Procurement Associate

Contract

This is a SB-3 contract. This kind of contract is known as Service Board / Service Contract. It is normally only for nationals. More about SB-3 contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Through the Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) in Cairo, several country offices (COs) and multi-country offices (MCO) as well as programme Offices (POs) across the region, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments, civil society, and other actors to deliver for women and girls. We advocate for and enhance accountability to enhance women’s political participation and prevent and respond effectively to violence against women. Our economic empowerment programmes seek greater economic security and rights, particularly for marginalized groups of women. Other programmes in the Arab States involve partnering with women in their efforts to engage in peace and reconstruction efforts and push for gender equality (GE) provisions integral to preparing for, mitigating, and responding to disasters and emergencies. To bolster gender-responsive budgeting and public planning, we assist efforts to monitor the different impacts of budget and policy choices on women and men and to mainstream gender considerations across sectors.

Reporting to Procurement Analyst, the Procurement Associate is expected to support the Office on the day-to-day operations by performing a variety of standard administrative processes ensuring high quality and accuracy of work. The Procurement Associate must promote a high level of client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach and support: (i) compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (ii) effective systems to support programme delivery and growth; (iii) accountability to organizational values and principles; and (iv) an enabling workplace environment in which staff potential is maximized. S/he works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme, and Projects staff team to ensure consistent service delivery and to resolve complex administration-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Implement administrative and procurement-related strategies in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, and policies:

• Ensure compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies, and strategies; implement effective internal control, proper functioning of a client-orient procurement management system, and business process mapping;
• Coordinate the implementation of corporate procurement management policies and strategies in support of cost saving and operations for the RO and COs in the region;
• Follow up with internal and external audits and ensure that appropriate response is provided, and actions are taken regarding all aspects of procurement management.

Manage procurement processes for the Regional Office and Project Offices:

• Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support the implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
• Support the programme staff in the preparation of the procurement plans related to their projects;
• Coordination and consolidation of the organization’s requirements to identify the need for the establishment of Long-Term Agreements (LTAs);
• Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for the office and projects goods and services;
• Organize procurement processes including the preparation of mini bids, Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitation to Bids (ITBs) or Requests for Proposals (RFPs) documents, receipt of quotations, bids, or proposals; prepare requests for award of contracts for the review and approval of relevant authorities, in full compliance with UN Women regulations and rules;
• Perform Case manager role in ERP system (Quantum); prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts;
• Prepare submissions to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
• Ensure the supplier evaluation reports are recorded with respect to delivery performance and commercial acceptability;
• Ensure the asset list related to procurement purchases is registered in cooperation with the regional office asset focal person;
• Follow up on payment with finance and inform the vendor.

Manage the organization of logistical services for events within the regional office:

• Organize and coordinate the travel requests for event participants including the purchase of tickets for meeting participants and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) calculation;
• Organize hotel reservation and event arrangements for all official UN Women meetings/ functions, and engagements, and ensure that all requirements are catered for as required;
• Timely conducted Travel Agencies, hotel, and conference facilities surveys, in coordination with other UN Agencies in the case of the Regional Office;
• Proactively follow up on placed orders and deliveries with all concerned parties to ensure timely and safe delivery of goods/services; Take timely and appropriate decisions and actions to ensure objectives are met;
• Perform other administrative tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Provide substantive input and support to the development of training materials, webinars, and other education materials;
• Manage training sessions for the operations/projects staff within the Regional Office;
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in the procurement of specialized goods and services;
• Perform any other duties as required within the same capacity;
• Contribute to the Procurement Community Network and other learning networks.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely coordination, facilitation, and implementation of procurement activities based on procurement plans and available budget;
• Timely and quality processing of purchase orders;
• Timely delivery of services by the administration team;
• Proper and accurate maintenance of files and databases, documents are easily retrievable;
• Timely organization of logistics activities;
• Timely and quality advice to the project and program colleagues within the regional office.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of procurement processes, systems; administrative rules, and regulations;
• Ability to provide procurement-related support and advice;
• Strong knowledge of the use of spreadsheets and database packages;
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to extract and interpret data;
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;
• Strong IT and web-based management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required;
• Specialized training in Procurement; or a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration or related field is an asset;
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 3) is an asset;
• Willingness to take UN Women internal procurement certifications is required.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administration, or related at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.);
• Experience in handling web-based management systems, such as Quantum ERP, Oracle, or similar, is an asset;
• Experience with UN organizations, international bodies, or institutions is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required, and French is an asset;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Application Information:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).