Supply Chain Officer, Emergency logistics UAE

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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The World Food Programme is the worlds largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict disasters and the impact of climate change.

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WHY JOIN WFP

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive diverse and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training accreditation coaching mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country regional and global offices around the world and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Dubai plays a critical role in global emergency preparedness and response serving as a strategic pre positioning and dispatch hub for life saving humanitarian relief items in support of WFP and the wider humanitarian community.

Since late February 2026 UNHRD Dubai has been operating in an exceptionally volatile regional environment characterized by:

Severe disruptions to key maritime corridors including the Strait of Hormuz

Intermittent port and airspace closures across the Gulf region

Rapid and unpredictable changes in routing availability carrier acceptance and transit times

Sharp volatility in freight rates with emergency and war risk surcharges applied at very short notice

Intensified competition for limited transport capacity from both humanitarian and commercial actors operating out of the UAE.

These conditions are directly impacting the ability of UNHRD Dubai to move pre positioned stocks in a timely and cost effective manner and to replenish strategic inventories critical to ongoing and emerging humanitarian operations in the Middle East and beyond.

In this context UNHRD Dubai requires immediate surge capacity to reinforce ongoing emergency operations stabilize and adapt shipping corridors in real time engage decisively with market actors and provide experienced leadership and coaching to the existing logistics team operating under unprecedented pressure.

The overall objective of this assignment is to strengthen UNHRD Dubais emergency logistics response capacity during a period of acute regional disruption by providing operational support market intelligence and expert advice while ensuring continuity of humanitarian supply chains.

Specifically the assignment aims to:

Ensure uninterrupted operational support to ongoing and emerging humanitarian movements from and to UNHRD Dubai

Rapidly identify secure and operationalize viable alternative shipping and multimodal corridors under emergency conditions

Reinforce UNHRD Dubais engagement with key logistics service providers and authorities to maintain priority access to constrained capacity

Support and coach the existing logistics team to navigate complex fast changing emergency logistics scenarios.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Operations and in close collaboration with the Hub Manager the incumbent will perform the following functions:

1. Emergency Operational Logistics Support: a)Provide hands on day to day operational support to UNHRD Dubai logistics activities affected by regional disruptions including outbound dispatches and inbound replenishments in close coordination with WFP Supply Chain Division ensuring alignment with corporate aviation shipping and overland transport strategies; b) Act as a technical reference for complex routing recommendations last minute diversions emergency re planning and non standard transport solutions together with WFP Aviation and Shipping units to validate routing options assess feasibility of alternative corridors and support rapid operational decision making; c)Support urgent coordination with freight forwarders shipping lines airlines transport brokers and port/airport authorities to secure capacity under constrained market conditions; d) Contribute to the rapid resolution of operational bottlenecks customs issues documentation constraints and regulatory barriers in transit and destination countries.

2. Emergency Market & Corridor Assessment: a) Ensure real time operationally focused assessment of current and alternative shipping airfreight and multimodal corridors relevant to UNHRD Dubai operations and coordinate closely with WFP Supply Chain Division including Aviation and Shipping units on engagement with global carriers and service providers particularly where negotiations may have corporate level implications; b)Identify non traditional emerging or under utilized routes and hubs that could be activated under emergency conditions or for specific cargo (medical armoured vehicles DG); c) Analyse market capacity carriers behaviour service reliability and pricing dynamics as they evolve during the crisis; d)Translate market intelligence into immediate actionable operational recommendations rather than purely analytical outputs; e)Contribute to maintaining coherent messaging and positioning vis à vis market actors across UNHRD hubs and WFP supply chain structures. 3. 3. Engagement & Negotiation: a)In coordination with the head of logistics engage directly with key logistics service providers to negotiate emergency solutions manage risk exposure and maintain humanitarian prioritization; b) Advise UNHRD Dubai management on when and how to apply flexibility escalation or firmness in commercial discussions depending on operational risk; c) Support alignment with UNHRD Network counterparts and WFP Supply Chain colleagues to ensure coherence & complementarity across hubs during the crisis.

4. Reporting & Deliverables: a)Produce concise decision oriented briefings for UNHRD Dubai management on corridor status market risks and recommended mitigation measures; b) Contribute to consolidated corporate reporting and emergency logistics updates by providing locally acquired intelligence & operational insights from the UAE and regional market to WFP Supply Chain Division (including Aviation and Shipping units) through concise action oriented briefings as required.

5. Other Duties: a) Provide on the job mentoring and coaching to the UNHRD Dubai logistics team strengthening their ability to manage emergency driven volatility.

6. Perform any other relevant tasks required

Education: Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in international logistics shipping freight forwarding or humanitarian supply chain operations

Experience:

Proven experience in operational and management roles with direct accountability for complex logistics decision making.

Extensive hands on knowledge of UAE GCC and Middle East logistics corridors carriers agents and regulatory environments.

Knowledge & Skills:

Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in high pressure emergency contexts including negotiating access to constrained transport capacity.

Strong professional network with shipping lines freight forwarders airlines and regional logistics stakeholders.

Proven ability to mentor and coach operational teams while providing senior technical leadership.

Excellent analytical communication and reporting skills.

Language: Fluent in English (oral/written)

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REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs job requirements merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse all forms of discrimination any kind of harassment sexual harassment and abuse of authority. Therefore all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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