Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides assistance in more than 60 countries to populations in distress, to victims of natural or manmade disasters and to victims of armed conflicts, without discrimination and irrespective of origin, religion, creed or political affiliation.
Regional Supply Team Leader (m/f/x) – MSF Belgium – Johannesburg
Mid-2019, MSF OCB (Operational Center Brussels) launched a reform aiming at providing more autonomy to the projects: the Field Recentralization programme/FrC. Following a first phase in Southern Africa, Central Africa (CA), then MSF operations in Europe and now South America located operations were selected to develop a regional and innovative and transformational support approach to operations that was implemented since 2019.
Amongst other changes a core Regional Support Team (RST) animates the network in the region by ensuring the optimal autonomy of the projects and the strategic support to the projects according to the principles of subsidiarity. Cell 5 who had overseen operations in the region, has gradually handed over the operations starting from the creation of a core Regional team, and reinforcing the project management teams to be more autonomous. The transformation can be considered completed for the projects in Southern Africa having completed a full strategic cycle in recentralized configuration.
The Field Recentralization program therefore impacts the role of teams at the project, country and regional level. At each level, the roles and responsibilities will be adapted and different from those currently played by the projects, the unit and the coordination teams.
A core “Regional Support Team – South Africa” (RST 7) is based in Johannesburg and it is the interlocutor of the projects and of the country support team (formerly called the coordination teams), in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and any future contexts in the region in collaboration with the MSF Southern Africa section (MSF-ZA) who hosts the team and support it in some domains.
This RST is made up of senior Ops, Med, HR, Log, Fin and Supply profiles. For some of these last positions a hybrid function was designed sharing responsibilities with roles at the country or section level. For example, the Supply position in the RST has had a double profile for the last couple of years: On one hand as the designer of the supply chain for every field of operation within the scope of the RST and providing technical support to the projects and on the other hand, developing Regional Supply Chain and procurement knowledge and networking capacity in order to strengthen the support to the global OCB operations and the MSF movement, leading to the development of the SASSU entity (Southern Africa Supply Support Unit).
With the increasing ambitions to develop the Regional Supply capacities and networking it is time to split the position in two: the current incumbent will keep the development of SASSU to make it grow and settle it in the global MSF Supply Chain Footprint. Therefore, we are looking for a candidate to cover the Support to the operations.
To obtain greater autonomy for projects, a strengthening of responsibility and skills at the project level is essential. This strengthening has been accompanied by a transformation of the responsibilities of the previous coordination teams (now referred to as Country Support Teams) with a change of responsibility and titles at Country Support team and increased responsibility at project level.
At the same time, autonomy includes the duty for the project to consult the teams at the country and regional level and the technical referents/experts concerned. Each operational team must have access to the expertise and internal knowledge of MSF (e.g. referents at the regional / global / headquarters level).
Finally, Field Recentralization promotes a participatory managerial approach by including project staff in strategic decisions, while keeping a clear decisional line.
OCB in Southern Africa:
The Regional Supply Team Leader – RST7 is the designer of the supply chain for every field of operation within the scope of the RST, defining and guaranteeing the implementation of an effective and efficient regional supply chain and defining standards and strategies according to MSF protocols where applicable. With a focus on process optimization, information system alignment and correct application of the various regulatory guidelines and laws concerning importation/exportation, purchase, storage and distribution of medical and non-medical goods, adapting standards, procedures and policies to the new regional flow, to enable the development of the projects and optimize the impact of the medical projects.
Direct support to Operations
*Due to the location legislation, all appointments for more than 6 months must have a local contract, meaning that all taxes are deducted and paid in South Africa
Deadline for applications: 9 March 2023
Please, send your CV and cover letter to recruit-hq-sc@brussels.msf.org and mention “Regional Supply Team Leader – Johannesburg” in the subject of your email.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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Tagged as: Médecins Sans Frontières, South Africa
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