Logistics Officer (port Operation) Noa, Port-au-prince, Haiti

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity. WFP Haiti manages critical port operations, serving as a vital entry point for humanitarian assistance. The organization strives to achieve Zero Hunger, ensuring vulnerable populations, especially women and children, access nutritious food.

Job Purpose

The Logistics Officer (Port Operations) will be responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of port operations in Haiti, ensuring the efficient and timely reception, handling, and dispatch of humanitarian cargo. This role involves coordinating with shipping lines, customs authorities, and other stakeholders to navigate complex logistical challenges, including customs clearance, port congestion, and security risks. The officer will ensure compliance with regulations, manage transport providers, and implement risk mitigation strategies to optimize costs and maintain the integrity of the supply chain. The position requires strong leadership to supervise port and customs teams, ensuring effective task allocation and performance delivery to support WFP's mission in Haiti.

Responsibilities

The Logistics Officer (Port Operations) role at the World Food Programme (WFP) in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is crucial for managing the primary entry point for humanitarian aid. Key responsibilities include supervising vessel arrivals, planning cargo offloading, handling, and temporary storage, and coordinating commodity bagging or repackaging. The officer must ensure compliance with port free-time limits to avoid costly demurrage and storage fees, while also monitoring vessel allocation and dispatching goods to warehouses. A significant part of the role involves overseeing customs clearance processes, anticipating and mitigating bottlenecks, and ensuring adherence to Haitian customs regulations, including tax exemptions and import/export procedures. This requires managing relationships with freight forwarders and customs authorities to expedite formalities and resolve issues related to customs restrictions and documentation. The position also entails coordinating multimodal transport, synchronizing port activities with warehouse storage and inland transportation, and negotiating contracts with transport providers. Furthermore, the officer is responsible for identifying and managing logistics and customs risks, developing cost-reduction strategies for transit and storage, and optimizing cash flow related to payments and guarantees. Effective team supervision for port and customs operations is also a key accountability.

Work Experience

Requires at least one year of postgraduate professional experience in port operations, shipping, or customs clearance specifically within Haiti. Additional years of relevant experience are considered highly desirable.

Skills

Port Operations, Shipping Management, Customs Clearance, Regulatory Compliance, Logistics Coordination, Multimodal Transport, Risk Management, Cost Optimization, Team Supervision, Negotiation, French, English, Haitian Creole

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