UN WOMEN Jobs - 63822- Individual Consultant

Individual Consultant - Procurement Harmonization for US-Based United Nations Agencies

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

14-Mar-2016

Application Deadline :

29-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

8 Months

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

TBD

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

Procurement spend in United Nations Headquarter locations accounts, on average, for 10-20% of a typical UN agency’s annual procurement expenditure. At the same time, the procurement scope across UN agencies is characterized by significant similarities in procurement needs, processes and suppliers. The potential gains from collaboration in sourcing are significant: more efficiency and lower transaction and unit costs are some of the achievable objectives.

There are a number of collaborative procurement projects going on between various UN HQ duty stations. In late 2011, New York based UN agencies established a procurement collaborate working group to jointly source common user items.

Until this point, the Working Group has met regularly and collaborated around the sharing of Long Term Agreements (LTA), mapping of joint opportunities, analyzing current spend and more.

Now, the group seeks a local consultant to work in close unison with the working group and under direct supervision of the Chief of Procurement of UN Women, to solidify the collaborative efforts by developing new and innovative approaches to strategic sourcing across the UN agencies. The consultant will be based in UN Women’s HQ office location in NY.

Notes for Applicants

This is a full time assignment with the consultant expected to report to office during the official UN work days (9.30am to 5.30pm);
The monthly consultancy fee (all inclusive) for this assignment is US$ 5,500.00.

Duties and Responsibilities

Ensures the administration and implementation harmonization working group as a facilitator and liaise with participating UN agencies, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Assess the needs and capacity of current common user agreements;
Operationalize the sharing and use of existing LTAs;
Design analytical tools and processes to analyze and enhance the use of LTAs;
Implement and further develop the developing agenda of New York/Washington-based United Nations Procurement Harmonization working group;
Map demand and develop new Long Term Agreements for shared use among agencies;
Establishing rebate and bulk discounting mechanisms in new LTAs;
Leading negotiations for amendments of existing LTAs to include rebate and bulk discounting mechanisms.

Ensure and complete deliverables:

Help maintain current supplier relationships;
Conduct a needs/capacity assessment of joint procurement activities;
Collect spend data and carry out spend analysis across participating agencies;
Calculate current and projected cost-avoidance considering current and future LTAs;
Cost-benefit analysis of current shared LTAs in order to find the best option;
Analyze spend to identify high-use/high-gain areas for joint procurement activities;
Identify opportunities to develop and execute new joint LTAs;
Provide new and innovative solutions for strategic sourcing, based on current UN system needs, such as creating opportunities for quantity discounts and rebate schedules;
Develop a system for sharing benefits from strategic sourcing relationships between participating agencies;
Establish new shared and joint LTAs with a commercially-oriented strategic sourcing focus;
Report the monitoring of the use and benefits derived from using shared and joint LTAs;
Coordinate and participate in working group meetings;
Take meeting minutes/reports during harmonization meetings, and distribute them to the group members;
Perform other day-to-day tasks that need attention and which are affected by the implementation of aforementioned 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:

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in 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.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for 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.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making;
Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

Excellent organizational skills and sound judgment;
Strong sense of initiative and ability to prioritize and work independently;
Ability to write and present information in a clear manner;
Ability to anticipate the needs of the unit and to take proactive steps.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree in public or business administration, procurement, finance or other related field;
UN Women Procurement Certification will be a distinct advantage.

Experience:

At least 3 years of practical experience with establishing procurement collaborations and aggregating demand;
Relevant experience in procurement, logistics and /or programme support services;
Experience in the private sector related to strategic sourcing is highly desirable.

Skills:

Proficiency in using PC computers and Microsoft Office Suite software programs (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint);
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.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and English.