Director, Logistics & Commodity Management, USDA Food for Education

Job Description

Save the Children is seeking a Director, Logistics and Commodity Management for an anticipated 3-5-year USDA-funded program in Sri Lanka. The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (McGovern-Dole) feeds schoolchildren, reduces hunger, enhances food security, and improves literacy (especially for girls) in low-income, food-deficit countries around the world. By providing school meals, teacher training, and related education and nutrition support, McGovern-Dole helps boost school enrollment, attendance, and literacy results. McGovern-Dole also provides support to maternal and child nutrition (MCN).

The Director, Logistics and Commodity Management is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the Chief of Party. S/he will be responsible for direct oversight and project implementation of the warehouse, procurement, IT and security aspects for commodity management of this program.

This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding

Responsibilities

• Identify requirements for necessary staffing, commodity management (CM) systems and processes for efficient management of food items and set up appropriate systems and processes to meet requirements, including distribution, post distribution monitoring, and software applications. This includes designing and implementing a monitoring system and troubleshoot to fix system malfunctions when necessary.
• Coordinate commodity logistics; implement the country logistics policies and procedures for the management of the supply chain, including one or more of the following areas; procurement, transport and distribution, warehousing and stock management, management of vehicle fleets, communication systems, and assets
• Ensure that Save the Children’s minimum standards of CM procedures and country policies are implemented and adhered to in the area of responsibility, supporting relevant staff as required
• Understand import procedures and regulations governing humanitarian aid relief in the form of food commodities and know port operations and procedures; work effectively with shipping agents, port authorities, clearing and forwarding agents, surveyors, and customs
• Determine requirements for the set-up of warehouses, including the provision and maintenance of handling, storage, and safety equipment and establish safety and security procedures for the warehouse and CM staff.
• Draw up the warehouse layout and establish procedures for smooth receipt, storage, and dispatch of commodities. Monitor food quality and adhere to warehousing best practices, including good housekeeping, ventilation, use of pallets, proper stacking, fumigation, and rodent control.
• Determine and periodically assess transport needs for delivery of commodities to secondary warehouses and/or final distribution points, including modes of transport and identification of primary and secondary transporter, where applicable.
• Identify, verify, and register recipient beneficiaries and institute a beneficiary tracking mechanism. In doing so, the post-holder will establish criteria for selection of final distribution points and set up memorandum of understanding with community stakeholders.
• Set up the distribution process, including forming the distribution committee, on‐site/end‐use monitoring and reporting as well as a community feedback/complaint mechanism.
• Prepare and analyze the commodity pipeline, monitor the burn rate, and forecast commodity requirements.
• Establish a system to submit accurate and timely reporting to the donor and headquarters.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in in Social Sciences, Economics, Business Administration, Logistics Management or related field
• Minimum of seven years’ experience in Administration, Commodity Management, and Logistics with three years’ experience in commodities management as a Senior Manager
• Experience with school feeding programs, with an in-depth knowledge of USDA regulations preferred
• Prior experience in commodity management and logistics coordination specific to food goods in the NGO sector, within complex/large scale country programs
• Proven experience in all technical areas of logistics operations including procurement, transport/distribution, warehousing and stock management, fleet management, asset management, communications, and security
• Technical experience/training in specific areas of food safety and food importation
• Experience of working in remote field bases with limited infrastructure
• Experiencing in managing and supervising others in logistics
• Ability to synthesize and analyze information, and make clear, informed decisions
• Ability to build relationships quickly with a wide range of people, both internally and externally
• Strong planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities
• Understanding of the political, social and cultural context of Sri Lanka preferred, with strong written and spoken communication and interpersonal skills in English

Qualified local candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

About the Organization

Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom Save the Children is in contact. As a humanitarian agency, Save the Children is obliged to create and maintain an environment that aims to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and promote the implementation of its child safeguarding policy. All representatives of Save the Children – employees, volunteers, interns, consultants, Board members and others who work with children on Save the Children’s behalf – are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children provides an attractive benefits package including competitive salaries, a matching retirement plan, health and welfare benefits, life insurance, an employee assistance program, generous time off and much more. We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.