Procurement Services & Logistics Officer

Organization: UNICEF Tanzania
Supervisor Title / Level: Supply & Logistics Specialist
Organizational Unit: Supply & Logistics
Post Location: Tanzania Country Office, Dar es Salaam
Job Level: Level 1
CCOG Code: 1A09
Functional Code: SUP
Job Classification Level: Level 1
Job Profile Number: Not provided in the source.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND PURPOSE FOR THE JOB

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does, in programmes, in advocacy and in operations.

The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action.

For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism.

To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life, in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions, her or his rights are violated.

There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens, addressing inequity, not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries.

This is why the focus on equity is so vital.

It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

JOB ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Procurement Services (PS) mechanism is an integral part of UNICEF programmes of cooperation and allows UNICEF to make its procurement capacity, scale and expertise available to partners.

PS provides an opportunity to facilitate a more optimal use of national budgets for children, as well as an entry point to provide targeted technical support to national supply chains and systems.

Ultimately, these engagements drive results for Tanzanian children and mothers, while UNICEF works with the government to strengthen local government supply chain systems.

UNICEF Tanzania has been providing Procurement Services to:

• The Government of Tanzania
• The Ministry of Health Tanzania Mainland
• The Ministry of Health of Zanzibar
• Other UN Agencies
• Development partners
• Some NGOs

The Health sector has especially benefited from major strategic leveraging opportunities for the provision of essential medical supplies and equipment for children and women for Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The total value of Cost Estimates issued in 2026 was over US$25 million.

UNICEF Tanzania procures and receives Programme and Operations supplies from:

• Local-based vendors
• Offshore suppliers
• Supply Division warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark

These supplies are delivered to Tanzania by:

• Air
• Land
• Sea

Import formalities and customs clearance are managed by UNICEF Tanzania through third-party logistics service providers.

The supplies are stored in three UNICEF-controlled warehouses located in:

• Dar es Salaam
• Dodoma
• Kasulu

The supplies are dispatched to partners for programme implementation and emergency responses.

Under the supervision of the Supply & Logistics Specialist, the Procurement Services & Logistics Officer is responsible for coordinating and managing all transactional aspects of the Procurement Services (PS) portfolio and all supplies procured for UNICEF Programmes and Operations.

The role supports the identification and follow-up of supply financing needs linked to PS transactions, in coordination with the Supply Financing Centre in Supply Division, including:

• Preparation of financing requests
• Required documentation
• Monitoring of funding timelines
• Monitoring of repayment timelines

The position also contributes to strengthening national supply chain systems by:

• Supporting the identification of procurement and supply chain bottlenecks
• Facilitating coordination with government counterparts and development partners
• Supporting the implementation of practical improvement measures

This includes identifying opportunities to leverage available UNICEF SD supply financing instruments, where appropriate, to:

• Address financing gaps
• Ensure continuity of essential supplies
• Support government ownership
• Support national procurement capacity

This also includes supporting assessments aimed at identifying supply financing bottlenecks and actions for improvement.

KEY FUNCTIONS, ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RELATED DUTIES/TASKS

Summary of Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Supply Chain Service Delivery and Response
2. Manage the Procurement Service portfolio
3. Support national supply chain system strengthening
4. Import formalities and customs clearance
5. Manage UNICEF-controlled warehouses and transportation of supplies

1. SUPPLY CHAIN SERVICE DELIVERY AND RESPONSE

• Responsible for transactional processes, logistics and pipeline monitoring, communication and coordination of Procurement Services (PS) transactions.
• Provide technical advice on specifications, supply and logistics arrangements, facilitating efficient:
  • Procurement
  • Clearance
  • Storage
  • Distribution of supplies and equipment
• Support the country programme PS transactions.
• Process requests for Cost Estimate (CE) and facilitate delivery of goods purchased under PS.
• Support PS clients with supply planning of all annual needs for supplies and services.
• Receive and review all PS requests before submitting them to Supply Division (SD) for processing.
• Review PS forms and share them with SD for processing.
• Communicate with SD and clients to ensure needs are clearly understood and that the right products and equipment are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Monitor movement of goods for PS clients and ensure timely clearance and delivery to clients.
• Ensure coordination and monitoring of PS transactions, including beyond the point of entry.
• Facilitate an effective PS workflow.
• Facilitate resolution of bottlenecks, gaps or other in-country issues associated with PS transactions, in close collaboration with SD and national counterparts.
• Maintain the PS requests tracking sheet and share it regularly with clients for follow-up and expediting.
• Monitor all PS purchase orders to ensure timely delivery.
• Maintain an offshore shipment tracking system.
• Work closely with all line Ministries and GPSA to ensure timely clearance and delivery of all offshore shipments.
• Liaise with implementing partners for timely delivery and receipt of goods and equipment once cleared from ports of entry.
• Ensure effective support in Government capacity-building efforts in supply chain management in order to enhance efficient, effective and timely supply delivery.

