Job Description

The Procurement/Logistics Associate position is located in the Country Office of UNFPA in Harare and works in close collaboration with the Admin Associate, the Finance Associate and other operations team members in achieving the overall work of UNFPA Zimbabwe in the area of Procurement and Logistics.

Reporting directly to the Operations Analyst, the Procurement/Logistics Associate is a member of the CO Operations Team and provides procurement logistics support for various functions and operations of the CO and maintains collaborative relationships with all programme and project staff at the as well as administrative and operations team of the CO.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

The Procurement/Logistics Associate is responsible for effective delivery of services, and supports various operational requirements of the CO Operations Unit. He/she analyzes and interprets the admin rules and regulations and provides solutions to a wide spectrum of procurement and logistical issues.

He/she delivers quality services to internal and external clients in Procurement, Logistics, and supports the General Administration and Operations in compliance with all relevant rules, guidelines, processes and procedures. S/he takes a client-oriented results-focused approach to interpreting the rules, procedures and guidelines, providing support to the CO and UNFPA-supported projects.

The Procurement and Logistics Associate works in close collaboration with the Programme and Operations staff supporting the country office. The officer is expected to provide effective logistical support, fleet management, and work closely with procurement, programme and operations staff in order to ensure programme delivery.

This post holder will support the country office with procurements, regulatory compliance, import activities and any insurance related matters for management of programme supplies in the county office. The Procurement/Logistics Associate will also assume the responsibility of liaising with the relevant stakeholders for obtaining facilitation letters for inland shipments and ensuring compliance with the 2018 UNFPA policy on management of programme supplies. The incumbent also works in close collaboration with the programme team supporting implementation of Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) and Last Mile assurance for FP commodities and SRHR medicine and supplies.

Duties and Responsibilities

You would be responsible for:

A. Supporting the Operations, Procurement and Logistics Functions in the CO

Adapts processes and procedures, anticipates and manages operational requirements of programme/project inputs under national execution in terms of personnel, sub-contracts, equipment, fellowships, study tours and other programme and project related events to facilitate programme/project delivery;
Prepare Requests For Quotations for Programme procurement requirements of UNFPA business units (including for third party procurement requests), evaluate the submissions including negotiations with freight forwarders as appropriate;
Determine the mode of transportation and make other important logistics decisions such as type of the containers and requirements of time-temperature sensitive products paying attention to the product-specific requirements, the origin/destination's specific challenges, procedural requirements and the best industry practices;
Adapt and implement logistics protocols and effective application of UNFPA policies and procedures on logistics management;
Contributes to the joint UN efforts to strengthen LMIS in the country
Routinely monitor exception reports for unusual logistics activities and investigate anomalies or unusual transactions. Informs management of the results of the investigations;
Delivery of effective and efficient logistical support services to UNFPA’s staff and clients across the country;Assists in the coordination between the various units on procurement, transport, and logistics requirements;
Actively participate in joint UN / partner activities such as Logistics Cluster in order to identify logistics and shipping solutions for UNFPA through those joint initiatives;
Actively participate and effectively contribute in developing, improving, integrating the systems and applications used for managing logistics, shipping arrangements, enhancing the visibility of the shipments and reporting;
Manage logistics and freight-related matters such as damaged and lost shipments per the procedural requirements of UNFPA and coordinate the logistics requirements across the various regional procurement teams of PSB, the suppliers of goods, the freight forwarders, the insurance service providers, the government authorities and other parties as applicable;
Participate in ad hoc committees.
Assists in the identification, systematization and reporting of good/promising practices and lessons learnt on Procurement and Logistics Issues;
Support the operations team in achieving the Country Programme;
Manage the consultants’ vetting process and maintain a consultant roster for the Procurement and Logistics team and the CO.
B. Fleet and Transport Management Services

Prepares and monitors the administrative/petty cash budget and ensures operations are in accordance with UNFPA rules and procedures. Proposes procedures to improve internal controls;
Implements systems, processes and applications in support of country office operations, including vehicle and dispatch management;
Serve as escalation point or support for issues of fleet and transport management;
Adapt processes and procedures to maximize effectiveness and efficiency in admin operations and management;
Ensure full compliance relevant UN rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, administrative systems relating to transport systems;
Facilitate effective budget management of office resources;
Implement policies, guidelines and procedures for the effective maintenance of the fleet of vehicles for UNFPA Zimbabwe;
Maintain vehicles records, logs official trips, etc;
Ensure cost-savings through proper use and maintenance of vehicles;
Maintain effective documentation, registrations, insurance, and related needs of the fleet of vehicles;
Ensure all statutory and legal formalities are adhered to;
Initiate and modify automated transactions;
Review status of relevant expenditures and compare with approved budget; Assist in preparation of budget performance submissions;
Respond to queries from a variety of sources by providing information, advice and guidance on rules and regulations related to area of work or direct to the most appropriate source;
Draft correspondence related to the area of responsibility.
C. Support of Last Mile Assurance, Visibility and Knowledge Management

With the support of the Supply Chain Management Unit (SCMU Copenhagen) develop, maintain and enhance of the LMA process and tools in the CO
Ensure implementation of LMA activities by the CO office and implementing partners
Provide support to the programme team on documentation, publishing and dissemination of good practice and lessons learned;
Liaise with the programme and communication teams on the upcoming procurements making sure UNFPA and donor’s support is highly profiled in local media and visibility events
Share and encourage the use of evidence-based information and data with other colleagues in UNFPA
Analyze and distribute key knowledge pieces and materials in a timely manner to clients and stakeholders;
Correctly project UNFPA rules, policy positions, etc. on matters of Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in all activities including in Humanitarian Response settings;
D. Development of national capacities in logistics management and reporting

Provide technical support for the development of the capacities of implementing partners in logistics management for the inventory and management control of health commodities.
Provide technical support to national counterparts to analyze and strengthen the supply chain system including RH commodities according to national priorities.
Provide support in producing quarterly, half-yearly and annual reports on the state of stocks, storage conditions as well as the distribution of reproductive health commodities at all levels of the supply chain.
E. General Support

Stand-in for other team members on selected functions as may be required.
Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.

Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Completed Secondary Level Education required
First level university degree in business administration, information technology, hospitality, transport or related fields is desirable.
Knowledge and Experience:

At least six years of relevant experience in administration, procurement, logistics, fleet management or related fields.
Relevant experience in providing administrative management services
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web based management systems
Experience in Procurement, Fleet Management, Travel Management or Logistics is an added advantage
A thorough understanding of the UN system in general, and especially UNFPA mandate, its policies and operations and current development topics and political issues in Zimbabwe will be an added advantage
Demonstrated ability to work in a team.
Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English. Working knowledge of another UN Official Language, an asset.

Required Competencies:

Values:

Exemplifying integrity.
Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system.
Embracing cultural diversity.
Embracing change.
Core Competencies:

Achieve results
Being accountable
Developing and applying professional expertise/ business acumen
Thinking analytically and strategically
Working in teams/ managing ourselves and our relationships
Communicating for impact.
Functional Skill Set:

Projects Management, Fleet Management and Support
Understanding of Logistics and Procurement Issues and Systems in UNFPA
Managing documents, correspondence and reports
Managing information and workflow
Planning, organizing and multi-tasking
Managing operational processes
Job knowledge / technical expertise
Proficiency in current office software applications; good basic knowledge of Project Management dashboard and software.