Logistics and Supply Chain Advisor – Ukraine

Location: Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Odessa

Duration:6 months

Conditions: Consultancy contract, gross monthly salary €6,200, including Risks allowance (up to €500/month – High risks areas), medical insurance and repatriation insurance and accommodation provided. Visa fees covered. Contribution to the luggage transportation up to €250.

Starting date: as soon as possible

CARE INTERNATIONAL

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development Confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls, and the areas of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions.

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its Members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union, and with other external stakeholders.

Context in Ukraine

On 24th February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas controlled by Russian forces as well as cities under siege. Aerial attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with 6.24 million displaced within Ukraine and 7.68 million refugees having fled to neighboring countries. By October 26, OCHA had counted 17.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Amid the upcoming winter, which is anticipated to be the worst in decades, at least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged, leaving millions without heating and access to water. In October, the Russian Federation claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, further increasing the challenge of access to these areas. Therefore, in addition to preparing the population for the approaching winter, an ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to secure access to recently liberated and recaptured areas in the East and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine.

CARE UKRAINE Programme

As a new actor in Ukraine, CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs, local authorities, INGOs with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women Led and Women Rights organizations (WLO’s/ WRO’s), further strengthening the Gender in Emergencies (GiE) principle and the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) approach. In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners.

As of November 2022, CARE Ukraine established partnerships with twelve local/national organizations (including.four WLO’s/WRO’s) and five international NGOs. From the more than 28 million that have been raised for Ukraine thus far, more than half is allocated to local/national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine was able to reach 550,030 people, including IDPs and affected populations in hard-to-reach areas.

While CARE Ukraine’s office is currently located in Lviv, we are continuously working on strategically expanding CARE’s presence and reach with plans to open an office in Kyiv as well as field offices in Dnipro and Odessa, covering both the East and South of the country.

General objectives of the role

The Logistics and Supply Chain (LSC) Advisor will provide overall support to the expansion of CARE’s programme in Ukraine.

The LSC Advisor will directly report to the Country Director (CD) and works in close collaboration with the newly appointed Logistics Manager.

The position holder will be essentially responsible for:

• Supporting the opening of CARE’s offices in Dnipro and Odessa. Her/his expertise may also possibly be required for the setting of field antennas in relevant oblasts near the contact line.
• Supporting the definition and formalization of the in-country policies and guidelines for procurement, fleet and assets management, IT management, communication systems, energy supply, etc.
• Supporting the Country Director and the Logistics Manager to recruit the logistics teams at coordination and field levels (writing Job Description, shortlisting, written tests, interviews, selection, onboarding/induction).
• Supporting the development of training curricula for Partner organizations in Ukraine.

Main responsibilities of the role include:

General policy advisory role and capacity development responsibilities

• The LSC Advisor is expected to provide guidance and support to all logistics and programme staff operating in Ukraine. This includes mentoring, troubleshooting, advisory role, provision of recommendations and guidance as needed
• Actively contribute to the recruitment process of all logistics staff, including selection processes, onboarding, objectives setting, and staff capacity development
• Take part of all internal coordination meetings as defined by the country coordination and reporting matrix and foster cross-team cooperation whenever needed
• Work closely with Finance, Administration, and Human Resources, ensuring that expenditures are compliant with CARE’s procedures, donors’ regulations, and national legislation
• In relation to CARE’s strategy in Ukraine, participate actively in the definition of the yearly Logistics and Supply Chain business plan, including setting priorities, procurement plan, resources needed, planning, budgets, etc.
• Providing advice to the Country Director and Logistics and Supply Chain Manager in defining Policies, Procedure guidelines, technical manuals, and standards in relation to all management fields (procurement/purchasing, infrastructure/office management, fleet management, assets management, stock management, IT and Communication management, etc.
• Developing training curricula for National Partner Organizations based on the capacity assessment and on-site monitoring missions

