Principal Supply Chain Advisor, Permanent, Fixed term (3 years)

Role Purpose

You will serve as the principal technical authority for HELP Logistics' Kenya office and East & Southern Africa region, setting the standard for supply chain methodology and advisory excellence. Reporting to the Regional Director, you will have line management responsibility for all supply chain advisors and analysts in Kenya.

Your primary accountability is establishing technical rigor and building a high-performing advisory team: you will set methodology standards, build frameworks and tools, coach staff at all levels, and ensure deliverables meet HELP's quality threshold before partner submission.

You will lead strategically significant advisory engagements personally, contribute to HELP's global methodology, and represent the organization as a technical authority in sector forums. This is a senior technical leadership role that advises the Regional Director to ensure advisory quality is maintained across the portfolio.

Technical Authority and Standards

• Set and enforce technical standards for supply chain methodology, analysis, and deliverable quality across the East & Southern Africa portfolio
  

• Approve methodology choices and exceptions on complex engagements
  

• Review and approve all technical deliverables before partner submission
  

• Develop and curate reusable frameworks, tools, templates, and case studies that raise the regional technical baseline
  

• Provide technical quality assurance across all engagements, identifying gaps and driving continuous improvement
  

• Contribute to HELP's global methodology and technical standards through collaboration with other regions
  

Thought Leadership and External Representation

• Represent HELP Logistics as a technical authority in sector forums, conferences, and technical working groups
  

• Publish case studies, develop intellectual property, or contribute to sector knowledge that advances HELP's reputation
  

• Build relationships with technical counterparts in UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and government bodies
  

• Serve as the go-to expert for complex supply chain challenges in humanitarian and development contexts
  

Advisory and Solution Design

• Provide technical oversight across all engagements and personally lead the most strategically significant advisory work
  

• Translate partner needs into evidence-based supply chain solutions using systems thinking, scenario modeling, and network optimization
  

• Develop proposals for high-value or technically demanding engagements in collaboration with partners and the Regional Director
  

• Ensure deliverables are fit for partner decision-making and practical implementation in constrained contexts
  

People Leadership and Capability Building

• Provide line management for all supply chain advisors and analysts in the Kenya office, including performance management, objective setting, and development planning
  

• Coach team members on methodology, analytical rigor, and solution design through hands-on guidance on live projects
  

• Build a culture of technical excellence, intellectual curiosity, and high standards
  

• Identify capability gaps and design structured development pathways for team members
  

• Lead recruitment of future technical staff, ensuring new hires meet the capability standard the region requires
  

Stakeholder Engagement and Business Development

• Build and maintain relationships with donors, UN agencies, government counterparts, and humanitarian coordination platforms
  

• Support the Regional Director in scoping technically sound engagements and convert them into funded projects by shaping scopes of work and delivery schedules with partners
  

• Scan and prioritize opportunities across humanitarian and development supply chains to build a strong regional portfolio
  

Portfolio Coordination

• Coordinate technical priorities and workload allocation across the advisory team
  

• Ensure delivery discipline across engagements, including workplans, milestones, and action tracking
  

• Track project progress and flag delivery risks or resource constraints to the Regional Director
  

Decision Rights

You will decide:

• Methodology choices and exceptions
  

• Technical standards
  

• Deliverable quality approval
  

• Analytical approaches
  

• Team workload allocation
  

• Performance assessments for supply chain professionals
  

You will escalate:

• Budget approvals
  

• Procurement decisions
  

• Contracting approvals
  

• High-risk operational or reputational issues to the Regional Director
  

Qualifications and Experience Required

• Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or a related field
  

• Minimum 10 years in supply chain consulting, operations, or technical advisory roles, including at least 3 years in team leadership, with a portfolio of impactful work
  

• Evidence of thought leadership: publications, methodology development, conference presentations, or recognized technical contributions in supply chain or humanitarian logistics
  

• Demonstrated experience building technical capability in teams or organizations with significant development needs
  

• Established methodology frameworks and a track record of raising technical standards in advisory or consulting environments
  

• Client-facing advisory experience in at least two relevant domains such as health systems, humanitarian logistics, food systems, or digital optimization
  

• Experience managing and developing technical professionals, including performance management and structured coaching
  

• Fluency in English & Kiswahili
  

Preferred

• Doctoral degree or equivalent depth of expertise in a relevant technical field
  

• APICS/ASCM, Lean Six Sigma, or similar technical certifications
  

• Existing relationships with UN agencies, major humanitarian organizations, or development partners in East or Southern Africa
  

• Experience with Salesforce, QuickBooks, Personio, or comparable systems
  

Values Alignment

Commitment to HELP's values of collaboration, curiosity, integrity, and resilience.

Working Arrangements

This role is based in Nairobi, Kenya. Some remote work is permitted. Travel within East and Southern Africa is expected up to 50% of working time to support project delivery, partner engagements, and field activities. Occasional travel to other HELP regions may be required for cross-regional collaboration or technical support.

How to Apply

Submit your CV and cover letter outlining your experience and vision for this role and include three professional references.

Subject line: Principal Supply Chain Advisor - Nairobi, Kenya

Deadline: 10 April 2026

Start date: 1 June 2026

Applications missing required documents, using incorrect subject lines, or with incomplete references will not be considered. Only candidates with the legal right to work and live in Kenya will be considered for this position.

HELP Logistics is committed to building a diverse workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background.