Procurement Associate

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.

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.

Among the 10 UN Women offices present in West and Central Africa (WCARO), UN Women Senegal is based in Dakar, Senegal, and works with the government, civil society organizations (CSOs), other UN agencies and the private sector to help achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in Senegal.

Based on UN Women Senegal’s strategic note 2024-2028, the organisation focuses its efforts on the following key themes: i) governance, leadership, and women’s political participation; ii) women’s economic empowerment and iii) the elimination of violence against women and girls; iv) women, peace, security and security action. In addition to these thematic areas, within the framework of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2019-2023, the UN Women office plays a leading coordination role within the UN country team in Senegal about gender mainstreaming issues.

Under the overall guidance of the Procurement Specialist in the Regional Office and the daily supervision of the Operations Analyst of CO, the Procurement Associate ensures the execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach and support: (i) compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (ii) effective systems to support programme delivery and growth; (iii) accountability to organizational values and principles; and (iv) an enabling workplace environment in which staff potential is maximized. The Procurement Associate also works in collaboration with operations staff in other UN Agencies, UN Women Country Offices (CO), UN Women Regional Office (RO) and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver procurement services.

Under the overall guidance and the daily supervision of the Procurement Specialist in the regional office, the Procurement Associate ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach and support: (i) compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (ii) effective systems to support programme delivery and growth; (iii) accountability to organizational values and principles; and (iv) an enabling workplace environment in which staff potential is maximized. The Procurement Associate also works in collaboration with operations staff in other UN Agencies, UN Women Regional Office (RO) and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver procurement services.

Duties and Responsibilities

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

• Provide substantive inputs to procurement related reports and analyses; research and draft responses to enquiries for clearance by the procurement specialist;
• Provide substantive inputs to the implementation of procurement management policies and strategies on cost saving and reduction.
• Follow up with internal and external audits;
• Contribute to the development of sourcing strategies.

2  Organize procurement processes for the regional office

• Prepare procurement plans for programmes/projects and monitor their implementation
• Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and projects equipment, supplies and services;
• Organization of competitive and complex procurement processes for the CO including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations.

• Perform Buyer role in Quantum system prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Quantum system;
• Prepare submissions to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC).
• Maintain supplier rosters, in particular, women-owned businesses roster and performance measurement

3  Organize contract management process for Senegal Country Office

• Review/ process contracts for the CO;
• Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.

4  Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Provide substantive input and support to the development of training materials, webinars and other education materials;
• Organize trainings for the operations/projects staff on Procurement;
• Synthesize lessons learnt and best practices.

5  Organize logistical services

• Organize hotel and event arrangements for all official UN Women meetings/ functions, engagements, ensure that all requirements are catered for as required;

6 Perform other administrative tasks as assigned by supervisor.

 

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

• Good knowledge of procurement process, systems; administrative rules and regulations;
• Good 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 administrative 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 6 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administration or related at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) is required;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and French is required
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (English, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Application

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: . 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.

In accordance with the UN Staff Regulation 4.5 (b) A temporary appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal. A temporary appointment shall not be converted to any other type of appointment. This temporary appointment is budgeted for a maximum term of 729 days.

Note

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, 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.