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.

Through the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok and a number of country (COs) and multi-country offices (MCOs) as well as programme Offices (POs) across the region, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments, civil society and other actors to deliver for women and girls.  We advocate for and enhance accountability to enhance women’s political participation and prevent and respond effectively to violence against women. Our economic empowerment programmes seek greater economic security and rights particularly for marginalized groups of women.  Other programmes in Asia and the Pacific involve partnering with women in their efforts to engage in peace and reconstruction efforts, and push for gender equality (GE) provisions integral to preparing for, mitigating, and responding to disasters and emergencies. To bolster gender-responsive budgeting and public planning, we assist efforts to monitor the different impacts of budget and policy choices on women and men and to mainstream gender considerations across sectors.

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Procurement in Headquarters and the daily supervision of the Regional Operations Manager, the Procurement and Administrative Specialist facilitates the management of procurement and promotes a strategic approach to sourcing within the Region in all areas from procurement process of goods and services, procurement contracts, long-term agreements, lease agreements. This facilitation role is designed to add value and effectiveness to the management of procurement within the Region while in no way creating an added layer of bureaucracy between the field and HQ, and all accountabilities and duties must reflect this overarching principle.  In effect the incumbent acts as the interface between the field and HQ on several procurement areas.

The Procurement and Administrative Specialist will ensure that procurement processes in the Region are in line with UN Women goals, plans and strategies and in compliance with applicable procurement policies and guidelines.  The incumbent will assist the Regional Procurement Review Committee in ensuring compliance of procurement within the Region with corporate standards. The incumbent also supports the implementation of strategic procurement initiatives within the Region including e-procurement, e-travel, etc.  S/he will keep the Regional Director aware of procurement issues within the Region requiring Regional Office attention and keep the Regional Direct abreast of procurement, administrative and compliance issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide procurement oversight and guidance for strategic sourcing across the Asia Pacific Region.

  • Full compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies, procedures and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, analysis of parameters in support of proper design and functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system.
  • Supports the procurement business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement, control of the workflows in the procurement in coordination with supervisor.
  • Analysis and proposals on cost saving and reduction strategies in the Regional Office, programme presence offices and the region at large.
  • Conduct periodic spend analyses to support the development of regional category management strategy, which shall account for establishment of long term/strategic relationships with key suppliers for recurring supplies and services.
  • Manage the provision of goods and services for the ROAP and programme presence offices following established corporate procedures regarding review and awarding of contracts, evaluate for cost effectiveness and manage the negotiations regarding eventual agreements.
  • Manage the preparation of procurement plans in the ROAP and programme presence offices.
  • Participate in Regional Procurement Review Committees (R-PRC).
  • Provide advice and support to M/COs to implement procurement guidelines and processes.
  • Provide Regional Office and Country Office management with authoritative clarification/briefs/advice on the interpretation/application of UN Women Rules, Regulations, and policies with respect to procurement.
  • Inform management across the Region of the flexibility available (if any) to them to adapt procurement policies and practices to particular cases.  In particular clarify to managers the implication establishing precedent setting exceptions.
  • Use effective oversight tools to monitor and track procurement progress and compliance across the region.

2. Ensure efficient management of procurement processes for ROAP, MCOs/COs and programme presence offices.

  • Timely and properly consolidate procurement requirements and prepare procurement plans for ROAP and programme presence offices, establishment of the deadlines and monitoring of their implementation.
  • Oversee the procurement planning process of the region and ensure compliance.
  • Establish and implement proper monitoring system and control of procurement processes including organization of Negotiation processes (RFQ, ITB or RFP), receipt and evaluation of quotations, bids or proposals, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance of UN Women rules and regulations.
  • Review the submissions to the Regional Procurement Review Committee (R-PRC) to ensure completion of documents and quality of submissions.
  • Manage procurement contracts and, upon delegation of responsibility, perform the internal control function of the Committing Officer .
  • Elaborate and implement the internal control system which ensures that Purchase Orders (POs) are duly prepared and dispatched.  Take timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems.
  • Manage the implementation of the procurement processes monitoring system and mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in procurement across the region.

