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.

The Liberia Country Office is implementing the approved UN Women Strategic Note for the period 2020-2024. Its implementation will require recruitment of additional human resources and a sound management of the office staff strength.

Under the overall guidance of the Procurement Specialist in Headquarters and the daily supervision of the Operations Manager, with matrix reporting to and functional oversight from the Regional Procurement Analyst/Specialist, 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 Country Offices (CO), UN Women Regional Office (RO) and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver procurement services

Duties and Responsibilities

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

• Prepare procurement related reports and analyses; research and draft responses to enquiries for clearance by Operations Manager;
• Coordinate the implementation of corporate procurement management policies and strategies in support of cost saving and operations for the RO and CO in the region.
• Prepare workplan;
• Contribute inputs to the development of new tools, systems, policies, manuals, templates, and guidelines;
• Provide advice and technical support on Procurement related issues to CO in the region.
• Follow up with internal and external audits.

Manage procurement processes for the Country Offices in the region:

• 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 COs.
• 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;
• Perform Buyer role in Quantum system; prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Quantum system;
• Organize joint procurement processes for the UN agencies in line with the UN reform.

Manage procurement processes for the Country Offices:

• Review/ process contracts for the COs in the region;
• Monitor and analyze contract performance;
• Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.

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.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

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 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 

• 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.

Exepirence 

• At least 7 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

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

How To Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

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.)