Sustainable Procurement Project Manager - Consultancy

Context of the consultancy:

The Humanitarian Logistics Cooperative, also known as “hulo”, is the first humanitarian European Cooperative Society (SCE) created in June 2021. Hulo now regroups 16 organisations: ACTED, Action contre la Faim (ACF), Bioport, the French Red Cross (FRC), Fleet Forum, Handicap International / Humanity & Inclusion (HI), ICRC, IRC, INTERSOS, Médecins du Monde (MDM), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam Intermón, Plan International, Première Urgence International (PUI), Solidarités International (SI), and Welthungerhilfe (WHH).

Its objective is to increase the impact of humanitarian aid by strengthening links and solidarity between humanitarian logistics actors and improving performance through the pooling of logistics and supply chain resources and expertise. Hulo's "Joint Initiatives" are already underway in 7 countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq for the Syrian crisis, Colombia, and Chad) and include on the ground: Joint Procurement Initiatives, shared human resources, a digital solution for pooling resources, Joint Transport Initiatives and Joint Environmental Initiatives. At global level (i.e., across Headquarters of hulo member organisations), the hulo activities focus on Joint Procurement Initiatives. These initiatives save time and money, improve the quality of goods and services provided, and therefore provide more effective assistance to those who need it most.

 

Brief and specific context of the consultancy:

Procurement of goods and services represent 40–60% of the carbon footprint of humanitarian organizations. Decarbonizing, localizing and making the supply chains greener is therefore essential to achieving the sector’s environmental goals. Yet, this remains one of the hardest areas to address due to complex supply chains, limited data, and a lack of practical guidance on reducing environmental impacts. In the field, challenges are compounded by unstable contexts, limited local capacity, and insufficient knowledge about sustainable alternatives. While some local suppliers already apply resource-efficient practices, these are rarely recognized or promoted as environmentally sustainable.

To address these gaps, this project implemented jointly by the hulo cooperative and the Climate Action Accelerator (the Accelerator) aims to reduce the environmental and carbon footprints of humanitarian procurement in Middle east markets. This first pilot project is intended to be operational and concrete before scaling up efforts on sustainable procurement. The project will focus on high-impact areas, targeting the most emissions-intensive products and identifying practical levers to reduce their environmental footprint.

To achieve this, a locally based Project Manager will be recruited by hulo to coordinate activities between humanitarian actors and suppliers, promoting the transition toward more sustainable procurement models. The role will be based in Lebanon, with work extending to other countries in the region (e.g., Iraq, Syria, Turkey) depending on operational needs.

 

Overall scope of work expected from the Consultant:

The Consultant is expected to be responsible for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring project activities related to sustainable procurement within the humanitarian sector in Middle East region, and more specifically to:

*Please note that a prioritized list of top items will be established before the consultant’s arrival, based on volume data (financial and physical) and environmental impact (carbon emissions, resource use, local pollution, etc.) by cross-referencing figures from hulo's partners (particularly Joint Procurement Initiatives (JPI) carried out in the region) with those from the Accelerator's partners.

1. Identify opportunities to reduce the impact of local procurement, and reduce obstacles related to (1) costs and (2) lack of knowledge, through:
   1. Assessing local needs and market capacities related to sustainable products and services.
   2. Developing and implementing a supplier questionnaire with the Accelerator to identify sustainable alternatives available on the local market.
   3. Conduct at least five comparative costs studies between sustainable and conventional goods/services.
2. Disseminate the project results in the humanitarian sector, as well as to the suppliers concerned, through:
   1. Organizing and facilitating at least two workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions on sustainable procurement for suppliers and humanitarian organization staff (logistics and program teams).
   2. Supporting the dissemination of project outputs (technical sheets, comparative cost studies, etc.) across the humanitarian sector via clusters, the cooperative, and relevant online platforms (the Accelerator website, WREC/REH).
3. As this project is closely linked to hulo's Joint Procurement Initiative (JPI) (incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance - ESG criteria) and Joint Environmental Initiatives (JEI - pooled waste management), the consultant may also be required to provide support for these activities, particularly for markets shared with the Accelerator (CAA)-CDCS project.

