Emergency Supply Chain Specialist
| Posting date: | 31 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £40,934 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 21 January 2026 |
| Location: | Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2PH |
| Company: | ShelterBox |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | job 0619_1767176391 |
Summary
Grade: 3 - Specialist
Hours: 37.5 hours per week with occasional evening/weekend working. Flexible hours considered.
Position type: Fixed-term 12-month contract
Responsible to: Senior Emergency Supply Chain Specialist and Programmes Supply Chain Manager
Direct reports: None
Location: Truro, Cornwall or remote working (UK only) (with regular travel to Truro)
Travel: Work away from home, this may be UK or overseas. Travel can include deploying to
support rapid emergency responses, possibly up to or around 12 weeks depending on
context, in-country programmes, business trips and attending/delivering training. You may
be required to work away from home up to 50% of your time in any calendar year.
ROLE PURPOSE:
This Emergency Supply Chain Specialist will be a global core member of the Supply Chain Team, within the International Programmes Directorate and will report to the Senior Emergency Supply Chain Specialist. This key stakeholder role will work closely within the Emergency Response Team, which is responsible for assessing and responding to rapidly developing humanitarian crises.
This role will lead and contribute to the Supply Chain activities of ShelterBox's humanitarian responses at country level and remotely, depending on context and scale
In collaboration with the programme team, the wider supply chain stakeholder group and partner organisations, the Emergency Supply Chain Specialist will design and implement the supply chain strategy for ShelterBox emergency responses, following a sudden onset disaster.
This will include but is not limited to coordination of international, regional and local transportation, procuring stock and services, inventory management including release and distribution of stock, partner selection and due diligence, last mile logistics and overall ensuring end to end delivery.
Outside of rapid onset emergencies, the position requires the individual to support and lead on additional project supply chain activities, be active in preparedness and planning, provide tactical and strategic inputs in support of ShelterBox's growth ambition, and promote capacity strengthening and partner development.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
It is expected that the Emergency Supply Chain Specialist will have significant emergency response experience in humanitarian supply chain, at international, regional and country level. The Emergency Supply Chain Specialist is an enthusiastic team member and a creative problem-solver with a keen eye for detail. They see opportunities in challenges and have outstanding interpersonal skills. This role would be ideally suited to someone with HQ, humanitarian and country facing experience, but who is looking for emergency deployments balanced by providing remote support to responses. We therefore look forward to welcoming candidates who remain flexible and open to change.
DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
- Lead and coordinate the design of the supply chain to assigned disasters including assessing and selecting supply options/routes, researching tax free importation procedures, developing last-mile logistics, operational services and local procurement, partner-led procurement and cash modalities to ensure high quality, timely responses.
- Responsible for tendering emergency international freight requests ensuring best value, service and accountability.
- Overseeing shipping of aid items by air, sea, road or rail and arranging the preparation and provision of relevant shipping documentation.
- Deploy to responses, depending on requirements and context and be able to act as team lead, in a supply chain capacity, to set and manage the timely delivery of aid items.
- Whilst you are unlikely to respond for more than 12 weeks at any one time, you may be required to deploy for up to 50% of your time in any calendar year, to support response delivery, preparedness, project planning, trainings and organisational meetings.
- Provide supply chain HQ backstop support to emergency responses as required, this may also include providing support to ongoing projects and programmes.
- Establish, coordinate and engage with supply chain partners such as freight forwarders, suppliers, peer and humanitarian stakeholders, relevant government departments and logistics coordination mechanisms at both global and country level.
- Be influential regarding aspects of supply chain in emergencies and across the wider team. Be solutions focused and be an active, evidenced based decision maker in support of other supply chain managers.
- Identify, mitigate and record supply chain risks in emergency responses, escalating when required to ensure full organisational accountability.
- Contribute to delivering Supply Chain emergency preparedness activities, when not actively responding, globally.
- Coordinate with the Global Supply Chain Manager and Senior Emergency Supply Chain Specialist to oversee emergency prepositioned inventory, ensuring access routes for stock in emergencies.
- Work with the Emergency and Supply Chain teams to streamline supply chain systems and processes, enabling timely responses whilst identifying areas for improvement and development.
- Active participation and collaboration in strengthening emergency supply chain capacity, including upskilling Emergency Team members and coaching and mentoring ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) volunteers.
- On a roster, provide an out-of-hours first point of contact for emergencies and deployed teams at designated times through-out the year and according to context.
- Contribute to driving forward changes to meet our sustainable supply chain targets such as significant reduction in carbon emissions.
- Give regular briefings internally, and occasionally externally on ShelterBox responses
- Maintain excellent information management using Business Central and organisational project management tools and platforms to ensure accurate record keeping and accountability.
- Promote and demonstrate humanitarian principles in all activities.
- Ensure adherence to ShelterBox procedures and policies including those relating to safeguarding, safety and security and all Codes of Conduct.
- Any other duties as required which are deemed appropriate to the level and grade of the post.