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UNFPA-Health Supply Chain Management in Emergencies Specialist-P3/P4-Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo, Sri LankaPosition Title: Health Supply Chain Management in Emergencies Specialist
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Duration: 3 months
Language: English
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
On 28 November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka, causing severe flooding and landslides, creating a rapidly evolving humanitarian emergency that has affected more than 2 million people.
Approximately 22,572 pregnant women and 520,549 women of reproductive age have been affected by the cyclone. But with numerous hospitals and health clinics damaged, many women are left without reliable access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, increasing risks of unassisted births, pregnancy complications and unmet family planning needs.
Currently, 152,537 people are residing in temporary evacuation shelters. Overcrowding, limited lighting, lack of privacy, and shared sanitation facilities are heightening gender-based violence (GBV) risks, particularly for adolescent girls, older women, and persons with disabilities.
The current humanitarian emergency necessitates a dedicated Health Supply Chain Management in Emergencies Specialist (P3/P4 level) to overcome severe operational challenges and ensure the efficient delivery of life-saving aid. This role is crucial because widespread infrastructure damage and service disruptions are actively hindering the transportation of vital health commodities, leading to critical supply chain gaps.
The specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end supply chain of UNFPA's crisis response, including developing and updating the supply plan, coordinating the forecasting of emergency supplies, and ensuring accountability by managing data collection on consumption from implementing partners (IPs). By liaising with relevant sectors (Health, Protection, Logistics) and supporting the distribution of critical items like the urgently needed dignity kits and lifesaving SRH supplies, this position directly maximizes UNFPA's ability to protect the health, rights, and dignity of the most at-risk women and girls.
Role Description: Under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Sri Lanka CO Humanitarian Emergency Coordinator, the Supply Chain Specialist will be part of the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Team under the overall direction of the UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative and programmatic guidance of the CO Deputy Representative. The Supply Chain Specialist will provide guidance on coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of humanitarian health and pharmaceutical supply chains activities.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the general supervision of the UNFPA CO Representative the incumbent is responsible for, but not limited to, the following assigned duties:
Rapid Assessments/Field Visits
● As appropriate, participate in joint field assessments or undertake UNFPA specific field visits/assessment missions to gain a better understanding of existing supply chain gaps and needs
Programme Implementation and Coordination
● Oversee and manage the end-to-end supply chain of UNFPA's crisis response in the country.
● Support in the development and regular update of the supply plan, ensuring collaboration and engagement from programme and operations teams
● Implement a systematized approach for updates to the supply plan, kit contents and timelines for supply prioritization
● Provide guidance, support and advice to the programme team related to specific products and quantification of items.
● Support the Emergency Response Coordinator, the GBViE and the SRHiE specialists in projecting future needs of emergency supplies.
● Ensure that the coordination and communication mechanism between program management and the operation unit are well set up.
● Support the programme team in the development of distribution plans based on response plan priorities and supply plan objectives.
Monitoring and Evaluation
● Establish a monitoring mechanism, in alignment with UNFPA's tools and procedures, the collection of essential upstream and downstream supply data, including consumption data of the IPs and supported service delivery points
● Undertake monitoring visits to ensure proper inventory data collection and reporting
● Work with the programme team to collect relevant services data in a manner which can be used to inform supply provision
● Utilize data collected to update supply plans and associated procurement plans with programme team
Liaising/Coordination with Partner Agencies
● Liaise with humanitarian stakeholders working in relevant sectors/Clusters, such as Health, WASH, Protection, Logistics, Camp Management, etc. to ensure inclusion of commodities specific to UNFPA’s mandate into the national humanitarian response plan.
● Establish partnerships with humanitarian health supply partners to ensure consistent and coordinated forecasting and supply planning for health supply gaps
● Ensure relevant reporting on supply plan and distribution plans to the health cluster/sector
● Establish partnership and regular coordination mechanisms with the IP and stakeholders.
● Engage with the national government as relevant and appropriate to ensure forecasts on supply gaps and needs are linked to any existing national data systems.
Reporting
● Provide regular (at least weekly) updates on UNFPA emergency commodities and supplies management for inclusion in donor reports and OCHA SitReps.
● Support the communications and donor teams to quantify and report on UNFPA
supply provisions and impact on a regular basis
Capacity Development
● Provide coaching to newly recruited staff and consultants, where appropriate.
● Coach and build capacity of staff members and staff of implementing partners responding to crisis, as appropriate.
● Regularly update on the IP technical capacity, identify gaps on inventory management propose training and evaluation sessions.
Any Other Duties
● Perform any other duties as required by the Representative and/or Head of Office
Qualifications and Skills Required:
● Advanced degree in logistics management or equivalent relevant professional certification in areas such as transport, distribution and supply chain management. A first university degree with relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
● 5-to-7-year field experience in humanitarian/emergency settings
● Managing medical supplies in emergency settings is an advantage
● Experience and knowledge with INGO and UN systems, especially UNFPA is an advantage.
● Excellent communication skills and ability to work in stressful environments, strong leadership skills also highly desired.
● Good knowledge of humanitarian response.
● Proficiency in English and in other official languages of the UN required
CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.
