Procurement Specialist

Contract

This is a NO-C contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 5,695 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 Eastern and Southern Regional Office (ESARO) in Nairobi, Kenya and a number of country (COs) and multi-country offices (MCOs) 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 Eastern and Southern Africa 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 the Regional Operations Manager with matrix reporting to and functional oversight from the Chief of Procurement, the Procurement Specialist advises management on procurement and promotes a strategic approach to sourcing within the region. This role encompasses a wide range of procurement responsibilities including management of procurement of goods and services, procurement contracts, and long-term agreements. It is designed to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of the procurement management within the region while bridging the gap between the field and HQ. The incumbent will act as the interface between the field and HQ in several procurement areas.

The Procurement Specialist will ensure that procurement processes in the region are in line with UN Women's goals, plans, and strategies and in compliance with applicable procurement policies and guidelines. The incumbent will lead the Regional Procurement Review Committee in ensuring compliance of procurement within the region with corporate standards. The incumbent also implement strategic procurement initiatives within the Region including e-procurement, etc. They will keep the Regional Director aware of procurement issues within the Region requiring Regional Office attention and keep the Regional Direct abreast of procurement, administrative and compliance issues

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Functions and Accountabilities:

Provide procurement oversight and guidance for strategic sourcing across the Eastern and Southern Regional Office (ESARO) and UN Women offices in the region:

• Ensure full compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies, procedures and strategies; implementation of effective internal control, and analysis of parameters in support of proper design and functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system;
• Support the procurement business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement, control of the workflows in the procurement in coordination with the supervisor;
• Analyze and propose cost-saving and reduction strategies in the Regional Office, programme presence offices and the region at large;
• Conduct periodic spend analyses to support the development of regional category management strategy, which shall account for establishment of long-term/strategic relationships with key suppliers for recurring supplies and services;
• Manage the provision of goods and services for the ESARO and programme presence offices following established corporate procedures regarding review and awarding of contracts, evaluate for cost effectiveness and manage the negotiations regarding eventual agreements;
• Serve as an advisor to the Regional Procurement Review Committees (R-PRC), and guide the committee on the correct application and interprotein of procurement policies and procedures;
• Provide advice and support to M/COs to implement procurement guidelines and processes;
• Provide Regional Office and Country Office management with authoritative clarification/briefs/advice on the interpretation/application of UN Women Rules, Regulations, and policies with respect to procurement;
• Use effective oversight tools to monitor and track procurement progress and compliance across the region.

Ensure efficient management of procurement processes for ESARO, MCOs/COs and programme presence offices:

• Ensure proper and timely consolidation of procurement requirements and manage the preparation of procurement plans for ESARO and programme presence offices with established deadlines to monitor their implementation;
• Oversee the procurement planning process of the region and ensure compliance;
• Establish and implement proper monitoring system and control of procurement processes including organization of negotiation processes (RFQ, ITB or RFP), receipt and evaluation of quotations, bids or proposals, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance of UN Women rules and regulations;
• Implement internal control systems, and systematize the management of clients' service requests, ensuring that procurement activities are promptly carried out following the UN Women policies and procedures with a dedicated focus on clients' needs;
• Manage the implementation of the procurement processes, monitoring system and mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in procurement across the region.

Oversee the development and implementation of sourcing strategy and automatized procurement tools:

• Develop and manage a roster of suppliers, elaborate supplier selection and evaluation, quality, and performance measurement mechanism;
• Keep abreast of ongoing LTAs and promote the use of LTAs in the region;
• Manage the automatized corporate e-procurement systems;
• Consolidate business requirements to identify the need for the establishment of strategic/long-term agreements at the regional level.

Participate in inter-agency activities related to procurement:

• Represent UN Women in inter-agency meetings and working groups on procurement issues to ensure UN Women's interests are reflected in common system activities such as common procurement services, related cost recovery and cost-sharing arrangements, custom clearance and tax exemption, etc;
• Implement harmonized procurement services and elaboration of proposals/analysis of requirements for inter-agency LTAs, introduction of joint procurement for the UN Agencies in line with the UN reform;
• Liaise with UN agencies on procurement issues, activities, and collaboration.

Contribute to knowledge sharing between ESARO, M/COs and programme presence offices:

• Monitor procurement activities within the Region and report as required to HQ and RO management on trends and practice;
• Keep Procurement Section HQ and Regional Director informed of best practices by other UN Agencies in the Region and contribute to policy development on procurement;
• Participate in the organization of training for the operations and programme personnel on procurement;
• Develop and support the development of training materials, webinars, and other education materials;
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in procurement;
• Contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Track implementation of audit recommendations related to procurement within the Region and keep HQ and RD informed.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholders 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:

• Has a strong understanding of the main processes and methods of work regarding to procurement;
• Possesses knowledge of procurement policies and procedures and applies them consistently in work tasks;
• Client-oriented; Strong problem-solving skills; Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;
• Ability to gather and present information on best practices in organizational change;
• Knowledge of data gathering and implementation of management systems;
• Strong procurement intelligence analysis skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• related field is required;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying procurement management experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree;
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 3) is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level, in procurement;
• Experience in leading a team is required;
• Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP systems, preferably Oracle Cloud, is required;
• Experience in general administration is highly desirable;
• Work experience within the UN system is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form-en.doc

Please note that the system will only allow one attachment and candidates are required to include in the P-11 form links for their previously published reports and articles completed within the last two years. Applications without the completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Notes:

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.

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