The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts. After passing a century, which it celebrated in 2019, it is now a global movement made up of 29 national member organizations which work in 120 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Warehouse & Inventory Manager is responsible to ensure the organization’s GIKs (Goods in Kind) and relief commodities are tracked, monitored, documented and timely reported. The post holder will be the focal person for all GIK & Commodity, Inventory, TIM( Total Inventory Management)-warehouses related matters, and will also closely work with the country office award, finance and programme staff directly involved in GIK & commodity, which includes: preparation, planning, safety, operations, in-bound, store, out-bound and close managements of SCI ( Save the children International) supplies based standards.

SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to: the Head of Warehouse and Inventory Management

Staff directly reporting to this post: Country Office Central Stores Service Coordinator  

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Organize the movement of GIK and relief commodities, and Programme/Admin stocks from the SCI’s or Donor’s and or supplier warehouses to the field office warehouses and distribution sites.
• Ensures an up-to-date GIK schedule detailing items received and distributed, ensuring that there is proof of receipt, valuation, and distribution of the GIK.
• Develop and implement an electronic  national GIK & Commodity  tracking system to ensure adequate supporting documentation; accuracy  and control over movements; ensure correct GIK data records are uploaded in to the system and organized well, regular reporting and updating are undertaking.
• Responsible at the country office level for ensuring that GIK are recorded in a timely and accurate manner and that all the required documentation is retained. Ensure also that there is a quarterly reconciliation of stock records (receipts, distributions, on hand) and accounting records, with differences investigated.
• Establish and maintain communication links between Addis Ababa and all field offices to ensure appropriate and regular information flow on all GIK and relief commodities, and programme stocks movements.
• Maintain a comprehensive central electronic register of all GIKs, Commodities and programme stocks and submit regular monthly report on the whereabouts of these items, commodities and programme stocks
• Responsible for preparing monthly reporting on GIK and relief commodities movements.
• Work in close corporation with the procurement team to coordinate transportation of GIK, relief commodities and programme stocks through facilitating loading/unloading, tracking labour costs as well as storage facilities as per the request of SCI programmes.
• Work with the concerned programme as well as warehouse team on reporting the actual GIK & Commodity stocks, expected arrivals, planned deliveries and all relevant information on warehouse activities on a monthly basis to the Supplies, and Head-Warehouse and Inventory Manager.
• Undertake regular visits to all areas and sub offices and asses the level of compliance with the guidelines and procedures provided, recommendations for improvements where applicable.
• In collaboration with warehouse personnel, Coordinates and monitors the implementation of minimum commodity/ supplies management standards and practices to insure programme quality.
• Ensure that GIK’s/ commodities and programme stocks are not transferred, and or released from stores to implementing partners or beneficiaries without appropriate authorisation as per the scheme of delegation.
• Ensure, supporting documentation of supplies management are documented as per the Award Management guidance for auditing activities.
• Ensure that the GIK and TIM warehouse data in line with supply-chain, finance and programmes are consistent and uniform through regular data review and updates.
• Ensure, and support mid-and end-of year stocks count is undertaken per plan provided from centre and regional office,
• Ensure TIM operations business processes are supported across all SCI TIM warehouses.
• Monitor and follow-up, stocks on expired and expiring SOFs( Source of Fund) management and work for improvement to have zero balances of stocks on expired SOF
• Follow-up products/life expiring soon for utilizations before the shelf-life of the products are expired.
• Ensure teams are supported, consulted, informed so as they are able to cope with the newly released system operations functions.
• Participate, Global/Regional warehousing community meeting and circulate TIM updates to the users.
• Support, GIKs/ and TIM warehouse audits as assigned by line manager;
• Ensure staff safety, security and health in the warehouse is adhered to SCI staff safety, security and health standards/ policies.
• Regularly monitory storage of food and medicines appropriate temperature is persisting and supervise that room temperature is recorded twice a day and report any irregularities.
• Engage and support in missing and damaged supplies reporting.
• Regularly monitor, accuracy of records, stacking and proper handling of warehouse and inventories.
• Respect and follow warehousing and inventory management manual, tools and standards.
• Support warehouse preparation when there is a need for renting.
• Conduct warehouse space check as appropriate and required,
• Insure, inventory arrives into our warehouse that it is processed in a consistent manner and that the appropriate quality checks are carried out before receiving the inventory into the warehouse.
• When unknown inventories arrived to warehouse, quarantine the supplies and inform programme operations team, and procurement team so as they provide information for solutions.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency
• Displays consistent excellent judgement

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• BA/BSc/ in accounting, business management/administration, supply-chain, or related fields with a minimum of seven years’ experience. Or
• A minimum of 8 years related experiences.
• Practical on hand experience in Managing Goods in Kind( GIKs) in a humanitarian context
• Field level experience in GIK/warehouse/inventory, system based supplies management  for INGOs in international development and emergency programmes
• Knowledge of key institutional donors and their compliance requirement in respect of elements of supply chain management
• Good written and spoken English knowledge
• A good team player
• Commitment to and understanding of save the Children’s aims, values and principles
• A commitment to children’s rights and principles of equal opportunity
• A high level of computer literacy (word, excel, ppt etc, and web-based supplies management)
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching