Organizational Setting

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is responsible for leading FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of focused, multi-disciplinary projects and programmes. It identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the Region, in collaboration with departments and divisions at Headquarters, and promotes the value and deliverables of the FAO’s New Strategic Framework within the context and outputs of work to help our Members achieve Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life for all – leaving no one behind.

The visibility of FAO’s successes in delivering its good public works within the framework of the abovementioned “Four Betters” is critical to the benefit of our Members and our resource partners. The Regional Office aims to raise visibility of its supporting role for regional policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, in its own right, and through the development, facilitation and emergence of regional Partnerships, to support capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development across the region.

The post is located in the Regional Office for Asia-Pacific.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the Regional Procurement Officer (Regional IPO). With leeway permitted for the exercise of independent judgment.

Technical Focus 

Planning, development, and implementation of procurement initiatives to support decentralization and capacity development.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Review and analyze procurement requests for completeness and conformity with established FAO rules, procedures and practice; liaise with the requesters, as necessary, and recommend to the supervisor appropriate procurement strategy/approach, based on careful analysis of risks and identifying sound mitigation measures, to best serve institutional interests including requests from decentralized offices to undertake procurement locally.

•    Perform operational functions relating to the procurement process including, but not limited to, preparation of documents in the ERP system and other office applications related to assigned procurement actions, issuance of tenders and purchase orders, evaluation of bids, follow-up with suppliers, including follow-up on orders to ensure timely delivery, etc.

•    Make recommendations for awards for the assigned procurement activities; where applicable, prepare submissions for relevant procurement committee review, presenting the submission if needed. Prepare a full set of sound contractual instruments required and manage their correct execution until their final closure after the correct application of payment and other relevant contractual terms. Timely alert the team leader/officer on possible contractual disputes, making proposals for possible amicable settlements to avoid arbitration.

•    Provide technical advice as required to requesters and local technical experts in the country offices under FAO RAP (Decentralized Offices – DOs) on procurement matters and on the implementation of procurement strategies and processes in conformity with the relevant rules, procedures, and practices.

•    Offer support, if and as required, to requesters in the Regional Office responsible for preparing sound procurement plans (PPs). Maintain regular and open communication with requesters in the office, updating regularly on the status of advancement of procurement activities required and challenges arising during tendering or contract management.

•    Regularly conduct the preliminary review of the PPs in the DOs, identify gaps and inconsistencies and report findings to the Regional IPO. As required, communicate with the DOs on the matters related to the PP.

•    Pre-review and report findings to the Regional IPO the requests from DOs for an ad-hoc re-delegation of authority to launching tenders locally to verify the correctness of the proposed procurement strategy, solicitation method and relevant supporting documentation, including necessary clearances, source selection plan, and risk mitigation matrix. As required, guide and assist the Buyer and/or Requesting Unit in sourcing the potential suppliers utilizing the available methodologies, tools and platforms.

•    Pre-review and report findings to the Regional IPO the requests for an ad-hoc re-delegation of authority to sign contracts/Purchase Orders locally through conducting the review of the procurement process undertaken by the DOs, solicit clarifications from the Buyer and/or Requesting Unit, verify the technical and commercial evaluation through the review of the supporting documentation and offers received confirming the procurement process was conducted fairly and transparently and the recommendation for the contract award aligns with principles of economy, efficiency and best value for money.

•    When requested, provide advice and guidance to colleagues on the use of the ERP’s Procurement Module and other IT applications, including e-tendering tools, utilized in the Procurement Service.

•    When requested, participate in procurement missions to DOs, providing support and training to staff working in these offices as necessary.

•    When required, review Letters of Agreement (LoA) to ensure they comply with FAO’s established policies and procedures as relevant to the LoA preparation. The review will aim to assess the appropriateness of the choice of the contractual instrument and ensure that all administrative checks are performed on LoAs and their supporting documents, verifying that the documentation and information contained therein are complete and in conformity with the relevant Manual Section;

•    Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in business administration, finance, commerce, economics or related filed.
•    Five years of procurement related activities or experience in business administration, supply chain management
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•    Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions
•    Demonstrated knowledge of internationally recognized procurement standards and of all phases of international procurement techniques and operations used in contracting for a diverse range of goods and services
•    Extent and relevance of experience in public sector procurement
•    Extent and relevance of experience in identifying clients’ procurement-related needs and in providing support and guidance from clients’ point of view
•    Extent and relevance of experience in logistics operations is desirable
•    Knowledge of procurement-related IT tools and systems i.e. enterprise resource planning, inventory management, procurement, database management applications, etc