Procurement Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific (SAP) covers Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. FAO SAP is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional agriculture, food, nutrition and rural development priorities. FAO SAP develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) in Bangkok.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Pacific (SRC), and direct supervision of the SAP Administrative Officer, the Procurement Specialist will advise, guide and oversee FAO SAP procurement operations and the Letters of Agreements.

Technical Focus

• Ensure that procurement activities comply with FAO’s established policies and procedures and reflect best practice for public procurement,
• Strengthen the capacity building of FAO SAP’s Procurement Team, throught day to day hands-on work, specific trainings and the preparation of SOP’s,
• Prepare and conduct trainings to SAP personnel and also to potential suppliers to build awareness on procurement matters,

Tasks and responsibilities

• Plan, develop and manage all procurement and contractual aspects of significant complexity;
• Advise requisitioning units on the full range of procurement issues, providing support and guidance at all stage of the procurement cycle, meeting objectives under tight deadlines;
• Prepare solicitation process, identifies method of solicitation, drafts tendering documents, identifies sourcing strategy and distributes invitations to tender, also using e-tendering system and supports bid/proposals evaluations while ensuring the solicitation process is fair, objective and transparent and that it follows the general principles, as set forth in the FAO Manual Section;
• Prepare and present cases to the relevant Procurement Committees;
• Participate in and conduct site inspections, bidder's conferences and contract negotiations;
• Conduct market research to keep abreast of market developments; research and analyse statistical data and market reports on the world commodity situation, production patterns and availability of goods and services;
• Contribute to updating procurement policies and related tools, provide procurement reporting as well as clarification/information for auditing purposes;
• Participate in the development of training and related training materials and promotes best practices and capacity development for SAP Procurement Unit, SAP personnel and potential suppliers in the region
• Provide guidance to new/junior staff and stakeholders;
• Ensure entry of accurate data using the Organisations ERP and related systems;
• Make initial determinations and recommendations concerning disputes or claims arising from contractual instruments or procurement processes;
• Prepare monitoring reports, review and analyse data and make recommendations based on findings;
• Perform other duties as required

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Law, Business, Administration, Economics, Public Administration or Commerce or a related field. Candidates holding a first level university degree, Bachelors’ degree or equivalent, may also be considered if possessing two additional years of relevant work experience;
• Five years of relevant experience in procurement related activities with at least two in public procurement;
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian for Consultants. For PSA.SBS working knowledge of English will be sufficient.

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 of all phases of international procurement techniques and operations used in contracting for a diverse range of goods and services
• Extent and relevance of experience in public sector procurement dealing with complex contractual issues including revising, drafting of contract, formulating options and proposing recommendations
• Extent and relevance of experience in identifying clients’ procurement-related needs and in providing support and guidance from clients’ point of view
• Demonstrated ability to draft complex documents in English is considered a strong asset
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable