Procurement Specialist

Organizational Setting

The cooperation between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Ukraine has been designed to reinforce national capacities and to contribute to a broader development of agriculture, sustainable management of forests and fisheries, and animal and plant disease control. FAO is providing technical support for climate change adaptation, as well as working with civil society to mitigate soil erosion and degradation. FAO is also contributing to building resilience and boosting development in conflict-affected regions by supporting the economic recovery of farmers and rural communities. FAO’s presence in Ukraine has upscaled and is distributed by offices in Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro under the overall responsibility of the Head of the FAO Office/Designated Responsible Officer in Ukraine. The recent and large-scale escalation in hostilities in Ukraine is exacerbating the already dire food security situation of the most vulnerable rural households and small farmers. In response to the evolving situation, FAO Ukraine is scaling up its emergency humanitarian and resilience programming in conflict affected areas of Ukraine. including previous programming areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson; and Lviv and Zakarpattia in the West; as well as newly affected areas. In order the address to rapidly deteriorating situation, FAO has established a Rapid Response Plan (RRP) that is in line with the UN Flash Appeal and intended to provide life and livelihood saving interventions for the most vulnerable smallholder farming households impacted by the conflict.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the DRO/Head of the Office, the direct supervision of the Operations Officer in Ukraine, the functional supervision of the Procurement Specialist and in close collaboration with other staff and other projects, the Procurement Assistant will be responsible for the provision of support to Procurement and Administrative of FAO portfolio in Ukraine. The Procurement Specialist performs a wide range of routine administrative and control functions in support of FAO's procurement services. He/she contributes to timely and efficient procurement operations.

Technical Focus

The Procurement Specialist provides and coordinates day-to-day procurement operations, including specialized and complex processes and functions, ensuring consistency, timeliness and conformity with relevant rules, procedures and practices. He/ she provides procedural guidance to clients and staff across the Organization regarding procurement rules and procedures.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Review and prepare routine documentation and correspondence related to assigned procurement actions, including, but not limited to: identification of potential suppliers (conduct market surveys) , preparation of invitations to bid, bid summaries, purchase orders and/or contract, simple contractual amendments, renewals; obtain clarifications when necessary; • Follow-up on purchase orders and contracts: monitor receipt of order confirmation, shipment and receipt of goods and services, receipt of performance bonds or other necessary documentation; • Communicate to the Project Team in relation to the assigned procurement actions, assist with the correct preparation and submission of new Procurement Requests; • Review invoices of incoming goods, transportation services and custom’s clearance fees for accuracy; bring to the supervisor’s attention any discrepancies which may arise, prior to processing the payment, translation of the offers/invoices; • Arrange the delivery of goods to their final destinations; • Report on the status of procurement actions; • File documents and correspondence and database records related to procurement actions, assigned tenders, purchase orders and contracts; • Run periodic reports, taking action as requested; • Provide advice and support to other Procurement Assistants and to clients across the Organization on procurement procedures and regulations; • Ensure data input into systems as accurate; • Review with the supervisor problems and discrepancies related to assigned actions; • Perform operational functions relating to the procurement process, including the preparation of documents related to assigned procurement actions, issuance of tenders and purchase orders, evaluation of bids, follow-up with suppliers, attendance at tender opening panel, draft simple amendments and/ or renewals to contracts and service orders under the guidance of the supervisor(s), applying in-depth knowledge of the procurement applications and regulations etc.; • Ensure that procurement actions are completed in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant rules and procedures; ensure timely information on the status of procurement activities and all related issues; • Maintain and monitor database records related to procurement actions undertaken, assigned tenders, and contracts; coordinate collection of statistical information on procurement actions and ensure that information maintained in the relevant systems is accurate and updated; • Prepare, review and analyze periodic monitoring reports making recommendations and taking action as instructed; • Participate in meetings with suppliers; • Review current processes and make recommendations to improve purchasing systems and procedures; • Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in business administration, international relations, economics, procurement and other social sciences • Five years of experience in procurement support work • Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Ukrainian • National of Ukraine

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Thorough knowledge of the procurement regulations and procedures of any public or international entity or organization. • Good knowledge of the International Commercial Terms (INCOTERMS) and their application • Thorough knowledge of the ERP Procurement Module and ability to guide, direct and advise colleagues on its use and applications • Experience with UN administrative policies and procedures will be considered as an asset

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing)
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help please contact: [email protected]
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
• For additional employment opportunities visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.