Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

A (least hardship)

Family

PR4

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-05-26

Senior Supply Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Senior Supply Officer leads, oversees, coordinates and supports the supply activities at global, regional or country operations level. The position may be located at Headquarters (within DEPS), in a Regional Bureau or in a Country Office. In the Bureau the incumbent normally reports to the Senior Operations Coordinator or to the Head of Bureau Strategic Planning and Management Service or the Senior Strategic Planning and Management Coordinator. In the Country Operation s/he normally reports to the Head of Office, to the Representative or the Deputy Representative (Operations) at the same level as the Programme and Administration functions. The incumbent directly supervises professional and general service staff in an operation.

The incumbent will ensure effective local supply chain that enables the operation to meet the needs of forcibly displaced and stateless persons as well as timely delivery of quality goods and services to forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
The incumbent will advise Country Operations on how to create/maintain a supply chain infrastructure that is robust and flexible enough to accommodate the needs of the operation and that enables timely emergency responses, along with regional oversite of effective partners to support supply activities.

The incumbent maintains impartial, ethical and customer-oriented relations with suppliers and Partner organizations; exchanges information with counterparts in other UN agencies, and International Organisations within the limits established by UN /UNHCR Procurements Rules and assists with joint procurement actions if, as and whenever necessary. In the Bureau the incumbent will assist upon needs, in operations will coordinate the delivery of assistance from the regional warehouse, if applicable. S/he will liaise with SMS staff who manage the Global Stockpiles and who manage the Global Asset and Fleet Management, if and as required. In addition, the incumbent will coordinate with SMS regarding policies, overall planning and management of resources that have an impact on Supply or where Supply has an impact on other parts of the operation.

In the Bureau the Senior Supply Officer function extends to providing advice, capacity-building, coaching and guidance on policy and operational issues to ensure compliance with UNHCR procurement, logistics and asset management rules and regulations; as well as support supply planning, implementation, reporting and statistics. The Senior Supply Officer, being part of the Bureau Supply team will, take on the role of advising, analysing and coaching the supply functions at Country Operation levels. The Senior Supply Officer from the Bureau will primarily focus on advising and reviewing the sourcing/procurement aspects of the supply function, as Bureau remains a procurement-prone region requiring a sound level of risk management tools. In complex and challenging operational environment, an excellent procurement expertise will then be required to mainstream UN procurement principles as well as UNHCR internal policies throughout the region. Furthermore, the incumbent will be the ex-officio of the Regional Committee on Contracts which has been established to approve cases at a higher threshold than the Local Committee on Contracts. In addition, the incumbent will review procurement cases from the operations that are above the country operations delegations, provide feedback as required and clear them for the relevant procurement authority. S/he will also have a large responsibility on capturing, analysing and reporting the information from the different Country Operations of the Bureau. This would require strong interaction and coordination in addition to an excellent knowledge of UNHCR tools (Cloud ERP, Power BI - Results Data Portal) and data analysis.

