprehensive case studies, monitor implementation progress and results, and capture best practices and lessons learned in the field of nutrition and health supply chain management to facilitate organizational learning and knowledge sharing. Contribute to defining and organizing the Supply Chain Strengthening community of practice to ensure effective knowledge transfer and peer learning across regions and countries. Share documented learnings and evidence of impact with both internal UNICEF teams and external partners to promote adoption of proven approaches.
• Community of Practice & Collaboration: Establish and support a vibrant and effective Supply Chain Strengthening community of practice that fosters collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across the African continent and beyond. Define the structure, governance, and engagement mechanisms for the community to enable effective peer-to-peer learning, problem-solving, and sharing of innovations.
• Create platforms and opportunities for supply chain champions to connect, exchange experiences, and collectively address common challenges. Facilitate regular interactions and knowledge exchange sessions that promote the adoption of best practices and innovative approaches across different country contexts.
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Performance Tracking: Manage, improve, and maintain the Country Coordination Activity Tracker, ensuring enhanced functionality and increased user engagement across regions and countries. Continue monitoring CSI H.9.3.1 and the new Strategic Plan indicator on Supply Chain Strengthening to guide interventions around strategic planning and implementation.
• Track and analyze progress on country roadmap implementation, supply chain maturity improvements, and the impact of strengthening interventions on program outcomes. Use monitoring data to inform strategic decisions, identify areas requiring additional support, and demonstrate the value and impact of supply chain strengthening investments to stakeholders and donors.
• Innovation & Systems Improvement: Contribute to the design and revision of health and immunization supply chain and systems strengthening methods, models, and tools that assess and enhance supply chain processes and performance. Lead efforts to identify and pilot innovative approaches that can improve supply chain efficiency, effectiveness, and resilience. Recommend strategic approaches aimed at enhancing the maturity and effectiveness of supply chains at all levels, from national warehouses to community distribution points.
• Explore and demonstrate integration opportunities between immunization supply chains and other health supply chains to maximize efficiency and coverage. Promote continuous improvement culture by identifying opportunities for optimization, testing new solutions, and scaling successful innovations across countries and regions.
• Donor Relations & Grant Management: In close collaboration with the partnership specialist, lead the development of donor proposals that articulate supply chain strengthening needs, strategies, and expected outcomes. Ensure timely and high-quality activity reporting to donors, demonstrating progress, impact, and value for money. Ensure effective grant management including budget tracking, compliance with donor requirements, and achievement of agreed deliverables. Maintain strong relationships with donors through regular communication, transparency, and responsiveness.
• Leverage donor partnerships to mobilize resources for catalytic activities and scale up proven supply chain strengthening interventions. Demonstrate shared value from improvement initiatives and partnerships to UNICEF program and supply staff as well as external partners to attract continued investment and support.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (master’s degree) in Supply Chain Management, Public Health, Logistics Management, Operations Management, Strategic Management or other related field, is required.
• A 1st University Degree/bachelor’s degree may be accepted in lieu of advanced degree along with 7 years of strong relevant experience.

 Work Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience in a professional capacity in supply chain management in the public or private sector, with a focus on quantitative analysis, modeling, simulation, planning, or business operations of the immunization supply chain is required.
• Strong understanding of public health supply chain strengthening activities and in-country health systems
• Demonstrated experience with identifying and implementing public health supply chain solutions and initiatives in countries, working with a broad range of in-country health systems partners and documenting evidence from implementing these activities.
• Demonstrated understanding and experience with managing in-country health supply systems gaps and bottlenecks analysis, health programming and implementation, .
• Experience in coordinating with global, regional, and national partners, including ministries of health/government. Knowledge and experience with supply chain private sector providers and integration
• Demonstrable experience with global, regional, and national partner coordination and collaboration, including with ministries of health/government Ability to establish harmonious work-relationships with colleagues in an international and multicultural environment.
• Experience with and ability to manage and monitor regional and national supply chain capacity building initiatives. Familiarity with UNICEF and experience working with international humanitarian organizations (WHO, NGOs, donors) is an asset