Background

Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), one of the strongest typhoons on record in the world, hit the Visayas (Central Philippines) on 8 November 2013 with a force equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Rainfall rates reached 30 mm per hour, wind speeds clocked upwards of 315 km/h and massive storm surges went up to 5-6 meters high along coastal areas. Over a 16 hour period, the “super typhoon,” swept through six provinces in the central Philippines, knocking out power, telecommunications, and water supplies. Along the eastern coast of Samar, Eastern Samar and Leyte, extensive damage was caused by powerful storm surges that were akin to a tsunami. Entire villages were swpet away by the sea, claiming thousands of lives and causing heavy infrastructure damage in highly populated areas. On the western coast and mainland areas of Samar and Leyte, severe winds flattened vast areas of farmlands planted with coconut and banana trees. Strong winds also caused damage, although to a lesser extent, along the coasts of Cebu, Panay and Coron.

Close to a year has passed since Typhoon Yolanda left a wide swath of destruction and death. Many areas have cleared of typhoon debris but the people have yet to recover from the destructive impact of the typhoon. There is a widespread clamor for the provision of shelter and livelihoods. There is a need to rebuild or replace public infrastructure, and local governments are yet to become fully operational.

With funding assistance from the European Union, UNDP will embark on a three-year project titled “Recovery and Resilience in Selected Typhoon Yolanda-Affected Communities in the Visayas” to contribute to the ongoing recovery process in 15 affected municipalities. A Procurement Assistant will be engaged by UNDP to provide project support services in its Manila Office.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Procurement Team Leader, the Procurement Assistant will primarily support the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit (CPRU) in its project activities by carrying out the following tasks:

Provision of inputs to preparation of procurement plans for the project.

Undertaking the appropriate procurement processes in accordance with the relevant UNDP policies, rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • preparation of RFQs/ITBs/RFPs;
  • coordinating between requisitioners and prospective bidders for queries and clarifications;
  • taking down minutes of pre-bid conferences where needed;
  • receiving  quotations/bids/proposals;
  • providing the requisitioner with canvas matrix or preliminary evaluation of the quotations/bids/proposals received;
  • convening and providing guidance to evaluation panel where required;
  • summarizing evaluation findings and results; and
  • communicating the award to the successful bidder;
  • Performing buyer functions in Atlas, such as creation of Vendor Profile, preparation of Purchase orders/recurring POs in Atlas;
  • Preparation of appropriate contract instruments and obtaining signatures of the vendor and proper authority in UNDP;
  • Performs timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other possible changes where required;
  • Maintaining and accurate, and reliable filing system in the procurement Unit;
  • Consistently observing and adhering to the internal control system relevant to the performance of the procurement function;
  • Providing information for preparation of cost-recovery bills in Atlas for the procurement services provided by UNDP;
  • Implementation of Inventory and physical verification check-up, when requested;
  • Performs other tasks that may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

  • Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values, particularly the value of integrity and modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability, and treats all people fairly at all times.

Functional and technical competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning

  • Shares knowledge and experience;
  • Demonstrates passion and determination to learn, actively working towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
  • Participates actively in a team-based environment, collaborating and cooperating with colleagues, clients, partners and constituents within and outside the organization;
  • Assimilates and analyzes new learning from experiences and lessons learned, seeks new knowledge, information, insights and best practices from within and outside the organization;
  • Advocates and provide policy-based advise in support of the work of other colleagues and partners.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

  • Focuses on Outputs and Results  while being client-service oriented;
  • Ability to perform a variety of standard tasks related to contract, asset and procurement management, including sourcing strategy, screening, collecting and preparation of documentation, data processing, preliminary bids evaluation, filing, provision of information, control of assets;
  • Good knowledge of financial rules and regulations as well as internal controls;
  • Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system;
  • Sets clear performance goals and standards, and continues to strive for high quality and client-centered services;
  • Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills;
  • Builds strong relationship with clients and partners.
  • Leadership and Self-Management
  • Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
  • Generating creative, practical ideas and approaches to deal with challenging situations;
  • Relates to, and deals with, colleagues, partners and clients comfortably with confidence and respect, showing conflict resolution skills where needed;
  • Outstanding people skills, responding positively to feedback, and demonstrating openness to change.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Business or Public Administration, Economics, or related field;
  • Specialized training or experience in Procurement, from a private or public entity, is an advantage.

Experience: 

  • At least 2 years of relevant administrative experience is required at the national or international level;
  • Experience in the use of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and knowledge of automated procurement systems;
  • Experience in handling of web-based management systems;
  • Experience with the UN/other foreign-assisted projects in a similar position is an advantage.

Language requirements:

  • Fluency in the English and national language.

Note:

The selected candidate will receive a salary that is commensurate with his/her background and work experience.  Interested applicants are requested submit their application online and complete the UN Personal History Form (P.11), available in our website http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/operations/jobs/  on or before 28 May 2015.  Kindly note that only completed P.11 forms will be reviewed.  Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

UNDP is an equal opportunity employer.

Please note that we will contact only the short-listed candidates.