In country operations the incumbent will have direct working relationship/arrangement with the Head of UNHCR offices that fall within the domain of the office and will also have a responsibility to monitor, coach, guide and intervene with the staff within the given area of responsibility.
The incumbent will also create/maintain offices' supply chain optimised and aligned with the operations' evolving needs and management systems.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
- Analyse the existing infrastructure and ensure that it is optimally aligned with the operational needs.
- Coordinate and manage all activities pertaining to the supply chain function including planning, sourcing, transport, shipping, customs clearance, warehousing, asset and fleet management in the operation.
- Coordinate and manage the procurement process to ensure timely, cost-effective and adequate delivery of commodities and services to support operational needs.
- Develop relevant contacts and build constructive relations with government authorities, implementing partners, UN agencies and others, to foster mutual cooperation for the timely delivery of relief items avoiding bottlenecks such as streamlining customs clearance processes.
- Set up and adapt standard supply chain structures to the local environment that are consistent with the operational needs.
- Support and guide the office should they need additional office space or extensions to their office leases, lease hold improvements or other construction. Carry out the procurement aspect of the establishment of office leases or extensions.
- Coordinate with CBI stakeholders the design and implementation of the market assessment and market monitoring to determine if CBI is option. Carry out the procurement action to contract Financial Service Providers (FSP).
- Identify partners for supply chain projects based on objectives, priorities, strengths and resources of the Partner and/or contractor, according to criteria consistent with UNHCR rules and regulations.
- Identify, assess and select vendors based on their capability for delivering commodities and services. Maintain vendor and item master databases.
- Implement effective asset and fleet management that regularly monitors the asset/fleet pool, increase efficiency and safeguards the investment of the organisation.
- Draw up plans for the disposal and replacement of old and obsolete asset and coordinate with SMS on the proper disposal of assets.
- Analyse the quality of commodities and services delivered in relation to the needs of the location and established quality standards.
- Coordinate activities of Partners and/or contractors performing supply related activities, and ensure that they understand and adhere to relevant UNHCR rules and procedures. Ensure Supply participation in the multifunctional teams for partner verification.
- Establish and maintain an efficient and skilled workforce that is capable of supporting on-going operations.
- Maintain an up-to-date overview of the location`s supply chain capacity and preparedness, as well as, that of its partners to ensure that adequate capacity exist also to cover emergencies.
- Monitor the quality and accuracy of supply chain related data in relevant business systems. Compile and analyse statistical information, identify trends and developments in supply chain related matters that will assist in decision making.
- Resolve difficulties in the local supply chain by finding solutions to problems and bottlenecks, and provide regular reports on supply chain activities, the status of requests and the availability of items in the supply chain.
- Disseminate, promote commitment to and monitor compliance with UNHCR's global policies, standards and guidance on supply chain management.
- Ensure effective information flow in the supply chain and adapt process and documents to the prevailing environment.
- Coordinate the work of the supply units so as to achieve operational objectives in a timely and cost-effective manner. Ensure the effective and efficient use of financial and material resources within the rules and procedures of UNHCR.
- Prepare plans for delivery of relief items according to UNHCR's short and medium term requirements.
- Plan and develop an effective procurement plan for the geographical area of responsibility taking into account local procurement options. Use procurement planning tools and DEMANTRA demand planning.
- Ensure adequate capacity to respond to an emergency and develop contingency plans for the supply function as part of the operational plan.
- Act as ex-officio for the related contract committee. Review and/or clear procurement cases for the relevant procurement authority.
- Assess the environment and situation in which a supply operation will take place. Implement supply operations in the best manner possible through elimination of obstacles.
- Sustain the supply chain's capacity throughout an emergency and ensure an efficient flow of relief items to forcibly displaced and stateless persons. Rapidly respond to changing needs and quickly reallocate resources when required.
- Implement practical projects to improve supply performance that has clear objectives, timescales, tasks and resources defined. Monitor the project execution against the plans and take action when actual implementation deviates from plans.

In the Regional Bureaux:
- Advise Country Operation on how to implement supply operations based on interpretations of the situation and conclusions to how the operation can be best implemented.
- Ensure that global Supply policies are understood by all Supply teams in the region by offering summaries and relevant interpretations in the regional context.
- Seek opportunities for regionalizing and streamlining Supply operations where operational advantage can be achieved
- Track the progress of specific periodic operations and provide guidance that ensures timely implementation.
- Organize and deliver training at regional level in the different Supply functions such as procurement, logistics, asset and fleet management.
- Coach and advise individuals or Supply teams as requested.
- Tracks global Supply KPIs for the region and devise regional ones as required.
- Monitor all periodic Supply exercises such as monthly reconciliations, quarterly physical inventory exercises, year-end accounts closure procedures and ensure that they are implemented throughout the region.
- Regularly visit country operations and their Supply teams including visits to camps and other operational sites, provide oversight and support within the operational context.
- Provide a diagnostic on Cloud ERP, Power BI - Results Data Portal reports for country operations, and coordinating with the Regional Supply Coordinator for necessary follow-up to ensure that data, in particular stocks accurately and completely reflect the reality in the warehouses.
- Review country financial reports and work with the Country Operations Supply Team leaders to address red areas relating to Supply aspects of operations.
- Ensure that country needs assessment plans are established, combine them into regional procurement plans and monitor their timely implementation and changes based on operational needs.
- Monitor and advise operations on import and customs clearance (as required) to resolve and ensure bottlenecks a smooth flow of goods to the operations.
- Ensure coordinated emergency deployments of supply staff in consultation with SMS to countries in the Bureau.

- Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Supply Chain Management; Business Administration; International Commerce; Engineering or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Certificate from Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supplies, e.g. CFIPS, CMIPS, MCIPS
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Proficient knowledge of logistics/supply systems with proven experience at previous work positions, preferably UN. Good working knowledge and experience in handling contract issues in the context of UN policies and standards. Experience in contract negotiations; ability to provide technical guidance to subordinate staff; ability to plan and organise work assignments, often under close deadlines. Proven ability to deal with multiple tasks with speed, in a courteous and service oriented manner. Proven ability to manage a team.
Desirable
Database management skills and experience and working knowledge of ERP systems would be an advantage. Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills to deal with persons of different cultural and educational backgrounds. Technical knowledge of types of services, supplies and goods purchased by UNHCR for Headquarters, Regional and Field Offices would be an advantage. Relevant training, such as CIPS, or other public procurement trainings. Knowledge of UN and UNHCR Financial Regulations and Rules relating to procurement and UNHCR Chapter 8. Aviation services knowledge for movements of goods/passengers.

Functional Skills
UN-UN/UNHCR Administrative Rules, Regulations and Procedures
SC-Supply Planning
SC-UN/UNHCR Procurement Rules and Procedures
DM-Database Management
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements
For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.
For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.
For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (RBWCA), based in Dakar, oversees UNHCR operations in eight countries with Representatives: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

The Multi-Country Office (MCO) Cameroon covers Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome et Principe and the Republic of Congo. As part of a regional realignment, the Multi-Country Offices (MCOs) in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal were closed on 31 December 2025. Five standalone National Offices – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Togo – became fully operational on 1 October 2025.

The Bureau is accredited to regional intergovernmental bodies, including ECOWAS and ECCAS, and engages closely with UN regional entities. With both Anglophone and Francophone countries, the region requires bilingual, context-specific engagement across diverse political and operational environments.

The West and Central Africa region is currently home to over 21.9 million forcibly displaced and stateless persons, including IDPs, refugees, asylum-seekers, and returnees. Major concentrations are found in Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and the DRC, where conflict, intercommunal violence, and human rights violations continue to drive new displacement.

Humanitarian needs continue to rise due to expanding armed conflict in the Sahel, political instability, and the regional impact of the Sudan crisis, which has generated large refugee inflows into Chad and CAR. The region is also a major crossroads for mixed movements, requiring a route-based approach (RBA) along the central and western Mediterranean routes and the Sahel–North Africa axis.

While some voluntary repatriation and spontaneous returns occur, large-scale solutions remain limited. UNHCR prioritizes long-term solutions beyond return – including socio-economic inclusion, transition to national systems, and strengthened access to services – in protracted and fragile contexts.

Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) together illustrate the growing convergence between humanitarian response, national system-strengthening, and development in West and Central Africa. Chad hosts more than 1.3 million refugees and operates at the limits of humanitarian capacity, making it a defining test case for UNHCR’s shift toward inclusion in national systems, development-anchored solutions, and reduced parallel structures. CAR, meanwhile, sits at the crossroads of the Sahel, the Great Lakes, and the Sudan regional crisis, with cyclical displacement and volatile border zones continuing to strain the absorption capacity of its institutions. Through the CAR Solutions Support Platform and cross-border coordination with Chad, Cameroon, DRC, ROC, Sudan and South Sudan, UNHCR is helping shape a more predictable framework for voluntary returns, community-based reintegration, and stabilization in areas of repeated displacement, in addition to advancing on local inclusion and integration in neighbouring asylum countries. Together, Chad and CAR underline the Bureau’s strategic move toward situation-based engagement, reinforced regional cooperation, and investment in national systems as the foundation for long-term solutions.