3. Ensure elaboration, introduction and implementation of sourcing strategy and automatized procurement tools.

  • Develop and manage a roster of suppliers, elaborate supplier selection and evaluation, quality, and performance measurement mechanism.
  • Keep abreast of on-going LTAs and promote the use of LTAs in the region.
  • Manage the automatized corporate procurement systems.

4. Oversee/Provide efficient administrative services to ROAP, M/COs and programme presence offices.

  • Effectively manage office premises/facilities, management of space allocation, and logistics.
  • Coordinate with UNESCAP units to ensure UN Women facilities are maintained.
  • Liaison with other UN agencies  to ensure required protocol services are available to UN Women and International Staff members.
  • Coordinate support services for managing regional and country events as well as visit of high-level UN Women officials to Thailand with appropriate authorities in Thailand .

5. Participate in inter-agency activities related to procurement and administration.

  • Represent UN Women in inter-agency meetings and working groups on procurement and administrative issues to ensure UN Women’s interests are reflected in common system activities such as common services and premises, cost recovery and cost sharing arrangements, privileges and immunities, entitlements and salary surveys, and security.
  • Implementation of harmonized procurement services and elaboration of proposals/analysis of requirements for inter-agency LTAs, introduction of joint procurement for the UN Agencies in line with the UN reform.
  • Liaise with UNDP and other UN agencies on procurement and administrative issues, activities, and collaboration.

6. Contribute to knowledge sharing between ROAP, M/COs and programme presence offices.

  • Monitor procurement activities within the Region and report as required to HQ and RO management on trends and practice.
  • Keep Procurement Section HQ and Regional Director informed of best practices by other UN Agencies in the Region and contribute to policy development on procurement.
  • Participation in the organization of training for the operations and programme staff on procurement.
  • Develop and support the development of training materials, webinars, and other education materials.
  • Synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in procurement.
  • Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.
  • Track implementation of Audit recommendations related to procurement within the Region and keep HQ and RD informed.

Key Performance Indicators:

  • All procurement services and administration are provided in compliance with UN Women rules, regulations and policies.
  • Procurement of goods and services is properly planned and executed in a timely manner.
  • Timely and accurate implementation of procurement contracts and contracts related to administration for ROAP M/COs and programme presence offices.
  • Timely procurement advice and support to the Regional Director, M/CO management and PO across the region.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
  • Accountability
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Effective Communication
  • Inclusive Collaboration
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Leading by Example

Functional Competencies

  • Preemptive: Plans to ensure smooth execution of project procurement.
  • Collaborative: Gains the cooperation of participants and clients; Takes action to consistently exceed customer/client expectations.
  • Risk aware: Identifies possible challenges and minimizes risks.
  • Uses technology and big data to identify supply chain trends and needs in UN Women procurement.
  • Provides feedback to supply chain stakeholders internally and externally.
  • Supports acceleration of procurement processes through identification of appropriate and efficient supply strategies that best meet the needs of clients.
  • Leads collaboration across programmatic and operational units to ensure effective and efficient supply management. 
  • Manages procurement risk and complexity and factors in risk in decision-making.
  • Advises field units on policy compliance and best course of action to meet procurement challenges.
  • Leads standard procurement projects from start to finish; liaises with internal stakeholders and provides updates, seeks clarifications, etc.
  • Analyzes procurement spend across business units and projects and proposes cost-saving and efficiency enhancing measures.
  • Contributes actively to knowledge networks, the development of new tools, procedures and policies.
  • Provides analysis to Regional and Country Offices on procurement and supply chain issues, aimed at improving policy compliance, efficiency, and effectiveness in UN Women’s supply chain.
  • Good negotiating skills
  • Strong IT skills.
  • Willingness to take UN Women internal procurement certifications is required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, HR, or related field is required.
  • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
  • Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 3) is an asset.

Experience:

  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level, in procurement.
  • Experience in leading a team.
  • Experience in working in a computer environment using multiple office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP systems.
  • Experience in working with one or both of the ERP systems Atlas and PeopleSoft, Oracle or similar is an asset.
  • Experience in general administration is highly desirable.
  • Work experience in the UN system is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of another UN working language will be an asset.

Application:

Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).