Contracts Officer, Bujumbura, Burundi

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, a champion

In Burundi, UNICEF has a very diverse portfolio of responsibilities but all with the same objective which is to assist the Government and other stakeholders to fulfill children’s economic, social, cultural, political, and civil rights. The UNICEF country program in Burundi aims to improve the lives of children and women in the following key areas: Child and maternal health, Nutrition, Education, Child Protection, Water, sanitation and hygiene, Social Policy and Advocacy, Adolescent empowerment and community resilience, and Humanitarian response.

How can you make a difference?

• Support and implement an effective procurement, local and/or offshore, with a goal to provide rapid and relevant responses to evolving supply needs and situations facing children and families.
• Participates in the negotiation of MOUs, ensuring compliance of the request with global procedures and policy.
  Strategically support the rapid and relevant procurement support and guidance, with a priority on achieving value for money, to internal customers from Country Office
• Establish close collaboration with programme sections through involvement in programme planning, and preparation for implementation of contracting components as well as monitoring and evaluation. Establish accountability framework with programmes, for delivery of results for children.
• Provide continuous and updated guidance on procurement for services activities to all internal customers as required and advise on the most appropriate strategy.
• Analyse supply dashboards, implementation rates of key performance indicators and contract information/data from various systems and conduct root cause analysis of supply chain bottlenecks and challenges, with a view to drive improvements and ensure efficient and effective supply chains for children. ·
• Collaborate efficiently and effectively with all members of the Supply and Logistics team to maximize the outputs of the team and achieve the unit’s objectives.
• Ensure appropriate vendor management practices e.g., supply performance reviews are established and applied.
• Engage in high level emergency coordination, implementation and monitoring meetings with internal and external partners and establish close collaboration with Procurement Working Group.
• Prepare and issue international tenders, manage 2-stage RFP evaluation process and tabulate results in a comparison matrix.
• Manage bidding processes using UNICEF web tendering tool, and orienting service providers/suppliers on the use of the tool.
• Prepare Contracts Review Committee (CRC) submissions for orders above the CRC threshold and present the cases to the CRC committee for review and approval.
• Develop and prepare complex contracts for procurement of both once-off and long-term requirements for routine and non-routine services.
• Effectively manage ongoing long-term contracts for provision of goods and services to ensure that service provider/supplier’s performance is within stated service levels.
• Secure compliance with established UNICEF Financial rules & regulations to maintain the highest level of integrity, standards, and accountability:
  Ensure a procurement plan (services) is prepared and updated for each Section.
  Ensure that contracts are in place because of competitive bidding exercises, in a timely manner and in accordance with UNICEF Financial rules & regulations and procurement guidelines and processes.
  Maintain effective working relations and contact with the Supply Division, Copenhagen, to confer on procurement policies, procedures, and guidance. Advise the internal customers on policies and procedures.
• Ensure that effective support to UNICEF and Government capacity-building efforts are provided to enhance efficient, effective, and timely service delivery.
• Provide effective coaching to the staff/consultants as required.
• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches, and good practices on contracting for services within the organization as well as with externals to ensure effective and efficient supply chains for children.
• Support assessment of and collaboration with implementing partners including civil society, establishment of Programme Cooperation Agreements (PCAs), and monitoring of supply components under Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT).
• Develop and maintain partnership and collaborative relations with Government, UN organizations and bilateral counterparts in contracting for services activities including harmonized and collaborative procurement.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  TOR Contract officer NOB TA .pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

• Education: A bachelor’s degree is required in Business Administration, Management, Economics, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Procurement, Contract/Commercial Law, International Development, Health, or related social science field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience in supply, logistics, procurement, contracting, administration and/or other directly related technical fields is required.
• Skills: Understanding of development and humanitarian work. Emergency experience an advantage. Health supply chain management experience an advantage.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in French and a good working knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

(8) competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility tendersglobal.net UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.