 

Key Priorities and Deliverables:

(1) a.       Assessing local needs and market capacities related to sustainable products and services.

Supplier engagement

Identify and document sustainable alternatives in the local market

February 2026

(1)b.       Developing and implementing a supplier questionnaire to identify sustainable alternatives available on the local market.

1 supplier questionnaires developed and distributed

At least 10 supplier visits

February to July 2026

(1)c.        Conduct at least five comparative cost studies between sustainable and conventional goods/services.

5 products for which an alternative on the local market was sought

5 products for which comparative cost studies were carried out

July to August 2026

(2)a.       Organizing and facilitating at least two workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions on sustainable procurement for suppliers and humanitarian organization staff (logistics and program teams).

 

At least 2 workshops organized for suppliers and employees of humanitarian organizations in the field

At least 3 knowledge-sharing sessions for other humanitarian organizations

At least 30 participants (suppliers, NGO employees, others) who responded to a short feedback questionnaire at the end of the workshops and sharing sessions.

May and September 2026

 

 

 

April / June /August

(2)b.       Supporting the dissemination of project outputs (technical sheets, comparative cost studies, etc.) across the humanitarian sector via clusters, the cooperative, and relevant online platforms (the Accelerator website, WREC/REH).

At least 1 report or summary documents published identifying opportunities and obstacles to the implementation of sustainable procurement solutions (10 to 12 pages)

Contribution to disseminate all project outputs (technical documents, comparative studies, etc.) to humanitarian actors and suppliers

October 2026

 

 

 

 

 

All duration

(3) hulo's JEI and JPI

According to the needs in country

All duration

 

Qualifications and Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in humanitarian logistics, supply chain management, or procurement or strong understanding of local markets and supplier ecosystems;
• Knowledge of environmental standards and sustainable supply practices and/or strong interest and commitment to sustainability, responsible procurement and change management;
• Fluency in English and Arabic;
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and propose practical solutions;
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills with proven experience managing multi-stakeholder projects;
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and propose practical solutions.

 

Management and Reporting Lines:

The Consultant will be working under the direct line management of the hulo country representative in Beirut.

The Consultant will also be working in close collaboration with the Environmental team at HQ.

 

Conditions offered:

The selected consultant will be contracted by hulo for a duration of 9 months.

All expenses incurred by the consultant to fulfil the objectives described above will be reimbursed upon presentation of supporting documents, provided they have been priorly approved by hulo country representative in Beirut.

 

Once a trip has been approved by hulo country representative in Beirut, expenses are covered as follows:

• hulo will offer the consultant a Per Diem to cover his/her meal expenses (rates vary depending on the country of travel).
• Second-class transportation costs will be reimbursed by hulo to the consultant.
• Other travel-related expenses will be reimbursed, provided they comply with hulo's travel policy.

 

Selection Criteria:

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• (1) Relevant professional experience:         
  • In humanitarian logistics, procurement, or supply chain management;
  • Project management;
  • With local markets and suppliers in the Middle East region;
  • Previous experience conducting needs assessments.
• (2) Technical competence in sustainable procurement:
  • Familiarity with ESG criteria, environmental certifications, and basic knowledge of key levers to reduce climate and environmental impacts;
  • Local or regional manufacturing;
  • Demonstrated capacity to analyze costs and environmental impact;
  • Ability to develop supplier tools (questionnaires, assessment forms) and data collection instruments.
• (3) Facilitation and knowledge sharing skills:
  • Experience in organizing and facilitating workshops or training sessions;
  • Communication and reporting skills (Quality and clarity of written reports, dissemination materials, and presentations);
  • Change management knowledge.
• (4) Transversal skills:
  • Fluency in English and Arabic;
  • Experience working with multi-stakeholder and multicultural teams
  • Proven ability to work independently and deliver results.
• (5) Understanding of the assignment and financial proposal.