Antecedentes

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 guidance and direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the Procurement Associate provides leadership in execution of procurement services in Regional Office (RO) ensuring their effectiveness, transparency and integrity. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach in the Unit.

The Procurement Associate works in close collaboration with the operations, programme and project teams in the Regional Office (RO), Country Offices (COs) and HQs staff for resolving complex administration and procurement-related issues and information delivery.

Deberes y responsabilidades

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

• Full compliance of procurement and supply chain activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, proper functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system;
• RO Procurement and Supply Chain business processes mapping and elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement and Supply Chain, control of the workflows in the Procurement Unit;
• Elaboration of proposals and implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies in consultation with office management;
• Provision of researched information for formulation and implementation of contract strategy and strategic procurement in the RO and country offices including tendering processes and evaluation, managing the contract and contractor, legal considerations and payment conditions, sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, e-procurement introduction;
• Review financial figures, monitor expenditures versus committed and project’s available budget, and disseminate timely and accurate financial data and reports to supply chain stakeholders;
• Develop and contribute to the development of new tools, systems, policies, manuals, templates, guidelines etc.;
• Act as the ambassador and supporter of the procurement improvements agenda in the region;
• Follow up with internal and external audits and ensure that appropriate response is provided and actions are taken regarding all aspects of procurement and asset management.

Organizes procurement processes for RO and at the request of COs focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Development of regional and country level procurement strategies in collaboration with supply chain stakeholders; set goals, objectives and milestones and performance indicators to monitor achievements;
• Preparation of project, country and regional level procurement plans and their implementation monitoring;
• Organization of procurement and supply chain processes, including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, opening and evaluation of tenders, coordinate contract negotiations (as required), prepare request for award of contract for the review and approval of relevant authorities, in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations;
• Preparation of Purchase orders and contracts in and outside Atlas, preparation of Recurring Purchase orders for contracting of services, create ATLAS requisitions, receipt, record of assets and create vendor profiles;
• Report on contract awards qualifying for publication of award;
• Review of procurement processes conducted by projects; submissions to the Regional Procurement Review Committee (R-PRC), and Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
• Implementation of the internal control system which ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with errors (e.g. POs with budget errors, match exceptions, unapproved POs etc.), and provide timely information and response to relevant department to resolve the issues;
• Review procurement incoming requests for completeness, adequacy, clarity of specifications, funds availability etc.;
• Presentation of researched information on procurement in the RO;
• Preparation of cost-recovery bills in Atlas for the procurement services provided by UN Women to other COs;
• Organization of joint procurement processes for the UN Agencies in line with the UN reform.

Ensures  implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Development and update of the rosters of suppliers, implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
• Carry out and oversee the Purchase Orders (PO) closure and receipt accrual on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis (or as required) in fully compliance with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS);
• Prepares suppliers evaluation reports with respect to delivery performance and commercial acceptability;
• Updates the databases or other relevant electronic management systems with asset and procurement data for use by Field Offices, Regional Offices or Headquarters.

Ensures proper control of RO Assets focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Monitor the asset management processes which include reviewing asset management documentation, analyzing compliance reports and conducting administrative reviews;
• Preparation of inventory reports;
• Implementation of Inventory and physical verification control in the CO and projects;
• Develop mechanism to ensure timely recording of new assets both at the RO and field offices;
• Maintain a regional record of assets containing all the necessary information in line with UN Women relevant policies, guidelines, rules and regionals.

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

• Monitor and analyze contract performance against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanism. Advise senior management on any potential issues and recommend remedial actions or solutions;
• Organization of travel including purchase of tickets, DSA calculation, PO preparation and arrangement of shipments;
• Timely conducted Travel Agencies, vehicle maintenance, hotel and conference facilities surveys;
• Pro-actively follow up on placed orders and deliveries with all concerned parties in order to ensure timely and safe delivery of goods/services;
• Oversight and evaluation of services in progress (within the framework of delegated authority) take timely and appropriate decision to ensure objectives are met;
• Prepare and provide timely and regular status/monitoring reports to supply chain stakeholders.

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

• Coach and act as mentor to other colleagues, sharing knowledge and expertise in Procurement services;
• Advise colleagues from the RO and COs on procurement processes and compile data on common challenges;
• Identification of training needs and 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 community network at the regional level and act as regional focal point to moderate the community debate;
• Support the review and analysis of the R-PRC and PRC Committees meeting minutes in order to identify strategic improvement goals for the regional and country offices procurement units.

The key results have an impact on the overall RO efficiency in operations and procurement and success in implementation of operations strategies.  Accurate analysis and presentation of information, well- organized transparent administration and procurement processes ensure client satisfaction and timely delivery of UN Women programmes/ projects. The information provided facilitates decision making of the management.

Competencias

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity:

• Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

• Building support and political acumen.

Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring:

• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation.

Working in Teams:

• Building and promoting effective teams.

Communicating Information and Ideas:

• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication.

Self-management and Emotional intelligence:

• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
• Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreemente.

Leveraging conflict in the interests of the organization & setting standards:

Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning

• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

•  Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

• Shares knowledge and experience;
• Encourages office staff to share knowledge and contribute to UN Women practice areas;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

• Ability to perform a broad range of specialized activities related to contract, asset and procurement management, including organization and conduct of procurement processes, implementation of contract and sourcing strategies, reporting, control of assets;
• Sound knowledge of financial rules and regulations;
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system.

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;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexity.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• Secondary Education with specialized training in procurement. University Degree in Business or Public Administration would be desirable, but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible relevant 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:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required;
• Knowledge of French is an asset.