Supply-Chain Management and Procurement

• Monitoring overall procurement performance. Ensure effective and cost efficient procurement planning. by liaising with technical staff, Heads of Base and/or Project Managers. Ensure that online procurement plans are created and followed up, while guaranteeing CARE and donor procurement policies and procedures are being adhered to at all times. Carry out research to ascertain the best products and suppliers in terms of best value, delivery schedules and quality
• Coordinate with the Administration and Finance Department to ensure that payment processes to suppliers are made on-time and respecting the financial systems
• Plan and perform field compliance checks with Partners to ensure consistency in process application and proper documentation and filing are maintained
• Develop and implement service contract management instructions, policies and procedures. Examine and re-evaluate existing service contracts and oversee regular rent, utilities payments (i.e., electricity, water, gas, etc.), office and guesthouses maintenance contracts and running costs procedures. Ensure that they are properly handled by Logistics teams, Administration and/or focal points

Transportation/Fleet management

• Develop a CARE Fleet Management model, together with movement security protocols in collaboration with the Security, Safety and Access Manager
• Ensure that fleet is checked, regularly maintained and that vehicles are insured and taxes are paid. Ensure that proper documentation of vehicles (i.e. lease, insurance, mechanical inspection, etc.) is properly handled
• Develop a proper fuel consumption monitoring system with adequate tools, including the use of vehicle log-book, maintenance log, oil log and other fleet formats and templates
• Contribute to the development of sustainable approaches to transport management by streamlining CARE environmental policy and suggest adaptative solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of the programme

Facilities and Communications management

• Ensure the installation and maintenance of functional office space(s) and guesthouses facilities in an adequate living condition. Ensure the application of defined safety and security measures and make inspection visits to assess the rehabilitation needs of facilities when required
• Ensure that facilities have appropriate IT and Communications infrastructure and equipment allowing permanent communication between the HQ, the coordination team and the field offices. Guarantees that all staff in the mission have proper training on how to use communications equipment available (e.g. satellite phones, PTT, trackers, computers, smart phones, etc.)

Assets management

• Propose an asset management software system applicable to all the CARE programme in Ukraine
• Oversee the standard, purchase, use and maintenance of IT assets, office equipment and communication tools, while ensuring that all assets are registered in the asset management software. Ensure that all purchased assets are documented, issued with unique CARE UKRAINE asset numbers, tagged and logged according to asset management policies and procedures
• Report on asset list when required and oversee asset rollover according to defined destination
• Oversee regular fixed assets check on a quarterly basis

Apply security protocols

• In collaboration with the Country Director, the Security Referent, the Security Advisor and the Security Manager in-country, co-define and monitor the technical aspects of the risk mitigation measures related to transport, communication, protection, identification of the CARE staff and properties,
• Ensure the readiness of the logistics aspects of the evacuation, relocation and hibernation plans, as well as any other contingency plan,
• Identify and report to the CD and the Security team monitoring on any gaps or issues that may compromise the security setup in place.

Requirements

Mandatory criteria for longlisting

• Degree in logistics management or any academic specialization in humanitarian logistics
• Minimum 8 years of experience in managing logistics and supply chain for humanitarian programme with international NGOs in complex and conflict-affected contexts, including 3 years in managing acute emergency crisis, including rapid response mechanisms

Expected

• Skills and knowledge of financial, procurement, safety and HR practices in humanitarian organizations
• Proven experience in developing capacities of national aid organizations, CBOs, CSOs and/or WROs
• Proficiency in English
• Proficiency in Ukrainian and or Russian would be an asset
• Computer skills (including Excel and Word)
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills
• Good organizational skills
• Leadership skills and ability to make decisions in difficult situations
• Capacity to work under a high level of stress
• Adaptation capacities to dynamic context
• Trustworthiness and sense of responsibility
• Organizational skills, reactivity, ability to be thorough and to adapt

Accountability within CARE:

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.

• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.

• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner.

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.