Procurement Associate

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.

Under the overall guidance of the Regional Operations manager and the daily supervision of the Procurement Specialist, the Procurement Associate ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach and support: (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 Associate also works in collaboration with operations staff in other UN Agencies, UN Women Regional Office (RO) and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver procurement services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Implement procurement strategies in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies

Provide substantive inputs to procurement related reports and analyses; research and draft responses to enquiries for clearance by the Operations Manager;
Provide substantive inputs to the implementation of procurement management policies and strategies on cost saving and reduction;
Follow up with internal and external audits;
Contribute to the development of sourcing strategies.

Organize procurement processes for the Regional Office and CO Senegal

Prepare procurement plans for programmes/projects;
Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and projects equipment, supplies and services;
Organize 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;
Perform Buyer role in Atlas; prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Atlas;
Prepare submissions to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC).

Organize contract management process for the Regional Office and CO Senegal

Review/ process contracts for the RO;
Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.

Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

Provide substantive input and support to the development of training materials, webinars and other education materials;
Organize trainings for the operations/projects staff on Procurement;
Synthesize lessons learnt and best practices.

Ensure proper control of assets

Prepare inventory reports;
Implement the inventory and physical verification check-up in the RO and projects;
Update the databases or other relevant electronic management systems with asset, human resources and procurement data for use by Regional Office and HQ;
Arrange shipments and conference facilities.

Organize logistical services

Organize hotel and event arrangements for all official UN Women meetings/ functions, engagements, ensure that all requirements are catered for as required;

Perform other administrative tasks as assigned by supervisor.
Timely coordination, facilitation and implementation of procurement activities based on procurement plans and available budget
Timely and quality processing of purchase orders
Timely delivery of services by administration team
Proper and accurate maintenance of files and databases, documents are easily retrievable
Timely organization of logistics activities

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

Good knowledge of procurement process, systems; administrative rules and regulations;
Good knowledge in the use of spreadsheets and database packages;
Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
Ability to extract and interpret data;
Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions;
Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;
Strong IT and web based management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

Completion of secondary education is required;
Specialized training in Procurement; or a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration or related field is an asset;
Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 2) is an asset;
Willingness to take UN Women internal procurement certifications is required.

Experience:

At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administration or related at the national or international level;
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc);
Experience in handling of web-based management systems, such as ERP system is an asset

Language Requirements:

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

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

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.