Country: Lao People's Democratic Republic (the)
Closing date: 20 May 2016
About CRS:
Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. **
Background:
In 2012 CRS Lao PDR was awarded a three-year U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Education (FFE) grant. The project promotes primary education and reduce the incidence of hunger for approximately 33,000 primary school children in 317 schools across 7 Districts in Savahnaket Province of Lao PDR. This education project with a school feeding component; ensures success by coupling increased access to food with quality improvements that strengthen the overall educational system and environment for primary school children, with an explicit focus on strengthening early reading and literacy for all children. Building on CRS Laos' extensive education experience promoting community based efforts to include all school age children, CRS trains and supports Village Education Development Committees (VEDCs) to manage school feeding activities, improve their schools, and ensure that all children in the village have the opportunity to enroll in and attend school. The project systematically increases government capacity by engaging the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) as its primary partner. The project continues to inform and coordinate with MOES' School Meals Unit within the Inclusive Education Center as well as with partners at the provincial and district levels. The project has trained approximately 900 teachers and 375 school principals to build inclusive school environments and teach children in ways that respond to their varied need. The project incorporates the strengths of partner INGO's literacy-specific programming in Laos with the University of Oregon's technical support on inclusive education which will build institutional capacity to manage inclusive education programming at a national level. The project supports MEOS' education strategy and its Education for All/Fast Track Initiative by complementing ongoing efforts in about 10% of the 56 priority districts in Lao PDR. CRS has the full support of the Lao Government to conduct all activities. CRS has submitted a proposal to USDA for a follow-on 5 year project with a value of $27,300,000 which will target 7 districts of Savahnaket Province. The intended beneficiaries will be 375 schools with an estimated 40,000 students. The expected start date of this Phase II of the project will be October 2016.
Job Summary: Oversee all logistics and food commodities and provide strategic and tactical leadership to the Logistics Unit to ensure efficiency, accountability and transparency of logistics management processes. Plan, direct and oversee all activities relating to the sourcing and logistics cycle, in compliance with CRS established standards and best practices, donor requirements and local laws.
The LEAPS project will import 6,390 MT of commodities from the US. Coordinate with the CRS Senior Government Advisor as well as freight forwarding companies to ensure that all necessary documentation is in order to ensure smooth and timely delivery of commodities to CRS' warehouse in Xeno (30KM from Savahnaket Town)
Negotiate and contract with port operations, freight forwarders, clearing agents, warehouse facilities, transportation resources and logistics services. Prepare and submit various reports. Collaborate with the other project departments of LEAPS, particularly programming and finance, from project planning through implementation and close out. Oversee fleet, asset and facility maintenance and management.
Oversee relevant department staff. Where partners/sub recipients are involved in managing distribution commodities, lead relevant assessment, monitoring and capacity strengthening activities. Ensure adequate balance between commodities, financial value and beneficiary targets.
A key requirement of the position will be to mentor and build capacity of the logistics unit in order to increase staff capacity of CRS Laos.
Key Responsibilities:
Planning and Forecasting
- Communicate and coordinate with relevant departments to estimate needs and ensure appropriate logistical preparations for program activities.
- Collaborate on program development, including provision of logistics-related resource estimates (human, material and financial), input on logistical constraints on program implementation, etc.
- Provide input for the in-kind commodities component of the Annual Program Plan (APP) and review both actual spending and forecast for GIK through the eBudget Maintenance process.
- Be familiar with how to extract information from CRS' food commodity accounting software (FoodLog)
Sourcing
- Research and analyze NFI suppliers of logistics-related services as needed, and maintain records to efficiently meet potential services provision needs.
- Support the definition of specifications, delivery terms and delivery management in close coordination with the procurement unit.
Service Delivery, Capacity Strengthening, Staff Safety and Security:
- Coordinate call forwards, port reception, freight forwarding, customs clearance and surveying in close coordination with HQ Shipping and Life Link Logistics.
- Ensure coordination and communication with departments requiring service delivery, and provide status updates as needed.
- Ensure proper disposition per established standards and procedures.
- Develop and share knowledge and best practices, and provide technical assistance and capacity strengthening to staff and partners in the areas of logistics and commodity management.
- Ensure all staff and agents engaged in inventory loading/offloading, transportation and warehousing are aware of relevant rules and safety regulations.
