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 Chief of Procurement, and direct supervision of the Procurement Specialist, the Procurement Associate ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes in the organization both at HQ and field levels.

The Procurement Associate will foster client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach globally. The Procurement Associate will work in close collaboration with the operations and programme staff at HQ, in the CO, regional and multi-regional offices in resolving complex procurement-related issues and information exchange.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

• Implementation of efficient procurement services;
• Ensures organization of logistical and travel related services;
• Implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools;
• Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

Ensures implementation of efficient procurement services, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Analyze and consolidate requirements organization wide;
• Develop, implement and update the organization’s procurement plan;
• General procurement and tendering processes including preparation and conducting of RFQs, ITBs and RFPs;
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to ensure proper management of tendering, evaluation and other processes of the procurement activities; 
• Submission of the recommended procurement contract awards to the Procurement Review Committee and facilitate  the negotiation of certain conditions of contracts with suppliers in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations;
• Issue contracts and raise Purchase Orders (PO) in ATLAS (ERP system);
• Effectively contribute to UN Joint tender exercises;
• Administration and establishment of Long Term Agreements;
• Maintains proper filing of solicitation documents and procurement contracts;
• Fulfillment of procurement/buyer related roles in ATLAS system;
• Organization of procurement operations needed for the implementation of the projects, other general needs of the office.

Ensures organization of logistical and travel related services focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Organization of travel including purchase of tickets, Daily Subsistence Allowances (DSA) calculation, PO preparation, conference facilities arrangements and other logistic activities;
• The allocation of DSA in a timely and efficient manner and payment arrangement for hotel and conference facilities;
• Proactively follow up on open purchase orders and deliveries with all concerned parties in order to ensure timely delivery of goods/services;
• Prepare and provide timely and regular status monitoring reports to supply chain stakeholders including travel claim forms (F10 forms) outstanding clearances, open POs, inactive vendor reports.

Ensures implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools,  focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Development and update of the rosters of suppliers, implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
• Support and/or initiate the development and implementation of new systems for internal control that would ensure compliance of processes with contractual terms and conditions in close collaboration with the programme and operations teams;
• Organize the production of annual and other periodical statistical reports including data gathering, analysis and report writing for the UN/ UN Women Annual Statistical Reports;
• Carry out and oversee the PO closure and receipt accrual on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis (or as required) in full compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS);
• General e-procurement and e-tendering processes including preparation and conducting of Micro-Purchasing Processes/Mini-Competition, Request For Quotations (RFQ), Invitation To Bid (ITB) and Request For Proposals (RFP);
• Prepares suppliers evaluation reports with respect to delivery performance and commercial acceptability for HQ procurement contracts;
• Assist field offices with suppliers performance evaluation and monitor timely publishing of suppliers performance evaluation reports;
• Monitoring the regular publishing of procurement contracts on the UN Women website in compliance with the policy requirements;
• Updates the databases or other relevant electronic management systems with procurement data for use by Field Offices, Regional Offices or Headquarters;
• Guide and assist Information and Technology (IT) unit for continuous update and enhancement of content of technology (e.g. intranet, UN Women website) for Procurement;
• Manage data content and dissemination to stakeholders.

Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Supports the development of training materials, webinars and other educational materials;
• Responsible for maintenance of procurement templates;
• Keep up to date and further develop Procurement Section intranet and website for better reach out;
• Assist field offices in development of solicitation documents; conducting evaluations and perform the quality check for the procurement activities of field offices;
• Coach and act as mentor to other colleagues, sharing knowledge and expertise in procurement services;
• Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on procurement;
• Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in Procurement;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Contribute to information management and circulate procurement related information to UN Women clients and within the organization;
• Develop appropriate contract management / internal procurement tools or guiding materials for standardization and knowledge sharing purposes;
• Facilitate procurement community network as focal point to moderate the community debates;
• Provide operational support to the review and analysis of the Local, Regional and Headquarters Procurement Review Committee reports in order to identify strategic improvement goals for the regional and country offices procurement units;
• Perform back up duties within the procurement team as needed in order to maintain optimum performance level during the absence of any other procurement team members;
• Perform any other duties as requested by the Chief of Procurement.  

Impact of Results:

The key results have an impact on the overall procurement and success in implementation of operational strategies.  Accurate analysis and presentation of information, in an effective and efficient way in exciting transparent procurement processes to ensure client satisfaction and timely delivery of Women projects.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and promote ethics and integrity by creating organizational precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

• Build support for the organization and ensure political acumen.

Development and Innovation:

• Support staff competence development, and contribute to an environment of creativity and innovation.

Work in teams:

• Build and promote effective teams. Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communication and Information Sharing:

• Create and promote an environment for open and effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Share knowledge across the organization and build a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Ensure fair and transparent decision making processes and manage risk.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Shares knowledge and experience;
• Encourages office staff to share knowledge and contribute to UN Women practice areas;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities related to contract and procurement management, including organization and conduct of procurement processes, implementation of contract and sourcing strategies;
• Sound knowledge of financial rules and regulations;
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system.

Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Completion of secondary education required. Specialized training in procurement an advantage;
• University degree or equivalent in Business or Public Administration is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible procurement work experience at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.), advance knowledge of automated procurement systems, experience in handling of web based management systems;
• Knowledge of and experience in the procurement module of an ERP system such as PeopleSoft would be a strong asset.
• Completion of Global General Service Test (GGST) or UN Administrative Support Assessment Test (ASAT) – formerly known as the UN Clerical Test.

Languages:

• Proficiency in oral and written English; knowledge of Spanish and/or French will be an asset.

Notes:

GS fixed-term appointment (FTA) and temporary appointment (TA) positions located in New York are open to candidates who are either US Permanent Residents, US Citizens or holders of a valid G4 visa at the time of their application and whose G4 visa has been acquired on account of their employment in the UN Systems based in New York.

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.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment. 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.