Globaldev careers: The warehouse manager

When Afchatou Sylla first applied to work in Médecins Sans Frontières Côte d'Ivoire warehouse, she was the only female applicant among more than 60 candidates. Four years on and having learned a lot on the job, she now manages the warehouse. Sylla’s day-to-day involves receiving and checking stock deliveries; coordinating with the logistics supervisors; directing medical equipment and other materials to the appropriate department; updating stock inventory on the internal system, and archiving purchase documents for audit purposes. It’s a role that is critical to any humanitarian organization and not as routine as people might think, said Sylla. Her team has to adapt frequently and quickly to different phases of projects or emergency situations that arise. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What are the biggest challenges of this position, and what lessons have you learned that help you overcome them? I am in charge of the warehouse for the Cote d'Ivoire mission. The challenge is ensuring that the materials arrive in the same good condition on the various projects that are currently being opened in the interior of the country and in the periphery. The checking and packing stage remains an essential element ... in order to make the equipment available to our colleagues in the field on time. Managing a stockpile is a delicate task ... even more so in an emergency. You have to be more than vigilant because there are many more requests, with a risk of confusion and of the procedure not necessarily being followed. [Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic] the workload has increased … it's a change from a development project but I'm already familiar with [this along] with the rest of the team. What skills helped you transition into this role? I had to arm myself with courage and an iron mind. There are many prejudices in our societies today, especially in Africa. People think that a woman cannot hold such a position [and] I was even discouraged by some when I wanted to take up this career [and was] told that it is a man's job. On the other hand, others encouraged me. My ability to meet deadlines and my honesty gave my managers confidence. This encouraged me to apply for the [management] job, even though I am a secretary by training, [then] the working environment at MSF has allowed me to learn other skills. What skills have you focused on to help you advance in your career? [Working with] MSF has allowed me to strengthen my skills, through continuous training, [in] English, stock management, computer skills, use of basic software, purchasing procedures. But it is also a personal desire to improve by reading the internal procedures of MSF or in the field of activity. This open-mindedness [to progress] is also reflected in the fact that I have sometimes acted as the interim purchasing supervisor or carried out certain [additional] tasks [assigned by the] logistics manager, such as supplying vehicles with fuel. [In these situations], you have to do your homework because it's not just a simple handover [and] you have to help two departments run smoothly ... without too much impact on the project. How do you see the impact of your work? My work allows the different departments to function properly with the quality material … and be efficient in the execution of their tasks. This makes me proud. I feel connected to the rest of my colleagues and [a sense of] satisfaction, as well as the relief, can be seen when they receive their ordered material on time. Through [them], I see the faces of the patients [and know] my work contributes to saving lives. If there were no stock, it would be more difficult [for services to be delivered] because sometimes certain items run out on the local market or elsewhere. If this coincides with a demand from the project, it is likely to have a negative impact on the functioning of the whole project. What advice would you give to other professionals who want to work in this type of role? The job requires self-confidence, responsibility, coolness, flexibility, [and] logical thinking. The manager does not evolve in a vacuum but in a team. It can be compared to the function of a banker because the stock is the physical operationalization of the need expressed by the department and has a monetary value. For anyone who wishes to enter this profession, [it is important] to be familiar with the specificities of the job description … it is not a simple job of tidying up. [For women interested in this type of work], I encourage them not to limit themselves [mentally] and to believe in their dream. For my part, and this is only my opinion, women are better suited for this job because [we] are by nature more meticulous, vigilant, neat, and orderly [and] we are used to multi-tasking.