Letters of Agreement - Procurement Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Procurement Service provides advice, guidance and oversight for FAO procurement operations and Letters of Agreement Quality Assurance both at headquarters and in FAO decentralized offices; it provides policy and operational support to ensure that the Organization procures goods, works and services based on "Best Value for Money" principles. The Letters of Agreement Procurement Specialist will be located at FAO headquarters and will provide support, training on LoAs and perform quality assurance reviews for high value Letters of Agreement submitted by headquarters units and field offices requiring specialized procurement support.

Reporting Lines

The Letters of Agreement Procurement Specialist will work under the general guidance of the Contracts Officer (LoA).

Technical Focus

Procurement of non-commercial services.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Consultant will review high value Letters of Agreement (LoA) to ensure that they comply with FAO's established policies and procedures and will provide guidance and support on LoA preparation and management. The Consultant may also be requested to carry out functions relating to monitoring and reporting of LoA transactions. The key functions of the Consultant will be as following:

• Review and analyse Letters of Agreement for completeness and conformity with established FAO rules, procedures and practice; liaise with the requesters, as necessary, and recommend to supervisor appropriate strategy/approach to best serve institutional interests; • Assess the appropriateness of the choice of the contractual instrument taking into consideration the provisions of the relevant Manual Sections; • Ensure that all administrative checks are performed on high value LoAs and the supporting documents and verify that the documentation and information contained therein is complete and in conformity with the relevant Manual Section; • Provide guidance to Organization staff particularly in country offices on non-commercial procurement matters and on the implementation of non-commercial procurement strategies and processes in conformity with the relevant rules, procedures and practices; • Assess the adequacy of the information provided by Responsible Officers and the justifications provided regarding exceptions to the existing Manual Section on LoAs; • Provide training and guidance to colleagues on the use of IT applications for the preparation, management and monitoring of LoAs; • Develop training tools and materials and organize tailored workshops/seminars; • Contribute to the development and dissemination of new or updated tools for internal LoA management in English, French and Spanish; • Participate in procurement missions worldwide, providing support and training to decentralized offices as necessary; • Produce relevant reports to support LoA monitoring; • Provide advice and oversight to the other members of the team performing LoA Quality Assurance reviews • Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University Degree in Procurement, Law, Business, Administration, Economics, Public Administration Commerce, International Relations or a related field. A degree or a certificate from an accredited training provider in Procurement is a strong advantage. • For category C, a minimum of three years of relevant experience in procurement related activities, preferably with a focus on procurement of non-commercial services; • For category B, a minimum of 5 years of experience (Level B) in performing LoA Quality Assurance reviews is required in order to provide advice and oversight to the other members of the team performing LoA Quality Assurance reviews • Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of at least one of the two following languages: French or Spanish.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of internationally recognized procurement standards and international procurement techniques and operations used in procurement and contracting for non-commercial services; • Extent and relevance of experience in identifying clients' procurement-related needs and in providing support and guidance from clients' point of view; • Knowledge of procurement-related IT tools and systems (i.e. enterprise resource planning, database management applications, etc.) is desirable.