UN WOMEN Jobs - 51388- UN Women: Procurement Associate

UN Women: Procurement Associate

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

TA Local

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Feb-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

GS-7

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

364 days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

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 serves as a focal point in the execution of procurement and travel related services to the programme and executive director’s offices at HQ and provision of Field Support, with effectiveness, transparency and integrity.

The incumbent will foster client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach in the section. The procurement Associate will work in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project teams in the field offices and HQs staff for resolving complex procurement-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Administration and implementation of operational strategies;
Organization of procurement processes;
Implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools;
Organization of logistical services;
Facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

Ensures the administration and implementation of the operational strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

Full compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control framework, proper functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system;
Procurement business processes mapping and elaboration of the content of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement;
Elaboration of proposals and implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies, sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, e-procurement introduction and conducting e-tendering and all other relevant macro-micro processes;
Provision of researched information for formulation and implementation of contract strategy and strategic procurement including tendering processes and evaluation, managing the contract and contractor, legal considerations and payment conditions;
Implementation of improvement agenda for procurement policy and operations, covering areas such as development of working templates and guidelines and their maintenance.

Organizes procurement processes focusing on achievement of the following results:

Provide support on preparation of procurement plans for programmes/projects and their implementation monitoring;
Organization of procurement processes including preparation and conduct of Request For Quotations (RFQ), Invitation To Bids (ITB) or Request For Proposals (RFP), receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, submissions of proposed vendor selection process to be reviewed by the Procurement Contract Review Committee , negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations;
Preparation of Purchase Orders (PO)and contracts in and outside of Atlas (ERP system), contracting of services and complex goods with attention to threshold, vendors’ creation in Atlas;
Implementation of the internal control system which ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched and facilitate contract signatures. Timely corrective actions on Purchase Orders with data quality issues.

Ensures organization of logistics for travel related issues focusing on achievement of the following results:

Organization of travel including purchase of tickets, Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) calculation, PO preparation for staff members and meeting participants;
Submit staff and others information to be uploaded in Travel and Expense module (T&E) for travel requests to be created in ATLAS T&E;
Create PO for travel done outside T&E and ensure payment is done on time;
Timely, efficient and appropriate processing of DSA, tickets and terminal allowances for assigned mission or events;
Facilitate the selection, preparation of contract and payment to vendor for conference services and other events in an effective and efficient manner.

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

Develops and supports the development of training materials, webinars and other educational materials;
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 provide quality check and/or oversee 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;
Support the review and analysis of the RAMRC and AMRC Committees meeting minutes 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.

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall organization’s efficiency in procurement and administration and success in the implementation of operations strategies. Accurate analysis and presentation of information, well-organized transparent procurement and administration processes ensure client satisfaction and timely delivery of UN-Women programmes/projects. The information provided facilitates decision making of the management and learning capacity building and development of standardization of tools, systems, template including policies and procedures.

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:

Building Strategic Partnerships:

Analyzes general information and selects materials in support of partnership building initiatives;
Maintaining information databases.

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 7 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 other UN Language 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.