Systems and Reporting
- Oversee and monitor logistics and commodity management systems and processes to ensure timely provision of quality services, following established standards, policies and requirements for management and distribution.
- Ensure strong management and coordination of infrastructure, systems and processes to manage data/transactions recording and prevent and/or reduce losses.
- Ensure and maintain a filing system with required records for all logistics services for control and reference.
- Prepare commodities distribution reports for internal and external stakeholders, and confirm that quantities distributed are in agreement with monthly and quarterly plans.
- Coordinate with program staff to support tracking of commodity pipelines and disbursement/usage of other in-kind resources.
- Ensure compliance of all transport waybills in order to properly expedite timely payments to CRS transporters.
Financial Management:
- Provide Budget Management expertise for all cash budgets directly associated with transport, handling, storage and distribution of in-kind commodities
- Ensure regular monitoring and reporting on stock levels and status, including the provision of information required by finance department.
- Collaborate with finance and other operations staff to ensure that finance and logistics/commodity policies and procedures are aligned for seamless accounting of in-kind commodities;
- Review the physical and financial commodities pipeline, and coordinate with Finance in reconciling accounting vs. physical records in line with project objectives.
Compliance/Audit:
- Ensure commodity management and tracking practices are in compliance with agency policies, donor regulations, and local law.
- Perform control activities, analyze commodity management service requests, systems and processes, and advise on compliance matters and improvements needed to mitigate risk.
- Ensure that claims are filed against transporters and other responsible parties for commodity losses.
- Make periodic visits to the field to inspect warehouse facilities and ensure compliance with accepted procedures/principles
- Lead efforts to prepare for and respond to logistics and commodity components of audits.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Oversee the recruitment, training and development of a competent pool of staff that can effectively discharge the mandate of the function of logistics unit for a school feeding project.
- Ensure job descriptions of Logistics staff are up to date and responsibilities and performance expectations are clearly communicated.
- Ensure effective delegation of authority.
- Organize assignments, tasks, and expectations in a way that fosters opportunities for learning and development.
- Manage individual and team development by providing coaching, feedback, mentoring, support, resources, and reinforcement.
- Complete all aspects of the CRS Performance Management system on time and effectively to create a high-performance culture and a positive work environment. Deal promptly with performance issues.
Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)
These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.
- Serves with Integrity
- Models Stewardship
- Cultivates Constructive Relationships
- Promotes Learning
CRS Program Manager Competencies
These competencies apply to all Program Managers and are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of Catholic Relief Services.
- Sets clear goals and manages toward them
- Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders
- Manages financial resources with integrity
- Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning
**
Key Working Relationships:**
Internal: LEAPS Chief of Party, Head of Operations, Country Representative, other members of senior management team (Heads of Programs, Finance, Administration, etc.), Deputy Regional Director/Management Quality.
External: Representatives of local government authorities; CRS partners; peers from other NGOs in the country; suppliers and services providers, including (where relevant): Surveyors, Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) Agents, and Transporters.
Minimum Requirements:
Qualifications and Work Experience:
- University Degree in related field, or Certification in Logistics/Supply Chain Management (or significant relevant training and experience). Chartered Professional in Logistics/Supply Chain Management (MCIPS) or its equivalent is an added advantage.
- Minimum 3-5 years of experience in logistics/commodity/warehouse management. Minimum two years of experience in relief logistics/commodity management preferred.
- NGO experience (preferred)
- Where relevant: Minimum three years' experience in Title II commodities management as a Senior Manager.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Excellent planning and organizational skills, ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks
- Excellent understanding of generally accepted commodity accounting and quality control principles
- Results-oriented with strong customer-service focus
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Very good negotiation, communication and relationship management skills
- Good knowledge of various donor commodity management regulations (e.g. USDA, USAID, EU, UN)
- Proven ability to work under pressure and with minimum supervision
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people in challenging conditions
- Experience training and supervising staff
- Computer literate (good knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook and MS PowerPoint; working knowledge of FoodLog and MS Access a plus).
Travel Requirements:
Approximately 15-25% travel.
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
Equal Opportunity Employer
How to apply:
Apply online: https://www5.apply2jobs.com/CRS/ProfExt/index.cfm?fuseaction=mExternal.showJob&RID=2879&CurrentPage=1