2. MANAGE THE PROCUREMENT SERVICES PORTFOLIO

• Ensure timely and active engagement with government counterparts and UNICEF Programme colleagues to make sure that key elements of Procurement Services and Supply Chain Strengthening are considered and duly incorporated into:
  • National strategies
  • Donor strategies
  • UNICEF strategies
  • CPD
  • And vice versa
• Support assessments on supply financing, validation with government and recourse actions to enhance utilization of data based on evidence.
• Ensure that PS activities and transactions are a drawdown from strategies that have been jointly established between Government and UNICEF.
• Work with the government to strengthen pre-ordering and post-delivery activities for existing PS supplies.
• Support government counterparts in establishing strategies that will maximize the decisions and impact resulting from the PS partnership.
• Manage the statement of accounts for all PS transactions.
• Support clarification of outstanding balances.
• Follow up with partners on:
  • Payments
  • Financial closure
• Identify opportunities to leverage available supply financing instruments, such as:
  • VII pre-financing
  • CNF Match Window
  • Other available instruments
• Follow through on opportunities, where appropriate, to address financing constraints affecting the timely procurement and availability of essential supplies, including:
  • Vaccines
  • Health commodities
  • Nutrition commodities
• Ensure these financing opportunities are aligned with:
  • Government priorities
  • Applicable eligibility requirements
• Identify funding gaps and funding timing mismatches affecting planned PS transactions.
• Liaise with the Supply Financing Centre to explore applicable UNICEF supply financing instruments, including VII pre-financing.
• Support preparation and follow-up of supply financing requests by compiling information on:
  • Commodity needs
  • Stockout risks
  • Procurement timelines
  • Funding sources
  • Expected fund transfer dates
  • Proposed repayment arrangements
• Facilitate completion of required documentation, including cost estimate acceptance letters, where applicable.
• Track:
  • Approved supply financing arrangements
  • Outstanding balances
  • Repayment deadlines
• Follow up with relevant government:
  • Health counterparts
  • Finance counterparts
  • Budget counterparts
    on fund transfers and repayments.
• Promptly escalate delays or emerging risks to:
  • Supply & Logistics Specialist
  • Supply Financing Centre
• Maintain an updated pipeline of planned and prospective procurement activities, including:
  • Commodity requirements
  • Indicative funding amounts
  • Financing gaps
  • Expected procurement timelines
  • Follow-up actions
• Use the pipeline to facilitate forward planning and coordination with Supply Division.

3. SUPPORT NATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM STRENGTHENING

• Support National Supply Chain System Strengthening through effective collaboration and partnerships with other donors and implementing partners to improve supply chain efficiency in the country.
• Present the Menu of Services available through SD.
• Support identification of system and capacity gaps in any segment of the supply chain, including supply financing challenges related to:
  • Vaccines
  • Health commodities
  • Nutrition commodities
• Facilitate engagement with the Supply Financing Centre on:
  • Available financing solutions
  • Relevant technical assistance
• In coordination with Supply Division and relevant government counterparts, support assessment of key bottlenecks and inefficiencies across the end-to-end supply chain for essential supplies, including:
  • Forecasting
  • Quantification
  • Procurement
  • Financing
  • Warehousing
  • Inventory management
  • Distribution
  • Last-mile delivery
• Contribute to development of a prioritized supply chain improvement roadmap with:
  • Practical recommendations
  • Proposed responsibilities
  • Implementation timelines
• Support actions to address identified gaps and strengthen national supply chain performance while reinforcing:
  • Government ownership
  • Institutional capacity
• Support MOH in planning and budgeting for essential supplies.
• Participate in the quantification process for essential commodities.

