About this role
Vacancy Announcement
MSF Ubuntu is looking for a Logistics and Supply Cell Advisor
Do your skills and experience not precisely match the requirements? At MSF Ubuntu, we strive to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace, recognizing the need to increase access to professional opportunities for historically underrepresented groups. If you're interested in this position but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the selection criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other positions.
Firmly committed to Safeguarding patients, community members, staff and all those in contact with the organization from all forms of abuse including Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH), we will take all necessary steps to ensure that confirmed perpetrators of abuse will not join the organization, enabled through rigorous vetting processes.
For this position, contact level with patients and children is categorized as Medium Risk and will be monitored with this in regard.
Introduction
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organisation that provides assistance to people affected by conflicts, epidemics, and natural or human-made disasters and excluded from healthcare. We provide this assistance without discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation.
About MSF Ubuntu
MSF Ubuntu is the newest Operational Directorate (OD) of Médecins Sans Frontières, grounded in the principles of Ubuntu – “I am because we are”. With a base blended between the offices of MSF Southern Africa and MSF Eastern Africa and a strong emphasis on interdependence, interoperability, and maximizing sustainable outcomes, MSF Ubuntu seeks to add a new approach to the delivery of medical humanitarian action to the movement by placing communities at the heart of decision-making.
Job Purpose
The Logistics & Supply Cell Advisor supports MSF Ubuntu programmes by providing operational, technical, and systems support across logistics and supply chain domains. The role helps ensure that programmes have coherent, context-adapted, reliable, and operationally relevant logistics and supply systems enabling safe, effective, and accountable humanitarian operations.
The position acts as a technical advisor and operational partner to field teams and coordination structures, supporting implementation, adaptation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of logistics and supply practices in line with MSF Ubuntu orientations and MSF standards.
The role combines field accompaniment, systems strengthening, quality assurance, technical coordination, and capacity building, while working closely with partner ODs and MSF technical platforms to ensure coherence, complementarity, and efficient use of expertise and systems.
This position may also assume delegated country-level representation responsibilities for MSF Ubuntu in the programme country of assignment.
Responsibilities / Result Areas
Operational Support & Field Accompaniment
• Provide direct technical and operational support to missions across logistics and supply domains, including during start-up, transition, emergency response, scale-up, or gap-filling periods.
• Support missions in identifying logistics and supply bottlenecks, risks, gaps, and priority improvements, and accompany field teams in implementing practical, context-adapted solutions.
• Ensure missions receive timely guidance on logistics and supply systems, standards, tools, and operational practices.
• Contribute to emergency preparedness, operational readiness, and continuity during critical incidents, transitions, or surge situations.
• Support the definition and implementation of a responsive logistics and supply support model for the Cell portfolio, balancing field visits, remote support, emergency surge, technical referrals, and systems follow-up.
• Prioritise logistics and supply support needs across missions in consultation with the MedOp Cell Manager, Head of Logistics, Head of Supply, and relevant operational stakeholders.
• Contribute to annual and quarterly planning of logistics and supply support activities, including assessments, field visits, reviews, emergency preparedness, capacity building, and resource planning.
• Identify additional technical support needs, including WASH, supply, energy/ICT, security logistics, flying specialists, regional support, inter-OD expertise, or external technical services.
• Provide input to operational planning and budget reviews from a logistics and supply perspective, including major investments, fleet, premises, energy, WASH, emergency stocks, maintenance, and supply chain costs.
• Provide or facilitate technical support on air operations and air safety management where air assets are used, in coordination with relevant MSF technical referents and operational leadership.
Functional Strategy, Support Model & Operational Alignment
• Contribute to the development, adaptation, and implementation of MSF Ubuntu logistics and supply strategies, priorities, policies, tools, and support models.
• Provide operational input to medical and operational strategies, ensuring logistics and supply constraints, opportunities, risks, and capacities are considered in programme design and decision-making.
• Support the definition of logistics and supply priorities across the Cell portfolio, aligned with operational needs, emergency response capacity, quality standards, and available resources.
• Promote logistics and supply as integrated enablers of medical-humanitarian action, operational quality, emergency responsiveness, and accountability.
Logistics & Supply Systems Strengthening
• Support the implementation, adaptation, and follow-up of logistics and supply systems aligned with MSF Ubuntu operational realities and MSF standards.
• Contribute to the contextualisation and operationalisation of existing MSF tools, guidelines, templates, and frameworks.
• Support missions in strengthening planning, reporting, stock management, procurement, fleet management, facilities oversight, maintenance systems, accountability, traceability, and task segregation.
• Identify system gaps, compliance issues, or operational risks, and support mitigation measures with relevant stakeholders.
• Support the development, review, adaptation, dissemination, and harmonisation of logistics and supply policies, tools, templates, and training materials, while allowing necessary contextual adaptation.
• Collect feedback from missions on the usability of tools and propose improvements to MSF Ubuntu logistics and supply leadership.
