Senior Procurement Officer

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 208,877 USD and 261,770 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.

Org. Setting and Reporting The mandate of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is to promote sustainable and inclusive development and regional connectivity in the Asian and Pacific region.

ESCAP is currently undergoing a Seismic Mitigation Retrofit and Life-cycle Replacements Project (SMP) for its premises in Bangkok. This position is located in the Procurement Unit, in the Division of Administration. The incumbent will be based in New York and reports to the Chief of Technology & Infrastructure Support Service, Procurement Division in UNHQ on day-to-day matters and will work closely with project manager of the SMP and the Procurement Unit in ESCAP.

Responsibilities Under the direct supervision of the Chief, Technology & Infrastructure Support Service, Procurement Division in New York and within the delegated authority, the incumbent is required to perform the following functions:

- Provides policy guidance to the SMP located in Bangkok, on conceptual strategy. - Development and management of the implementation of overall strategies related to procurement for the project. - Provides technical inputs and support to the SMP on all phases of acquisition process in alignment with SMP strategy with emphasis on risk management. - Provides technical advice on establishing contract administration protocols, to be administered by the on-site technical teams after contract award; in line with the revised implementation strategy and with emphasis on risk management. - Augments the management of procurement activities undertaken by the SMP; ensures that activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating sub-projects in the SMP, and, in liaison with other Secretariat entities as appropriate. - Analyzes unusually complex and/or critical procurement proposals of significant financial or operational impact; determines appropriate strategy/approach to best serve institutional interests, and ensures implementation, including the authorization of exceptions to established rules, practices and procedures, as necessary. - Reviews and provides inputs to Local and Headquarters Committee on Contracts presentations from peers. Actively participates in the meetings and formulates strategies to best approach deliberations with the Committees including obtaining approval from the Head of Entity. If necessary adopts recommendations from the Committees and participates in drafting responses and official replies to both Committees. - Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, the General Assembly and other policymaking organs, as appropriate. - Prepares clear and objective procurement related reports with high-quality standards based on comprehensive data. - Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision as applicable. - Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the SMP and across organizational boundaries. - Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue, or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions. - Any other task as assigned from time to time.

Competencies Core competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas being supervised. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

Managerial competencies

Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

Education Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, commerce, architecture/engineering, finance, accounting, law or related area.

A first-level university degree in the above fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administration, budget, finance, human resources management or related field, of which at least five years should be directly related to firsthand procurement experience or related functions at the international level is required. Experience in the field of design and/or construction management related to large-scale capital projects is desirable. Experience in leading change management strategies/initiatives is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment Qualified applicants may be evaluated through a competency-based interview and/or other assessment methods.

Special Notice This is a temporary position and will be available for six months. If selected, an internal candidate will be on temporary assignment to the post; an external candidate will initially be offered a temporary appointment. Any extension of appointment is subject to satisfactory performance and continued availability of the post.

ESCAP is committed to promoting diversity and gender equality within the Secretariat. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.