4. IMPORT FORMALITIES AND CUSTOMS CLEARANCE

• Manage import formalities and customs clearance for:
  • UNICEF cargo
  • PS supplies, as required
• Ensure import permits are approved prior to cargo arriving at:
  • Air ports of entry
  • Sea ports of entry
  • Land ports of entry
• Work with regulatory authorities including, but not limited to:
  • Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA)
  • Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA)
  • Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)
  • Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA)
  • Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA)
  • Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC)
• Ensure import formalities are approved.
• Communicate with SD and global freight forwarders.
• Provide import formalities statuses and confirmation to ship cargo.
• Liaise with Government Procurement Services Agency (GPSA) for PS customs clearance.
• Supervise customs clearance agents for UNICEF-imported cargo.
• Ensure contracts for services are provided.
• Facilitate final invoice payments.
• Review the Container Tracking dashboard in Insight.
• Plan import formalities for inbound cargo.
• Regularly communicate with:
  • Supply Division
  • Air freight forwarders
  • Land freight forwarders
  • Sea freight forwarders

5. MANAGE UNICEF-CONTROLLED WAREHOUSES AND TRANSPORTATION OF SUPPLIES

• Manage the receiving, storing and dispatching of UNICEF supplies in controlled warehouses in:
  • Dar es Salaam
  • Dodoma
  • Kasulu
• Complete all VISION warehouse module-related transactions associated with:
  • Receiving
  • Storing
  • Dispatching
  • Shipment closing
• Inform Programme Sections when their supplies have been received and dispatched.
• Supervise transportation of UNICEF Programme and Operations supplies from:
  • Local suppliers
  • Controlled warehouses
• Request quotations from transporters.
• Complete evaluations.
• Request Purchase Requisitions from requesting Sections.
• Ensure contracts for services are issued to transporters prior to shipments.
• Communicate with warehouse service providers, including:
  • Africa Group Logistics
  • WFP
  • UNHCR
• Ensure contracts of services are issued.
• Manage all invoice payments for:
  • Warehouse service providers
  • Transporters
• Submit cases to PSB for impaired items.
• Regularly review VISION reports including:
  • Goods In Transit (ZGIT)
  • Stock Report (ZCOINV)
  • Release Order status (ZROSTS)
  • Reports in Insight
• Send VISION-generated stock reports to Programme Section every month.

IMPACT OF RESULTS

The ability of the Procurement Services & Logistics Officer to successfully plan, manage and oversee the effective and efficient Procurement Services and UNICEF supply chain management of goods for UNICEF programmes and the Government directly impacts programme goals and results for children.

This, in turn, contributes to maintaining and enhancing the credibility of UNICEF as an effective and responsible manager of funds entrusted to the organization.

It also contributes to furthering UNICEF’s image as a competent organization for delivering cost-effective and sustainable programme results for children.

UNICEF VALUES AND REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability
• Sustainability

Core Competencies for Staff Without Supervisory Responsibilities

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with Others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to Achieve Impactful Results (1)
• Manages Ambiguity and Complexity (1)

SKILLS

• Good analytical and negotiating skills.
• Ability to clearly and concisely express ideas and concepts in written and oral form.
• Ability to manage and monitor the effective use of financial and material resources.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious working relationships, both within and outside the organisation.
• Fast learner who adapts and responds to change and tolerates ambiguity.
• Basic knowledge of the latest developments and technology in supply chain management.
• Basic understanding of supply chain processes, from:
  • Programme needs assessment
  • Planning
  • Procurement
  • Contracting
  • Logistics
  • Delivery
  • Monitoring
  • Evaluation
• Basic knowledge and understanding of:
  • UNICEF programmes
  • Public procurement principles
  • Warehouse management
  • Financial aspects of supply chain issues
  • Legal aspects of supply chain issues
  • Ethics
  • Risk management of supply chain operations
• Logistics work experience in emergency responses is an advantage.
• Health supply chain management experience is an advantage.
• Strong communication skills with external partners.

RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS

Education

A university degree in any of the following is required:

• Supply Chain Management
• Logistics
• Procurement
• Contract / Commercial Law
• Pharmacy
• Health
• Related social science field

Experience

• At least one year of relevant work experience in:
  • Supply
  • Procurement
  • Logistics
  • Purchasing
  • Contracting
  • Pharmacy
  • Administration
  • Other related fields
• Emergency experience is an advantage.
• Health supply chain management experience is an advantage.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Kiswahili is required.