Background Information – UNOPS

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.

Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.

 Background Information – Afghanistan

Afghanistan

With more than 20 years of experience in the country, UNOPS Afghanistan focuses on providing maximum support to the people of Afghanistan through the delivery of projects and services that improve the lives of people in need. The UNOPS Afghanistan Country Office (AFCO) serves as an organizational mechanism to deliver a range of projects for which UNOPS has been designated as the implementation agency.  At present, UNOPS AFCO activities cover a range of sectors including humanitarian, basic human needs, cash for work, infrastructure, development, procurement and HR services.

The functional objective of UNOPS AFCO is to contribute to improving the lives of girls, boys, men and women living in Afghanistan. The aim of UNOPS AFCO is to provide efficient and cost-effective implementation services on behalf of all our partners to support the humanitarian response and development of the country. UNOPS AFCO’s mission is to exceed the expectations of all stakeholders in the delivery of AFCO services, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances, in order to improve the lives of Afghans in need.

 Background Information – Job-specific

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Support Services, the Procurement Specialist is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic and effective procurement services reflecting international public procurement best practices, compliance with UNOPS procurement policy, rules, regulations and procedures, ensuring appropriate risk management and obtaining the best value for money for the acquisition of goods, services and the contracting of works.

He/she analyzes and interprets the respective rules and regulations and provides advice and solutions to a wide spectrum of complex issues related to procurement. The role requires deep understanding of procurement policy and processes and the Procurement Specialist should be able to apply them to the appropriate situations.

In addition to responsibility for the deliverables of the work team, the incumbent’s work is focused on strategic relationship building and demand management, mainly referred to aggregation and dealing with complex organizational structures, preparation of business cases and understanding of the supply market, as well as sharing knowledge with projects in order to achieve reductions of costs and savings.

Maintaining the highest degree of personal and professional ethics, the Procurement Specialist promotes a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in the Business Unit.

The Procurement Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme/project colleagues in the given geographical area and with UNOPS HQ personnel, particularly with the Procurement Group (PG), as well as the Government officials, to successfully deliver procurement services.

The Procurement Specialist will work in close cooperation with the Business Unit and Project Managers and report to the management on central issues related to procurement activities.  S/he supervises and leads procurement personnel to deliver work results, in close cooperation with the leadership team in the given geographical area.
 Functional Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected

1. Development and Implementation of  procurement strategies
2. Management of procurement processes
3. Implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools
4. Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing
5. Team Management

1. Leads the development and implementation of procurement and contracting strategies for goods, services and works, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Appropriate application of UNOPS procurement governance framework (rules, regulations, policies and tools) in Business Unit and Project operations.
• Provision of supply-market intelligence and analysis.
• Procurement strategies, approaches and plans designed and implemented according to cost reduction and saving strategies, applying:
• • Expertise in market intelligence matched to business requirements;
  • Optimal Stakeholder management principles;
  • Sustainability criteria;
  • Appropriate work processes to individual cases.

   

• Oversight and supervision of the implementation and results of strategic and routine procurement work plans in Business Unit, covering Pre-Purchasing: Strategy and Planning; Requirements Definition; Sourcing; Purchasing: Solicitation; Management of Submissions; Evaluation; Review and Award; Post Purchasing: Contract finalization and issuance; Logistics; and Contract Management.
• Support business development team on the technical aspects in the process of acquiring and developing new projects;
• Advise and support any UNOPS business unit on the use and interpretation of UNOPS procurement policies
• Advise and support UNOPS business units with expert advice on topics related to procurement and contract management for selected categories of goods and services.

2. Manage and guide  procurement processes for the acquisition of goods, services and the construction of works for the Business Unit, focusing on achievement of the following results, in compliance with the official procurement policies, rules, regulations and procedures: 

• Sustainability embedded in the procurement process.
• Appropriate procurement modalities and instruments applied (e-sourcing, procurement and Rosters of Suppliers) based on individual case requirements, utilizing expert knowledge of procurement policies and instruments.
• Creation, implementation and oversight of proper monitoring and control of procurement processes in Business Unit and projects including organization of RFQ, ITB or RFP, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNOPS Procurement rules and regulations.
• Review and pre-clearance of solicitation documents, requests for awards and submissions to Contract and Property Committees (CPCs) in role as Procurement Reviewer (in OneUNOPS or Enterprise system).
• Procurement contracts and contractors optimally managed through supplier and contract performance management against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanisms.
• Implementation of Internal control system.
• Elaboration of comments regarding project audit reports of the Business Units, when necessary.

3. Ensure introduction and implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Creation, development and management of rosters of suppliers, elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation, quality and performance measurement mechanisms.
• Ensures that the e-sourcing tools are used in accordance with PG goals and standards in this area.

4. Team Management

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.
• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

5. Knowledge building and Knowledge sharing 

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for Business Unit personnel on Procurement-related topics.
• Lead and conduct initiatives on capacity development and knowledge building for procurement personnel, including network development, plans, learning plans and activities, procurement practice information and best practice benchmarking.
• Oversee team’s contributions to Procurement knowledge networks and communities of practice including collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in procurement management.
• Guide team’s collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Impact of Results:

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Procurement Specialist directly affects the overall efficiency of the region and specific project initatvies, in regards to procurement management, impacting the timely and effective implementation of the respective programmes and the business unit’s operations.  Timely, market-aware, and accountable delivery of services, ensures business unit performance, efficiency and client satisfaction, which promote the image and credibility of the team and business unit as an effective service provider in project services and management. This enhances UNOPS’ competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services in the given geographical area.

 Education/Experience/Language requirements

a. Education

• Advanced Degree preferably in Procurement and/or Supply Chain Management, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics or related field with 5 years of relevant experience, OR;

• A First University degree in combination with a minimum of seven (7) years’ qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

b. Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years’ professional experience at the international level or in combination with three (3)  years at the national level, in advising on, implementing policies and procedures to deliver a range of complex procurement programmes and services.

• Experience in working with a range of stakeholders in developing and developed countries;

• Personnel supervisory experience in procurement;

• Some experience in UN system organizations, preferably in a developing country, is desirable

• Knowledge of UN/ /UNOPS Procurement Rules and Regulations is a distinct advantage.

c. Language

• Fluent in English (read, write and speak) is required.

Please click on the below link for actual vacancy announcement to see the complete details and submission guideline as this is only an attempt for attracting female applicants for gender parity in organization. Please make sure you fill your profile/application properly with all relevant details in order to be considered for the next stage of recruitment/selection.

APPLY NOW