Technical Advisor II, Supply Chain EMPOWER RAPID

Catholic Relief Services · United States · posted today ago

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About this role

NOTE: This is a remote position; CRS will only consider candidates who are based in countries where we have existing offices.

Job Summary

The Supply Chain Management Technical Advisor II will provide technical support, accompaniment, and training to EMPOWER partners in South America to strengthen supply chain and operational preparedness for rapid emergency response.

The Supply Chain Management Technical Advisor II will work with EMPOWER partners to improve their supply chain preparedness and response capacities so that can set up and operate multiple modality supply chains (in kind and CVA) in an expedited manner.

This includes the following five priority focuses:

1) Updated specifications--Adjusting relief item/kit specifications and CVA transfer amounts to match latest technical recommendations, that are appropriate to the context, and which are available/possible in the local market;

2) Strategic sourcing--Exploring local markets to identify best output value suppliers (quality, delivery and price) for key relief items/kits and cash voucher assistance modalities (via financial and mobile service providers);

3) Prepositioned stocks--Establishing prepositioned stocks of key relief items in countries where it is hard to find them locally to the desired specifications (i.e. stored value cards, vouchers, humanitarian grade tarps, light and charge solar lanterns, and water purification tablets/satchels);

4) Open contracts--Setting up indefinite quantity contracts (open contracts/framework agreements) with best suppliers identified for key relief items/kits and CVA modalities; and

5) Continuous improvement—Supporting partners to identify ways they can improve their procurement, inventory management, logistics and distribution processes, tools and capabilities so they can enhance efficiency and responsiveness.

The role will work closely with partners and relevant CRS teams to identify and close priority bottlenecks, test readiness systems, and enable partners to procure, contract, transport, store, and distribute assistance quickly, responsibly, and in compliance with applicable standards.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

Lead the multiple modality supply chain set up process in all five target countries in close coordination with partner supply chain teams focusing on the whole supply chain from procurement to inventory management, and then planning for logistics and distributions when responses activated.
Make sure that all five priority focuses are executed as intended: updated specifications, strategic sourcing, prepositioned stocks, open contracts, and continuous improvement.
Support programming team with market and logistics analysis, hotspot prioritization, stakeholder mapping, and development of a workplan and deliverable calendar.
Work with technical leads and partners to establish minimum quality standards, packing guidance, replenishment requirements, quality-control processes, and substitution rules.
Validate priority kit contents against local market availability, cultural appropriateness, hazard scenarios, packaging needs, and branding and visibility expectations.
Collect and verify market prices and develop country-, hot spot-, remote-area- specific kit costing matrices that account for transport, handling, storage, customs or importation, last-mile delivery, supplier lead times, and other key cost drivers.
Map, assess, conduct due diligence on, and support prequalification of suppliers, transporters, warehouse providers, packaging providers, and other service providers, including backup suppliers and alternative sourcing options for key items.
Develop and maintain vendor databases and prequalified vendor lists organized by country, hotspot, sector, commodity group, and service type, with clear ownership, review frequency, renewal dates, and documentation requirements.
Support partners and relevant CRS functions to prepare or update open contracts, framework agreements, standby supplier agreements, emergency procurement templates, and associated contracting-readiness files.
Map and assess financial and mobile service providers for cash and voucher assistance, including geographic coverage, transfer modalities, fees, liquidity, surge capacity, compliance, data protection, reporting capacity, and humanitarian experience.
Support financial and mobile service provider contracting readiness and partner protocols for activation, secure data transfer, reconciliation, complaints handling, and failed-payment procedures.
Assess partner procurement, contracting, warehousing, inventory management, transport, distribution, documentation, segregation-of-duties, and quality-assurance processes; facilitate practical improvements to close priority gaps.
Provide guidance on warehouse requirements by inventory type, stock security, inventory systems, storage practices, and readiness for safe and orderly in-kind distributions, including relevant manuals and procedures.
Map regional land, sea, and air shipping routes and options for partners operating across multiple countries, including arrangements for inter-country movement of relief items where applicable.
Develop partner-specific readiness checklists and action plans with defined actions, responsible persons, deadlines, support needs, approvals, compliance risks, contingency arrangements, escalation points, and maintenance responsibilities.
Support partner to conduct supply chain constraint analysis and then develop continuous improvement plans to address the priority constraints.
Design and facilitate coaching, working sessions, simulations, or readiness tests so partner staff can apply and maintain the tools and procedures developed through the assignment.
Consolidate and hand over the final supply chain readiness package, including tools, databases, action plans, ownership arrangements, maintenance recommendations, and an exit debrief.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong technical knowledge of emergency procurement, sourcing, contracting, vendor management, transport, warehouse management, inventory control, quality assurance, distribution logistics, and supply chain risk management.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to translate assessments into realistic, prioritized actions and usable tools.
Ability to facilitate partner-led processes, build trust, adapt technical depth to partner needs, and support sustainable ownership of readiness systems.
Excellent planning, coordination, documentation, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliverables across countries.
Strong interpersonal, negotiation, and professional communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with procurement, operations, finance, legal, grants, technical, and partner leadership teams.
Proactive, resourceful, solution-oriented, culturally sensitive, and results-focused.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, web-conferencing platforms, and common information-management systems.

Required Languages: Professional fluency in English and Spanish is required. Professional proficiency in Portuguese is strongly preferred; and French is an advantage for engagement across the target regions.

Travel: The assignment will be primarily remote, with in-country or regional travel to priority partners, countries, or hot spots as approved and operationally required. The selected candidate must be able and willing to travel within South America and work effectively across time zones and diverse operating environments.