Supply Chain Officer

Deadline for applications

30 March 2026 - 23:59 GMT+04:00 Gulf Standard Time (Dubai)

Diversity and equal opportunity

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, or disability.

About WFP

The World Food Programme is the world's 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.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do. The vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high-performing teams selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion), and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

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 and 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 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).

Context

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.

Overall objective

The overall objective of this assignment is to strengthen UNHRD Dubai’s 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.

Specific aims

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 Dubai’s 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

Key functions

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

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.
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.
Support urgent coordination with freight forwarders, shipping lines, airlines, transport brokers, and port/airport authorities to secure capacity under constrained market conditions.
Contribute to the rapid resolution of operational bottlenecks, customs issues, documentation constraints, and regulatory barriers in transit and destination countries.

2. Emergency market and corridor assessment

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.
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).
Analyse market capacity, carriers’ behaviour, service reliability, and pricing dynamics as they evolve during the crisis.
Translate market intelligence into immediate actionable operational recommendations rather than purely analytical outputs.
Contribute to maintaining coherent messaging and positioning vis-à-vis market actors across UNHRD hubs and WFP supply chain structures.

3. Engagement and negotiation

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.
Advise UNHRD Dubai management on when and how to apply flexibility, escalation, or firmness in commercial discussions depending on operational risk.
Support alignment with UNHRD Network counterparts and WFP Supply Chain colleagues to ensure coherence and complementarity across hubs during the crisis.

4. Reporting and deliverables

Produce concise decision-oriented briefings for UNHRD Dubai management on corridor status, market risks, and recommended mitigation measures.
Contribute to consolidated corporate reporting and emergency logistics updates by providing locally acquired intelligence and 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

Provide on-the-job mentoring and coaching to the UNHRD Dubai logistics team, strengthening their ability to manage emergency-driven volatility.
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 and 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 and written).

WFP leadership framework

WFP Leadership Framework guides the common standards of behavior that guide how we work together to accomplish our mission.

Reasonable accommodation

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process.

No fee disclaimer

The United Nations does not charge any application processing, training, interviewing, testing, or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names, and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Reminders before you submit your application

All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate and complete and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply and submit your application.
At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and cover letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.
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.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Required experience

Unclear seniority

Key skills

HVAC engineering
Legal and compliance
Administration support
HR marketing
Arabic-English translation