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 and multi-country offices as well as programme presences across the region, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments, civil society and other actors to promote gender equality and empower all women and girls.  We stand behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on five priority areas: addressing gender perspectives in intergovernmental processes; women’s political participation and leadership; enhancing women’s economic empowerment; ending violence against women and girls; and promoting women’s participation in peace and security and humanitarian action.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the Procurement Associate provides leadership in execution of procurement services in Regional Office (RO), Multi Country Office (MCO), Country Offices (CO), and Project Offices 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 RO, MCO, CO and HQs staff for resolving complex procurement-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Implement procurement related strategies in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies

• Ensure compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implement effective internal control, proper functioning of a client-orient procurement management system, and business process mapping.
• Prepare procurement related reports and analyses; research for formulation and implementation of contract strategy and strategic procurement in the RO, MCP/COs;
• Coordinate the implementation of corporate procurement management policies and strategies in support of cost saving and operations for the RO and MCO/COs in the region;
• Contribute inputs to the development of new tools, systems, policies, manuals, templates, and guidelines;
• Provide advice and technical support on Procurement related issues to Project Offices/MCO/COs 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 management.

2. Manage procurement processes for the Regional Office and Project Offices

• Consolidation and finalize procurement plans for programmes/projects and monitor their implementation;
• Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and projects equipment, supplies and services in the RO and Project Offices;
• Organize and review procurement processes including the preparation of Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitation to Bids (ITBs) or Request for Proposals (RFPs) documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, and their preliminary evaluation;
• Monitor and analyze contract performance;
• Perform Buyer role in Atlas; prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Atlas;
• Organize travel including purchase of tickets, Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) calculation;
• Organize joint procurement processes for the UN agencies in line with the UN reform.

3. Implement sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools.

• Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
• Prepare supplier evaluation reports with respect to delivery performance and commercial acceptability;
• Monitor and analyze contract performance against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanism.  Advise the Operations Specialist and senior management on any potential issues and recommend remedial actions or solutions;
• Support the implementation of e-procurement in the region including training and guidance to RO, MCO/COs to fully implement the system, consolidate feedback from MCO/COs and inform HQ on any issues related to e-procurement for further improvement.

4. Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Develop and support the development of training materials, webinars and other education materials;
• Organize trainings on Procurement.
• Synthesize lessons learnt and best practices;
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Support the review and analysis of the RPRC and PRC meeting minutes to identify strategic improvement goals for the regional and country offices procurement units.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely coordination, facilitation and implementation of procurement activities based on procurement plans and available budget
• Timely and quality processing of purchase orders
• Timely delivery of services by procurement team
• Proper and accurate maintenance of files and databases, documents are easily retrievable
• Timely and quality advice to the RO, MCO and COs in 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

• Strong knowledge of procurement processes and systems;
• Ability to provide procurement related support and advice;
• Strong knowledge in the use of spreadsheets and database packages;
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to extract and interpret data;
• Ability to administer and execute procurement processes and transactions;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;
• Strong IT and web based management skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required;
• Specialized training in Procurement; or a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration or related field is an asset;
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 3) is an asset;
• Willingness to take UN Women internal procurement certifications is required.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement at national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc);
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems, such as Atlas
• Experience in e-Procurement system is an advantage;
• Work experience in the UN or any international development organization is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Thai is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters  Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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).