UNDP Jobs - 58482- Procurement Assistant (SC)

Procurement Assistant (SC)

Location :

Tirana, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Service Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

SB-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months (with the possibility of extension)

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

Albania is vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards and risks with the most recurrent disasters being the floods. The most recent floods disaster affected the southern and southwestern areas of Albania in the first week of February 2015. Above normal rainfall of up to 200 mm in only three days between February 1st and 5th, 2015 impacted severely and especially the areas located along Vjosa, Drino, Osum and Gjanica river basins, where several river/drainage/irrigation embankments breached in many locations.

The Government has swiftly mobilized to respond and approached development partners for assistance, with the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Entrepreneurship being assigned the government focal point role for coordinating the recovery assessment.

Complemented by a joint effort of EU, WB and the UN, the Government engaged the necessary resources and institutions in carrying out a reduced post disaster needs assessment (PDNA) to plan the recovery and reconstruction efforts, strengthen the resilience of local communities and identifying policy measures for improved preparedness to potential future disasters.

The PDNA report was officially released by end of April 2015 and it provided: (1) an impact and needs assessment across key affected sectors (2) a preliminary recovery strategy and (3) a roadmap that prioritizes early, medium and long-term needs. In line with the PDNA findings, the most severe impact of the February 2015 floods was on irrigation & drainage channels and river basins’ protection infrastructures. Additional damages related to drainage pumping stations, electric lines, cleaning of draining channels were also identified. This indicated that adequate flood protection systems are not in place for the next rain season.

Based on the PDNA findings, the EU set to re-programme part of its IPA allocation to Albania and design a floods recovery programme, which develops along three components: (1) reinforcing infrastructure and flood control; (2) upgrading civil defense preparedness and disaster risk reduction; and (3) recovering agricultural damage and restoring productive capacities.

Within the above component 1 on flood control infrastructure, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration (MARDWA) has further identified the priority interventions that require immediate attention and should be completed before the next rain season to restore the pre-disaster protection levels.

To ensure speed and readiness in the implementation of works when EU funding would become available, MARDWA has been provided a state budget allocation for carrying out the detailed technical designs of the priority interventions and technical teams have been deployed to the field to develop infrastructure technical dossiers relevant to those priorities. As per the agreed schedule, technical dossiers will be completed around mid-July.

In an attempt to speed up the implementation of EU Component 1, UNDP is identified as a potential implementing organization for carrying out the works.

The envisaged implementation tasks include the following steps in sequence and wherever possible concurrently:

Prepare solicitation documents and invite the companies to bid for specific works/batches of works
Issue civil works contracts to successful bidders
Identification and selection of a Supervision Consultant (company) to supervise the implementation of works under UNDP contracts.
Ensure close supervision of works by the Supervision Consultant

Within this context, UNDP Albania is preparing to establish the necessary technical team for such an implementation which start depends on the finalization of the technical dossiers and the EU funding. In this respect, UNDP is seeking to engage the services of qualified infrastructure specialists/civil engineers to review the technical design documents, assist UNDP CO in the development of complete tender specifications and later in the monitoring of the implementation progress and the overall contracts’ management.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under overall guidance and supervision of the Operations Manager, the Procurement Assistant ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes in CO.

The Procurement Assistant works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and projects’ staff in the CO for resolving complex procurement-related issues and information exchange. The Key Functions consist in:

Implementation of operational strategies
Organization of procurement processes
Implementation of sourcing strategy
Provision of logistical services

1 - Ensures implementation of the operational strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

Full compliance of procurement activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control.
CO Procurement business processes mapping and elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement and Logistics in consultation with the direct supervisor and office management

2 - Organizes procurement processes for CO, NEX/DEX projects and at the request of other Agencies focusing on achievement of the following results:

Provision of inputs to preparation of procurement plans for the office.
Support to organization of procurement processes including preparation of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their preliminary evaluation.
Preparation of Purchase orders and contracts in and outside Atlas, preparation of Recurring Purchase orders for contracting of services, vendors’ creation in Atlas, maintenance of the filing system in the procurement Unit.
Preparation of submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP).
Implementation of the internal control system which ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems.
Presentation of reports on procurement in the CO.

3 - Ensures implementation of sourcing strategy focusing on achievement of the following result:

Development and update of the rosters of suppliers, implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.

4 - Ensures organization of logistical services focusing on achievement of the following results:

Organization of travel including purchase of tickets, DSA calculation, PO preparation; arrangement of shipments; vehicle maintenance; conference facilities arrangements.

Impact of Results

The key results have an impact on the overall execution of the CO procurement services and success in implementation of operational strategies. Accurate analysis and presentation of procurement information, duly organized procurement processes ensure client satisfaction and overall timely delivery of UNDP programmes and projects.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity;
Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
Self-development, initiative-taking;
Acting as a team player and facilitating team work;
Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
Creating synergies through self-control;
Managing conflict;
Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge; management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
Informed and transparent decision making;

Functional Competencies:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise - Understands the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position; Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
Demonstrates ability to identify problems and proposes solutions;
Uses information/databases/other management system;
Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion; Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients; Responds to client needs promptly;
Prepares timely inputs to reports;
Maintains databases

Procurement Certification programme

Required Skills and Experience

Education/Academic Qualification:

University Degree in Business or Public Administration or relevant field would be desirable.

Work Experience:

6 years of progressively responsible administrative experience is required 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.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Albanian

Application Procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via UNDP Albania website. Applications should contain:

Cover letter stating your interest in and qualifications for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs); blank form - Download here. Please upload the P11 instead of your CV.

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) - Download here;
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement); Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;” Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.