The Sahel continues to face violence, challenges to humanitarian access, and limited essential services, while the spill over into the Coastal States has transformed the crisis into a broader regional challenge. Despite this volatility, governments have demonstrated renewed political will through the Sahel+ strategy and the Lomé Dialogue, creating opportunities for coordinated approaches to asylum, border governance, protection data, and mixed movement management. UNHCR’s situational approach in the Sahel centres on delivering life-saving emergency assistance, strengthening protection and advancing solutions, and social and economic inclusion for the forcibly displaced, supported by a route-based framework that links countries of origin, transit, and destination. The Sahel thus represents both one of the deepest protection crises in the region and a critical entry point for state-led, regionally anchored solutions that reinforce resilience, inclusion, and social cohesion.

The DRC, a recent addition to the RBWCA’s remit and a top regional priority, represents one of the most complex situations in the Bureau’s portfolio, with nearly 6 million IDPs and over 1.2 million Congolese refugees hosted in neighbouring states (primarily Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania). The country also hosts over 510,000 refugees from the region.

UNHCR’s role in the DRC extends beyond humanitarian response to support key regional peace processes, and the Tripartite framework between DRC, Rwanda and UNHCR.

The global funding landscape is driving a shift from broad programme-based models to projects funded through earmarked contributions. The Bureau is adopting project-based management, with new SOPs defining roles along the project cycle, strengthened accountability and contribution-tracking, and enhanced M&E to demonstrate results.

Capacity building on project management, proposal writing, donor compliance, and risk management will be rolled out. A regional oversight mechanism, standardized templates, and regional proposal packs will support quality and alignment. Strategic prioritisation of proposals will be essential to avoid overload.

The Bureau will also diversify partnerships – including national partners, development actors, ECOWAS, and emerging donors – to reinforce sustainability and avoid overly ambitious or politically sensitive commitments, particularly in complex contexts such as the DRC.

The incumbent will be responsible for overseeing, coordinating and supporting the supply teams in the country operations within the region through the most senior supply staff in country operations. Major responsibilities will include, in close liaison with SMS/DEPS: a) managing Stockpile b) overseeing procurement and other supply operations for the Bureau; c) coordinating with senior management in the Bureau and in the operations as well as with SMS in Budapest (DEPS) regarding policies, planning and management with an impact on supply or where supply has an impact on operations.

The function extends to providing advice, capacity-building, coaching and guidance on policy and operational issues to ensure compliance with UNHCR procurement, logistics and asset management rules and regulations, as well as supporting supply planning, implementation, reporting and statistics.

The incumbent will exercise the functions linked to the RCC and the RAMB. S/he will provide inputs in the design of policies and guidance notes. S/he will also ensure that reporting activities reflect the operational and supply dynamic of the region. In addition, the incumbent should co-ordinate closely with other units in the Bureau, promote collaboration and diversity in a multicultural environment and contribute to a positive work environment.

The incumbent of the position will be expected to travel on missions to remote field-locations, some of which may have challenging living and working conditions as well as security constraints.

Living and Working Conditions:

It is planned that the entire United Nations system in Dakar will relocate to a common UN house in Diamniadio, approximately 40 km from the main city. Staff who choose to live in the the city would face a substantial commute. Arrangements are being made for staff transportation and teleworking schedules to ensure acceptable working conditions. Candidates applying for positions based in Dakar should consider this accordingly.

As the capital of Senegal, Dakar has a population of over one million and offers reasonable medical facilities, providing both general and specialist care in line with international standards. Dakar is classified by the United Nations as an "A" family duty station, indicating access to all basic services and most recreational activities and facilities.

Living conditions are comfortable, and essential services are readily available.

While the asylum practices in West Africa are generally generous, the operational and political environments present unique challenges for the UN, and particularly for UNHCR. The region hosts a variety of political and UN coordination mechanisms, requiring significant time and effort to ensure that UNHCR remains relevant. Key structures include the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), the Regional UNDG, and regional offices for WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, UN Women, FAO, among others. Donors also have regional platforms in West Africa.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Logistics

Certifications

Institute of Purchasing and Supply - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance