Senior Technical Officer - Emergency Supply Chain & Logistics (AfCDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Job Title and Organisation

The African Union, established as a unique Pan African continental body, is charged with spearheading Africa's rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States as well as developing a new partnership worldwide. Its Headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, the Capital City of Ethiopia.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was officially launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 31, 2017. The Africa CDC is Africa's first continent-wide public health agency and envisions a safer, healthier, integrated and stronger Africa, where Member States are capable of effectively responding to outbreaks of infectious diseases and other public health threats. The agency's mission is to strengthen Africa's public health institutions' capabilities to prepare for, detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks and other health burdens through an integrated network of continent-wide preparedness and response, surveillance, laboratory, and research programmes.

Purpose of the Job

Africa CDC requires robust, scalable logistics and supply systems to respond rapidly to outbreaks, epidemics, and other public health emergencies. This role operates at the intersection of technical logistics expertise, emergency operations, and multi stakeholder coordination to ensure lifesaving commodities reach affected populations quickly and equitably.

In seeking to achieve this objective and deliver on the mandate of the Africa CDC, the African Union intends to strengthen its capacity by the reinforcement of its organizational structure and expertise. The Africa CDC therefore seeks to recruit a national and citizen of any Member State of the African Union to the position of Senior Technical Officer (Emergency Supply Chain & Logistics) within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division.

The Senior Technical Officer (Emergency Supply Chain & Logistics) leads technical planning, coordination, and operational delivery of emergency supply chain and logistics activities across Africa CDC's Preparedness and Response Division. This role strengthens continent level readiness and response capacity for public health emergencies by designing resilient supply systems, managing strategic stockpiles, coordinating procurement and distribution, and providing technical guidance to Member States and partners.

Main Functions

• Provide technical leadership for emergency supply chain planning, procurement, warehousing, transport, and last mile distribution.
• Design and maintain strategic continental stockpile strategies and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinate logistics support during emergency responses and preparedness exercises.
• Build capacity of Member States and partners in supply chain resilience, forecasting, and logistics information systems.

Specific Responsibilities

• Emergency Logistics Planning: Lead development and maintenance of continental emergency logistics plans, SOPs, and contingency arrangements aligned with Africa CDC response frameworks.
• Stockpile Management: Oversee design, replenishment, rotation, and deployment protocols for Africa CDC strategic stockpiles, ensuring commodity quality, traceability, and readiness.
• Procurement Coordination: Provide technical oversight for rapid procurement processes during emergencies, ensuring compliance with procurement policies, quality assurance, and value for money.
• Distribution and Transport Operations: Coordinate multimodal transport, customs facilitation, and last mile distribution during responses; troubleshoot bottlenecks and optimize routing.
• Logistics Information Systems: Lead implementation and integration of logistics management information systems (LMIS) and real time tracking tools to support forecasting, visibility, and decision making.
• Capacity Building: Design and deliver training, mentorship, and simulation exercises for Member State logistics teams and partners on forecasting, warehousing, cold chain, and emergency distribution.
• Partnerships and Coordination: Represent Africa CDC in regional and global logistics coordination fora; negotiate agreements with UN agencies, NGOs, and commercial logistics providers.
• Performance Monitoring: Establish KPIs and dashboards for supply chain performance during preparedness and response phases; produce regular situation reports and after action reviews.
• Risk Management and Compliance: Identify supply chain risks (security, quality, regulatory) and implement mitigation measures; ensure compliance with health commodity regulations and donor requirements.
• Technical Guidance and Policy Support: Provide technical inputs to policy development, funding proposals, and strategic guidance documents related to emergency supply and logistics.
• Perform any other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

Master's degree in supply chain management, Logistics, Public Health, Pharmacy, Business Administration, or related field with a minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in public health logistics, emergency supply chain management, or humanitarian logistics; at least 3 years in a senior technical or managerial role supporting multi country responses. Experience working in Africa and with international partners preferred.

Or

Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, Logistics, Public Health, Pharmacy, Business Administration, or related field with a minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in public health logistics, emergency supply chain management, or humanitarian logistics; at least 3 years in a senior technical or managerial role supporting multi country responses. Experience working in Africa and with international partners preferred.

Required Skills

• Advanced knowledge of emergency procurement, warehousing, cold chain, and transport logistics.
• Proficiency with LMIS, inventory management, and tracking tools.
• Strong analytical skills for forecasting and supply planning.
• Excellent negotiation, contract management, and vendor management skills.
• Fluency in English; working knowledge of French or Portuguese desirable.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Insight
• Developing Others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies

• Building Relationship
• Foster Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with Influence

Functional Competencies

• Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge and Information Sharing
• Drive for Results
• Continuous Improvement Orientation

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted no later than April 21, 2026 11h59 p.m. EAT.