Procurement and Administration Specialist

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of gender 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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies, and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the future of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to placing them at the center of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organizations, and needs and priorities of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace and Security. UN Women Afghanistan operates through its main office in Kabul and five sub-offices located in the provinces Balkh, Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

Reporting to the Deputy Country Representative - Operations, and under the overall guidance of the Country Representative, the Procurement and Administration Specialist will support the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office senior management team to ensure oversight responsibilities for all aspects of the Afghanistan CO operations, in particular strategic procurement and logistical services, administration, and common services consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. Additionally, the post incumbent will contribute to providing advice and support to the Country Representative, on demand, on matters of organizational efficiency and effectiveness with the aim of ensuring: (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.

The Procurement and Administration Specialist supports senior management team in leading and guiding the Country Office Operations Team and fosters collaboration within the team, with programme staff and with other UN Agencies and a client-oriented approach. The Procurement and Administration Specialist works in close collaboration with programme teams in the office, providing close guidance to programme staff who perform adjunct operations functions, ensuring that such staff are knowledgeable of rules and procedures governing procurement, programme finances, donor reporting, and personnel. She/he also works in collaboration with operations staff in other UN Agencies, UN Women Regional Office and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver operations services.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Oversee and manage procurement strategies in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies

Oversee and coordinate the development of the procurement plan including the development of Request for Quotations (RFQ), Request for Proposals (RFP), Invitation to Bid (ITB) for country office and sub-offices;
Manage the provision of goods and services for the Country Office and projects following established corporate procedures regarding sub-contract review and awarding of contracts, evaluate for cost effectiveness and manage the negotiations in connection with eventual agreements;
Provide technical guidance on the preparation of procurement plans and implementation of the plan in Afghanistan Country Office and sub-offices; Contribute inputs to implementation of procurement activities are compliant with Gender Responsive Procurement (GRP) principles;
Chair in Local Procurement Review Committees (L-PRC) and participate in Regional/Global Procurement Review Committee as required;
Provide technical advice on procurement related issues;

2. Lead procurement team on management of procurement processes for Country Office and Sub Offices

Manage Country Office and Sub Offices assets and liabilities and ensure proper inventory control.
Handle procurement related reports i.e. market research, cost analysis, vendor performance report analysis and establish strategies in support of cost saving and operations including capacity building for counterparts for Country office and sub-offices;
Finalize procurement plans for programmes/projects and monitor the implementation;
Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and projects equipment, supplies and services in the country office and sub-offices
Provide guidance and oversight to procurement processes including the preparation of Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitation to Bids (ITBs) or Request for Proposals (RFPs) documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, and their preliminary evaluation.
Provide guidance and oversight to review and processing of contracts for the country office and sub-offices
Monitor and analyze contract performance;
Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.
Perform Buyer role in Atlas; prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Atlas;
Organize joint procurement processes for the UN agencies in line with the UN reform.

3. Coordinate access to information and follow up on all audit activities and observation for Country Office on procurement related activities;

Take the lead in dealing with questions the section receives frequently from internal UN-Women stakeholders- partners, other UN Agencies, donors and Member States on procurement related functions ;
Work closely with team members ensuring performance and alignment of individual and team goals are align with the procurement objectives, and providing the appropriate coaching enabling a productive, innovative, and challenging working environment.
Follow up with internal and external audits.

4. Represent UN Women in UN system coordination, with a focus on Operations

As delegated by the UN Women Deputy Country Representative- Operations, in the UN Operations Management Team (OMT) to collaborate with the Resident Coordinator and UN system on the development of The Business Operations Strategy (BOS), interagency coherence, collaboration, cooperation, resource mobilization, advocacy, common services, and operations.
Contribute to identifying opportunities to amplify and demonstrate UN Women as the lead UN entity in mainstreaming gender perspectives across UN systemwide operational mechanisms i.e. Gender Responsive Procurement System
Liaise with UNDP and other UN agencies on operational issues, activities, and collaboration.
Represent UN Women in procurement and administration working groups to ensure UN Women’s interests are reflected.

5. Contribute to capacity building plan and facilitate knowledge sharing between the country office and sub-offices

Develop and support the development of training materials, webinars and other education materials;
Organize trainings on Procurement.
Synthesize lessons learnt and best practices.
Ensure knowledge is shared and adequately applied between the country office and sub-offices including UN agencies in the country.

6. Management of administration and logistics

Management of assets, office vehicles, and office and accommodation facility maintenance
Manage staff in Procurement, Facility and Transport Team. Finalize performance plans and evaluation standards; conduct performance assessments, provide feedback and coaching.
Contribute to the effective functioning of the ACO in Kabul and sub-offices on operations including asset management, risk management, compliance with internal processes and procedures;
Conduct business process mapping and establish internal standard operating procedures to minimize costs, simplify and reduce duplication of work, maximize efficiencies, and ensure compliance to UN Women policies and rules, to ensure that ACO remains agile, resilient and ready to respond to dynamic programme needs
Conduct information gathering and analysis required for the continuous and up-to-date flow of information between the ACO and HQ and RO;
Support coordination with the RO and HQ on established structures; seek advice from RO and HQ when deviations may be necessary to ensure ACO agility to deliver on its strategic vision
Support and provide advice to the Deputy Country Representative -Operations in strengthening the risk management oversight modalities to increase organizational performance and strengthen internal control.

Key Performance Indicators:

All services are provided in compliance with UN Women rules, regulations and policies
Procurement of goods and services follows appropriate processes.
Effective management of office administration and logistics issues.
Interaction and coordination with other agencies and partners on operations issues
Internal and external audit recommendations related to operations implemented.

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

Functional Competencies

Strong knowledge of operation, procurement, logistics and administration
Basic knowledge of finance, human resources, ICT, and security systems and processes
Ability to provide advice and support;
Ability to lead formulation and monitoring of management projects;
Ability to handle confidential information
Good negotiating skills
Strong IT skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, HR, or related field is required
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Specialized training in Procurement or 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 office management, operations or finance is required;
Experience in leading a team is required
Experience of working with multi- cultural teams is required
Experience in working in a complex humanitarian environment is desirable
Experience in working on computer environment using multiple office software packages, experience in handling of web based management systems and ERP systems;
Professional background in programming/ projects management is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required
Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.