Supply Chain Manager

Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence, and injustice.
We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 85 years and are now active in over 80 countries.
The Shared Services Centre is a Centre of Excellence based in the MEESA region established to serve clients to enhance their operation effectiveness i.e. COs, RH and GH. The centre is committed to a reliable, efficient and effective service to clients at a competitive price. Its ultimate goal is to be trusted, predictable, and dependable to our clients at all times and to ensure commitment to quality and excellent turnaround times in all our service delivery.
Supply Chain is the backbone to our operations. Within Plan International MEESA Regional Office, this role will ensure appropriate strategic direction is set, implemented and maintained for the Shared Services Centre, aligned with our Global Strategy as well as Plan International standards and processes. The postholder will drive supply chain planning and engage proactive Supply Chain support to meet project needs and requirements; achieving compliance with Donor rules and regulations, Plan’s own internal policies, procedures and systems, as well as upholding high standards of ethics at all times.

Responsible for the efficient and effective organisation and coordination of the Supply Chain Team, this is an opportunity to grow performance and expertise within the Shared Services Centre while supporting the Country Offices and across Programme Units (PUs) and Programme Implementation and Influencing Areas (PIIAs) strengthening internal control, processes, capacity and performance. With a strong analytical and problem-solving mind, you will be able to identify challenges and opportunities for innovative improvements, and act as a leader for change.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE
The role covers all areas of Supply Chain at the Shared Services Centre, and supervision of supply chain staff at the Shared Services Centre. Cross-functional engagement with other teams is critical to ensure alignment of processes and efficient operations in the region.

Supply Chain management in the scope of this role includes:
• Technical processes across Operational Planning, Procurement, Assets, Fleet, Inventory and Warehouse Management, Facilities & premises management, Administration (travel & accommodation, events etc.), Gifts in Kind, Customs Clearance in both Humanitarian and Development contexts and support to Distributions
• Process performance analysis, monitoring and reporting
• Systems application, compliance and strengthening
• Team management and capacity strengthening
• Development of KPIs for Supply Chain activities; measuring and monitoring progress against objectives, ensuring targets are met to enable seamless synergies with other departments
• Provision of support and reporting to the Director of Corporate Services & Government Relations in order to minimise financial and compliance risks throughout the Supply Chain
• Support in the selection of our partners and working with them on capacity strengthening and monitoring across their supply chain activities. 

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Maintain high management standards for all Supply Chain activities
• The needs from the SSC, RH and Country Programmes are planned, consolidated and appropriately sourced, with effective processes to achieve cost-savings, compliance and minimise risk.
• The Fleet of engines (including vehicles, motorbikes and generators - owned and rented) is fit for purpose and well managed to deliver Plan International's projects in a safe and efficient manner.
• The storage and flow of goods in the supply chain enables timely project delivery, whilst maintaining consistent and appropriate controls.
• The SSC has a planned, fit for purpose pool of assets (low and high value), and can effectively control, manage and report on them.
• Offices and other premises (incl. warehouses, accommodation) are managed as a country-wide portfolio, with needs and costs reviewed and anticipated regularly.

Leadership
• Accountable for overall Supply Chain performance, providing strategic direction for the function and ensuring it is well aligned to the organisational strategic objectives and Strategy.
• Develop the overall operational planning for procurement, fleet and assets, in liaison with respective user departments, and lead the implementation of the plan in order to realise the organisation’s objectives.
• Monitor overall process performance, manage continuous improvements in the department, ensure regular reports are received including quarterly procurement planning analysis. 
• Performance Management - Manage, motivate, develop and oversee the performance management of staff in line with the organisation’s systems, rules and regulations for HR management including staff evaluation, training and career planning.
• Proactively engage with cross-functional teams to ensure awareness and inclusion of Supply Chain aspects in all relevant areas of the organization. 
• Act as the supply chain focal point for all grants/programmes, providing high quality input at all stages of the project cycle from proposal development, programme planning, inception, implementation and closure ensuring that all aspects of supply chain & logistics are considered (supply chain plans, procurement plans, staffing plans, budgeting, etc.).
• Provide supply chain leadership & management support to key programmes in the country, with emphasis on ways of working effectively with the different Units.
• Lead on driving supply chain change initiatives through the SSC supply chain aiming for operational excellence in line with the Supply Chain Operations Manual.

