USAID looks for АGRІ Transshipment and Logistics Specialist

Since 2018, USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) has focused its activities on eastern Ukraine. In 2022, it expanded its geography of cooperation to other regions due to Russia’s full-scale invasion and occupation of part of Ukraine. In 2023, given the military and political circumstances and challenges, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) changed ERA’s priorities.

ERA is one of the implementers of the U.S. Government’s Interagency Agriculture Resilience Initiative – Ukraine (AGRI – Ukraine), which aims to support Ukrainian agricultural production and exports and help address the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. USAID supports the Government of Ukraine, including working with state- and privately owned companies, namely the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine (SARDI),  the State Customs Service, the State Border Guard Service through ERA, to modernize border crossing points (BCPs) to improve grain trade and exports,  and perceptions of Ukraine. ERA is also implementing the Economic Stability and Recovery Initiative (ESRI), which focuses on job retention and creation and assists small and medium-sized enterprises.

USAID ERA prioritizes work on AGRI and rehabilitating EU-facing border crossing points. The AGRI component is extending its technical assistance to Ukrainian Agri-traders and logistics companies supporting them in increasing the capacity and potential of grain export logistics. The BCP component includes complex construction management and procurement of equipment and services for BCPs to become more efficient in processing bulk cargoes and other commodities through the border.

About the job

The main objective of the role is to advise ERA in advancing the exports of Ukrainian Agricultural commodities, including grain crops, under the AGRI Initiative. The AGRI Transshipment and Logistics Specialist will address the ERA’s AGRI objectives in Ukraine related to improving the efficient and cost-effective export logistics of Ukrainian agricultural products in existing, new, and expanding markets.

The AGRI Transshipment and Logistics Specialist is expected to be versatile and multitask on various Requests for Proposals (RFPs) simultaneously, be a self-starter, and have a broad and thorough understanding of the agricultural export market from Ukraine, to understand the specifics of working with state and private sector companies, has previuos successful relationship management experience, to have a broad technical expertize of AGRI-related equipment, transport solutions (road, railway, sea/river) aiming together with a foundation of the required technical engineering solutions needed to deliver increases in physical export capacity. The AGRI Transshipment and Logistics Specialist will report to AGRI Director and be based in Kyiv or Odesa.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• In close coordination with other team members, provide technical know-how and develop specifications and RFPs for export logistics solutions developed, requested, and suggested by the donor and beneficiaries;
• Identify, negotiate, evaluate and recommend opportunities for larger activations and partnerships that reach across multiple channels, to secure standout presence and reach excellent press coverage, for integration into the plan.
• Assess the potential to expand the export channels where required for key agricultural commodities in new or existing target geographies/markets;
• Work closely with target beneficiaries both – private and state owned to develop solutions that can be executed in a timely and efficient manner and conform to pre-defined metrics for cost-value and incremental tonnage increases; 
• Facilitate and ensure efficiency of multiple procurements for transshipment equipment and export logistics solutions; 
• Initiate organizing events and meetings which advance collaborative approaches towards improving export cargo efficiency, and creating cross-border supply chain harmonization.
• Work closely with the Procurement Team and Comms Team to ensure thorough due diligence, justification analysis, required document gathering, and technical verification is applied diligently and expeditiously to all RFPs.

About you

• BA or Specialist degree or equivalent in Logistics, Management, or Economics.
• 3-5 years of experience in the agricultural export logistics sector and/or sea/river/rail/road transport entreprises or related ministeries/agencies;
• Technical knowledge of agricultural supply chain and export;
• Broad understanding of agricultural equipment for export logistics;
• Must have English and Ukrainian language proficiency, verbal and written.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal, managerial, organizational, and detail-orientation skills.
• Ability to work on own initiative/proactive attitude and have strong skills in teamwork.
• Ability to respond effectively to time-sensitive demands and inquiries.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite and other relevant software.
• Experience in work in international NGOs and donor-funded projects would be preferable.

WE OFFER

Contract length: 12-month employment agreement with a possibility of extension.

Benefits: all benefits envisaged by the Labor Code of Ukraine, corporate medical insurance for employees and immediate family members.

Start date: November 2023

Application process

All applicants must send a cover letter and updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English to [email protected]

Closing date for applications: October 30, 2023.

For further information about DAI GLOBAL LLC, please consult our website era-ukraine.org.ua.