Quality Assurance & Compliance
• Support logistics and supply reviews, assessments, audit follow-up, and action plan monitoring.
• Monitor adherence to core standards, including Log Basics, supply chain principles, safety requirements, and maintenance standards.
• Support missions in improving documentation, traceability, reporting, and operational follow-up mechanisms.
• Promote quality and compliance approaches that are pragmatic, proportionate, and adapted to operational realities.
• Contribute to strengthening risk management practices related to logistics and supply activities.
• Monitor the quality, relevance, and timeliness of logistics and supply support provided to programmes and emergency operations.
• Ensure logistics and supply support contributes to responsiveness, effectiveness, efficiency, safety, and continuity of medical-humanitarian activities.
Technical Coordination & Inter‑OD Collaboration
• Act as a technical interface between MSF Ubuntu and partner ODs on logistics and supply matters.
• Coordinate with technical referents, logistics cells, and specialised platforms to facilitate access to support, tools, and expertise.
• Contribute Ubuntu operational perspectives, lessons learned, and contextual realities to inter-OD technical discussions and collaborations.
• Support alignment and complementarity between Ubuntu logistics and supply practices and broader MSF frameworks.
• Participate in technical working groups, collaborative initiatives, and operational exchanges as delegated.
• Identify opportunities for interoperability, shared tools, joint technical approaches, regional support, and operational synergies with other MSF entities and platforms.
• Facilitate links between MSF Ubuntu programmes and regional or inter-OD support capacities, ensuring complementarity and avoiding duplication.
Capacity Building & Team Support
• Identify learning and development needs for logistics and supply staff in coordination with line managers, HR, and relevant departments.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, briefing, debriefing, onboarding, and practical support to field logisticians, supply staff, LogCos, SupplyCos, and WASH referents.
• Support the strengthening of national staff capacities, operational autonomy, and readiness for coordination or emergency roles.
• Promote peer learning, on-the-job coaching, feedback culture, and sharing of operational good practices.
• Contribute to practical learning materials, operational guidance, job profile review, staffing models, team structures, and role clarification in collaboration with HR and Logistics/Supply leadership.
• Contribute to the identification and follow-up of logistics and supply talent, including emergency, gap-filling, and programme support profiles.
• Manage, coach, support, and develop direct reports in line with MSF Ubuntu HR policies, values, and management standards.
• Foster a respectful, inclusive, accountable, and safe working environment, ensuring duty of care, safeguarding, equity, diversity, and inclusion are reflected in team management and ways of working.
• Define objectives, priorities, workplans, and performance expectations for direct reports, ensuring alignment with operational priorities and available capacity.
Information, Knowledge Management & Continuous Improvement
• Support the maintenance and dissemination of simple, practical logistics and supply tools and templates.
• Contribute to operational reporting and information management processes that support decision-making.
• Document lessons learned, operational practices, and field innovations for internal learning and sharing.
• Identify opportunities for simplification, efficiency improvement, innovation, and better integration between logistics and supply functions.
• Support the definition, monitoring, and analysis of key logistics and supply indicators across the portfolio to identify risks, bottlenecks, performance gaps, and support needs.
• Promote the use of simple dashboards, logistics reporting systems, supply follow-up tools, and operational indicators to support evidence-based decision-making.
• Analyse logistics and supply data from missions, including stock performance, order lead times, procurement follow-up, fleet performance, maintenance, energy, WASH, and reporting compliance, where relevant.
• Facilitate access to mapping, GIS, and spatial analysis support where relevant for access planning, emergency assessments, WASH activities, movement planning, and operational decision-making.
Representation & Institutional Interface
• When designated, act as MSF Ubuntu’s country-level representative in the programme country of assignment, ensuring appropriate institutional presence and coordination with operational, administrative, and external stakeholders.
• Support alignment and communication between MSF Ubuntu, partner ODs, and country-level coordination structures, in coherence with agreed governance and collaboration frameworks.
• Contribute to maintaining constructive relationships with relevant authorities, partners, and operational stakeholders as delegated by MSF Ubuntu leadership.
• Ensure Ubuntu’s operational priorities, ways of working, and institutional positioning are appropriately reflected and understood within the country context.
• Facilitate coordination and information flow between country operations and MSF Ubuntu leadership structures.
• Support a coherent and collaborative working environment across teams and partners operating within the programme.
Ethics, Risk & Accountability
• Ensure adherence to MSF principles, medical ethics, and patient rights.
• Identify and mitigate clinical and operational risks.
• Promote accountability to patients and communities.
• Support safeguarding and ethical decision-making processes.
• Work closely with the Safeguarding Unit to embed Safe programming, responsible behaviour, prevention of harm, and accountability across all MSF Ubuntu medical operations, ensuring that our conduct, decision-making and community engagement consistently protect the dignity, safety and trust of the people and communities with whom we work.