Supply Chain Operations Management
• Responsible for the compliant and efficient execution of Supply Chain operations in line with Donor rules and regulations and Plan Global standards, policies and tools.
• Lead on Procurement Planning development, analysis and strategic orientation for procurement activities within SSC ensuring efficient planning and allocation of resources.
• Develop a strong procurement structure with proactive market and supplier identification, development of supplier framework agreements in line with overall needs and requirements.
• Develop sourcing strategy to make procurement activities more proactive and strategic in manner to enable on time, quality, and cost-efficient delivery.
• Strengthen the development, execution and monitoring of contracts with suppliers, ensuring all policy documents for Plan International are included (Child Protection, Anti-corruption and Anti-Terrorism Policy, Gender and Release from Liability Policy).
• Ensure efficient process turnaround, value for money and efficient use of resources (staff, assets, infrastructure)
• Fleet management processes and systems are implemented alongside careful data analysis to ensure that the fleet is optimised, rightly utilised and sized as per needs, mitigating risks and adhering to high standards of safety and security. 
• The pool of assets is maintained, monitored and reported on to ensure it is fit for purpose and to comply with donor requirements.
• Offices are efficiently managed ensuring staff health and safety. All premises are appropriately, efficiently and regularly maintained.
• End to end Supply Chain costs are understood and monitored to ensure appropriate cost recovery to projects. 

Supply Chain Excellence, Logistics and Procurement compliance
• Accountable for effective, compliant and cost-efficient Supply Chain management processes, measures and controls that ensure the right quality and quantity of goods and services are purchased at the right price and delivered to the right place at the right time. 
• Certify that internal Supply Chain controls are always adhered to and safeguard the organization from loss or malpractice.
• Evaluate and control measures used to manage risk in all supply chain business processes and guide management in development / improvement of control measures as necessary.
• Review all Procurement documentation ensuring compliance with the organisation’s policies, procedures and thresholds as per the operations manual.
• Ensure compliance to stores/warehousing, inventory and assets procedures which include physical checks/verification of goods and services received and implementation of efficient inventory management practices. 
• Ensure appropriate fleet processes are in place to mitigate risk, improving safety and security. 
• Monitor and evaluate key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to assess the performance of SSC supply chain operations and identify areas for improvement.
Capacity Development and Stewardship:
• Conduct staff appraisals and monitor performance through mentoring, coaching, regular 1:1s and coordination meetings.
• Develop strong integrated working relationships with user departments to support the early identification of supply chain needs and also support the grants management team during proposal writing. 
• Provide analysis, benchmarks and recommendations for determining effective resource utilisation. 
• Lead and implement continuous improvement as a standard way of operating within the Supply Chain department.
• Provide oversight of the Supply Chain function, building on process capacity and teams capability.
• Identify staff capacity building requirements through training needs assessments and skills gaps analysis. 
• Develop a training and capacity building plan based on any gaps identified from the needs assessment and through any other channels.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Development and Implementation
Lead and manage the Supply Chain management Service Levels Agreements with clients focusing on proactive, responsive and efficient operations and targeted excellence.
• Design, develop, and implement comprehensive SLAs for finance operations services provided by the Shared Services Centre.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define SLA parameters, including performance metrics, response times, and service quality standards.
• Ensure SLAs are aligned with organizational goals and client expectations, regularly reviewing and updating them as necessary.
• Monitor compliance with SLAs, analyzing performance data to identify trends, areas for improvement, and potential risks.
• Develop and maintain documentation for all SLAs, ensuring clarity and accessibility for all relevant parties.
• Conduct training sessions and workshops to educate supply chain team members and stakeholders on SLA requirements and compliance.
• Work with cross-functional teams to resolve SLA breaches, implement corrective actions, and enhance service delivery processes.
• Present supply chain function SLA performance reports to SSC management and clients, providing insights and recommendations for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding
• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential
• University degree in supply chain management, business management and administration or related field and/or equivalent professional experience in a similar position most of which should preferably be from within the humanitarian/NGO sector. 
• At least 7 Years’ experience in relevant field
• 3 Years in a leadership/managerial role
• A professional qualification at least CIPS level 5
• A professional membership of recognized purchasing and supplies institution (CIPS, KISM)
• Experience in a similar environment with significant scale of country or region wide supply chain management responsibilities across procurement, fleet, asset management warehousing, administration, distribution both directly and working through partners.
• Experience in supply chain in emergency preparedness and response programming; both direct implementation and implementation through partners.
• Previous experience in managing and developing teams and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others including remote management of teams across multiple sites.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with a particular ability to think outside the box.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to report on and demonstrate performance improvement and efficiencies through accurate and concise reports.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong IT skills, including Excel and integrated resources management (ERP) software (SAP would be an advantage).
• Knowledge and experience of project management.
• Knowledge of the humanitarian sector trends and constraints would be an advantage.
• Proficiency in English language is essential.

Desirable
• Experience in international supply chains and custom regulations 
• Experience with supporting Cash and Voucher programming
• Training and capacity building experience 
• Experience of working in ERP based systems and environment
• Experience of working in large scale/fast moving emergency responses 

Location: Nairobi, Kenya 
Closing Date: 10th September 2024

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.