Receiving Agency: UNFPA
P Level: P3/P4
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Duration: 3 months
Language: English
Background Description of Emergency / Justification for Request
On 28 November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka, causing severe flooding and landslides, creating a rapidly evolving humanitarian emergency that has affected more than 2 million people.
Approximately 22,572 pregnant women and 520,549 women of reproductive age have been affected by the cyclone. But with numerous hospitals and health clinics damaged, many women are left without reliable access to life-saving sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, increasing risks of unassisted births, pregnancy complications and unmet family planning needs.
Currently, 152,537 people are residing in temporary evacuation shelters. Overcrowding, limited lighting, lack of privacy, and shared sanitation facilities are heightening gender-based violence (GBV) risks, particularly for adolescent girls, older women, and persons with disabilities.
The current humanitarian emergency necessitates a dedicated Health Supply Chain Management in Emergencies Specialist (P3/P4 level) to overcome severe operational challenges and ensure the efficient delivery of life-saving aid. This role is crucial because widespread infrastructure damage and service disruptions are actively hindering the transportation of vital health commodities, leading to critical supply chain gaps.
The specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end supply chain of UNFPA's crisis response, including developing and updating the supply plan, coordinating the forecasting of emergency supplies, and ensuring accountability by managing data collection on consumption from implementing partners (IPs). By liaising with relevant sectors (Health, Protection, Logistics) and supporting the distribution of critical items like the urgently needed dignity kits and lifesaving SRH supplies, this position directly maximizes UNFPA's ability to protect the health, rights, and dignity of the most at-risk women and girls.
Role Description: Under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Sri Lanka CO Humanitarian Emergency Coordinator, the Supply Chain Specialist will be part of the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Team under the overall direction of the UNFPA Sri Lanka Representative and programmatic guidance of the CO Deputy Representative. The Supply Chain Specialist will provide guidance on coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of humanitarian health and pharmaceutical supply chains activities.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the general supervision of the UNFPA CO Representative the incumbent is responsible for, but not limited to, the following assigned duties:
Rapid Assessments/Field Visits
● As appropriate, participate in joint field assessments or undertake UNFPA specific field visits/assessment missions to gain a better understanding of existing supply chain gaps and needs
Programme Implementation and Coordination
● Oversee and manage the end-to-end supply chain of UNFPA's crisis response in the country.
● Support in the development and regular update of the supply plan, ensuring collaboration and engagement from programme and operations teams
● Implement a systematized approach for updates to the supply plan, kit contents and timelines for supply prioritization
● Provide guidance, support and advice to the programme team related to specific products and quantification of items.
● Support the Emergency Response Coordinator, the GBViE and the SRHiE specialists in projecting future needs of emergency supplies.
● Ensure that the coordination and communication mechanism between program management and the operation unit are well set up.
● Support the programme team in the development of distribution plans based on response plan priorities and supply plan objectives.
Monitoring and Evaluation
● Establish a monitoring mechanism, in alignment with UNFPA's tools and procedures, the collection of essential upstream and downstream supply data, including consumption data of the IPs and supported service delivery points
● Undertake monitoring visits to ensure proper inventory data collection and reporting
● Work with the programme team to collect relevant services data in a manner which can be used to inform supply provision
● Utilize data collected to update supply plans and associated procurement plans with programme team
Liaising/Coordination with Partner Agencies
● Liaise with humanitarian stakeholders working in relevant sectors/Clusters, such as Health, WASH, Protection, Logistics, Camp Management, etc. to ensure inclusion of commodities specific to UNFPA’s mandate into the national humanitarian response plan.
● Establish partnerships with humanitarian health supply partners to ensure consistent and coordinated forecasting and supply planning for health supply gaps
● Ensure relevant reporting on supply plan and distribution plans to the health cluster/sector
● Establish partnership and regular coordination mechanisms with the IP and stakeholders.
● Engage with the national government as relevant and appropriate to ensure forecasts on supply gaps and needs are linked to any existing national data systems.
Reporting
● Provide regular (at least weekly) updates on UNFPA emergency commodities and supplies management for inclusion in donor reports and OCHA SitReps.
● Support the communications and donor teams to quantify and report on UNFPA
supply provisions and impact on a regular basis
Capacity Development
● Provide coaching to newly recruited staff and consultants, where appropriate.
● Coach and build capacity of staff members and staff of implementing partners responding to crisis, as appropriate.
● Regularly update on the IP technical capacity, identify gaps on inventory management propose training and evaluation sessions.
Any Other Duties
● Perform any other duties as required by the Representative and/or Head of Office
Qualifications and Skills Required:
● Advanced degree in logistics management or equivalent relevant professional certification in areas such as transport, distribution and supply chain management. A first university degree with relevant experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
● 5-to-7-year field experience in humanitarian/emergency settings
● Managing medical supplies in emergency settings is an advantage
● Experience and knowledge with INGO and UN systems, especially UNFPA is an advantage.
● Excellent communication skills and ability to work in stressful environments, strong leadership skills also highly desired.
● Good knowledge of humanitarian response.
● Proficiency in English and in other official languages of the UN required
CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.