Organisational Positioning
The Logistics & Supply Cell Advisor is part of the MSF Ubuntu Logistics & Supply Department and is hierarchically managed by the MedOp Cell Manager, with functional and technical accountability to the Head of Logistics and Head of Supply.
The role functions as an operational and technical support position, ensuring missions receive practical accompaniment, systems support, quality follow-up, and capacity strengthening across logistics and supply domains.
The Advisor works closely with mission coordination teams, technical staff, partner ODs, and MSF platforms, contributing to operational coherence, technical alignment, and continuous improvement of logistics and supply practices within Ubuntu operations.
Academic and Professional Qualifications and Knowledge
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations Management, Humanitarian Affairs, or a related field
• Fluency in written and spoken English, French is a strong asset
• Good understanding of humanitarian logistics and supply chain management principles
Years and Nature of Experience
• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in humanitarian logistics and/or supply chain management
• Strong field experience in complex or insecure operational environments
• Experience in logistics coordination, supply coordination, or technical advisory/support functions
• Experience supporting multiple projects, missions, or regional operations is an asset
• Demonstrated experience in operational support, problem solving, logistics and supply systems implementation, emergency response support, in capacity building, coaching, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Previous MSF experience is strongly preferred and experience working in interdependent or matrix organisational settings is an asset.
Core Competencies Required for the Role
Technical & Systems Competencies
· Solid technical knowledge across logistics and supply chain domains.
· Good understanding of MSF standards, systems, and field operational realities.
· Strong operational problem-solving and systems-thinking skills.
· Ability to adapt tools, processes, and standards to field contexts.
· Quality, safety, accountability, and compliance mindset.
· Experience supporting logistics and supply operations in emergency, transition, or complex settings.
Collaboration & Interdependence
· Strong collaboration, stakeholder engagement, communication, and coordination skills.
· Ability to work effectively across departments, field teams, coordination teams, technical referents, partner ODs, and regional platforms.
· Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills, with ability to facilitate technical exchange between teams and entities.
· Constructive, solution-oriented, diplomatic, and service-oriented approach to teamwork, collaboration, and representation.
Localisation & Capacity Building
· Coaching and mentoring skills
· Commitment to strengthening national staff capacity and local ownership
· Ability to support context‑adapted operational models and staffing approaches
· Experience facilitating learning and knowledge sharing
· Understanding of localisation approaches and locally adapted systems strengthening
Behavioral/General Competencies
· Alignment with MSF values and Ubuntu principles
· Service and operational support orientation
· Flexibility and adaptability
· Initiative and proactive problem solving
· Planning and organisational skills
· Teamwork and cooperation
· Quality and results orientation
· Ability to work autonomously within a clear accountability framework
· Pragmatic and solution‑oriented mindset
· Ability to work under pressure and in unstable environments
Conditions and benefits:
• Start date: As soon as possible
• Travel: 20% to 50% a year
• Grade/Annual salary section: In line with MSF reward policy, Subjected to local conditions.
• Location: This position will be based in one of the countries within its portfolio (to be confirmed). For the initial two years, the duty station is expected to be in Harare (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg (South Africa), or Nairobi (Kenya).
• Contract: 3 years renewable, full-time contract (maximum 6 years)
• Risk categorization: Medium
Application details:
• The vacancy closing date is: 14th of August 2026.
• This vacancy is open to Local and International Applicants.
• By applying to this position, the applicant confirms they have read, understood and agreed to fully comply with MSF Charter and MSF Behavioral Commitments and Data Privacy Policy.
• In line with MSF’s Safeguarding Principles, successful candidates undergo a rigorous vetting process that includes background checks and self-declaration.
• If you recognize yourself in this profile, we welcome you to apply directly via the vacancy; https://msfsa.bamboohr.com/careers/478
• The vacancy can be found on various MSF websites, digital channels, ReliefWeb and other job boards.
• Applicants are required to upload a Letter of Motivation and Curriculum Vitae (in English) as per prescribed formats. Applications missing the motivation letter will not be considered.
• If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact [email protected] before the vacancy closing date. Kindly use this email only for technical issues related to your application,
for example, if you do not receive an automated response or encounter problems uploading documents. Applications sent directly to this email will not be considered.
Information
The protection of your personal data is important to MSF. By submitting your application, you consent to MSF using your personal data only for the recruitment process to have all the information and documents necessary to proceed with the recruitment, validation of your application and selection of the most suitable candidate. Your personal data will be treated confidentially. MSF will not use your personal data in any other way, not foreseen for purposes of recruitment.
MSF is an equal opportunity employer and does not charge any application/ recruitment fee.
Lately, MSF is a civil society initiative that brings together individuals committed to the assistance of other human beings in crisis. As such MSF is by choice an association. Each individual applying for MSF roles does it out of conviction and is ready to uphold the values and principles of MSF.
In line with MSF reward policy, Subjected to local conditions.