ACQUISITION PLANNING ASSISTANT

Contract

This is a FS-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Field Service. It usually requires 6 years of experience, depending on education. More about FS-4 contracts and their salaries.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the Acquisition Management Unit of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The incumbent will report directly to the Chief Acquisition Planning Officer.

Responsibilities The incumbent participates in the business processes for acquisition of various services and commodities (e.g. information technology and communications equipment, vehicles, medical equipment and supplies, food rations, fuel, construction and building maintenance materials, furniture and fixtures, stationary and office supplies, accommodation and office equipment etc.) in accordance with the Mission Acquisition Plan, to support the mission mandate. She/he will assist to monitor the overall supply chain plan and perform acquisition planning activities to ensure resources are used in an optimal way to meet client requirements.

Within delegated authority, the Acquisition Planning Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

-Assists in the preparation of the annual acquisition plan; collects and consolidates requirements provided by the technical units; -Liaises with counterparts in other Missions and/or UN Global Service Center (UNGSC) on item availability prior to making decisions to acquire new items either for replacement or additional requirements; -Prepares the extraction of information and generates expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; -Assists in preliminary analysis of the extracted information through review of stock holdings, consumption patterns, procurement cycle times, requirements and forecasts of internal and external customers, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Acquisition Planning officer in order to ensure timely decision-making and minimize potential supply chain gaps. -Prepares the budget performance submissions and finalizes the budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures, providing valid justifications for under/overspending. -Records acquisitions actions and monitors status of acquisition processes for all commodities and services of assigned categories including a full range of procurement and other supply chain matters and identifies ways to overcome obstacles when delivering goods. This includes liaising with mission technical units on the planning and coordination of transportation requirements, service contract requirements and maintenance plans of assigned services, consolidation of inbound deliveries, ensuring that adequate lead times and sourcing options are taken into account in all requisitions. -Monitors detailed status of implementation of the acquisition plan; assists in the preparation of quarterly progress reports providing updates regarding the implementation of the mission's acquisition plan and timely submission thereof to UNGSC -Implements the mission policies and procedures, Standard Operating procedures (SOPs), guidelines and instructions governing the acquisition planning and requisitioning process. -Provides work direction and guidance to national GS; manages and coordinates the activities in his/her area of responsibility. -Performs other duties as required.

Competencies Core Competencies:

PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrated knowledge of and exposure to a substantive field of work in the areas of supply chain management, acquisition planning, warehousing, inventory management, distribution and procurement; Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to clients.

TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education High School or equivalent diploma is required. Technical or vocational certificate in at least one of the following areas is required: logistics, supply chain management, business administration and procurement or related areas. SCOR, Prince 2 and BI certifications are highly desirable.

Work Experience At least six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in supply chain, inventory management, logistics, procurement, administration or related area in required. Experience providing logistics and supply chain in a volatile, conflict or post conflict environment is desirable Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems or similar in the areas of scheduling, inventory control, procurement and/or logistics processes is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable.

Assessment Previously rostered candidates are not subject to any further assessment and as such, will not be invited for such an assessment.

Special Notice This "Recruit from Roster" job opening is only open to roster applicants who are already placed on pre-approved rosters, following a review by a United Nations Central Review Body. Only roster applicants who were placed on rosters with similar functions at the same level are considered to be eligible candidates. Eligible applicants receive an email inviting them to apply. Rostered applicants are encouraged to apply only if they are interested and available to take up the position at the duty station/s specified in the Job Opening. Applying to this job opening carries an expectation to accept the offer, if selected.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.