Mission and objectives

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Context

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to uphold and promote the rights of every child, in every aspect of its work whether through programs, advocacy, or operations. Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in advancing children’s rights. However, despite these achievements, deep disparities persist. In many countries, inequality is more pronounced today than it was a generation ago, including in middle-income nations where many the world’s impoverished children now reside.

Task Description

Performs all procurement activities in compliance with the UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations, UNICEF procurement procedure and guidelines.  Coordinate with relevant sections and field offices for the preparation of the annual contracts & supply plans and provide input to its formulation. Conduct data review and analysis for category management and assist in the development of procurement strategies. Support market research in relevant areas for UNICEF and assist in gathering evidence on the best approaches to sustainable and best value for money procurement.  Follow up quarterly with sections and field offices on the implementation of the supply and contract plan and undertake review of the plans twice during calendar year.  Liaise with colleagues from respective sections and field offices in planning procurement and contracting initiatives, supporting development of terms of reference and timelines. From lessons learnt, contribute with good practices to strengthen sustainability of supply chains.  Acts on specific procurement requisitions as might be required.  Drafts and prepares tender invitations, advertise, invite qualified suppliers, reviews & compile technical evaluation, evaluates quotations, clarifies offers, and negotiates with suppliers as appropriate.  Prepare and process Request for Expression of Interest (REoI), Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs), as might be requested by the Supervisor.  Arrange, coordinate, and take minutes of pre-bid meetings. Assists with bid openings, and technical and financial analysis of proposals as might be required. Conduct clarifications with suppliers.  Drafts Contract Review Committee submissions in e-CRC system or Award Recommendation Document (ARD).  Drafts and prepares Long Term Arrangements (LTAs), Purchase Orders and/or Contracts based on LTAs, adjudicated bids. Prepares purchase orders, contracts, and LTAs in SAP (ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning system), and upload approval documents in SAP, submit for relevant approvals, ensuring completeness of documentation in UNICEF systems.  Responsible for maintaining and archives repository of all the bidding, contracting documents in designated shared folder and SAP as per office procedure.  Keep requestors informed on the progress of procurement processes. Liaise with suppliers, ensuring timely follow-up on delivery schedules Implement appropriate vendor management practices e.g. supply performance reviews.  Regularly monitor dashboard reports and coordinate to ensure necessary supply action is taken in a timely manner.  Regularly extract reports on the status of the existing LTAs, contracts, Purchase Orders (POs) and take necessary action in coordination with the relevant requestors.  Conduct market surveys on ongoing and regular basis for identification of potential suppliers to procure the goods and services at competitive costs.

Competencies and values

UNICEF Core Values and Core Competencies are as follows: a) Core Values  Care  Respect  Integrity  Trust  Accountability  Sustainability b) Core Competencies (For Staff without Supervisory Responsibilities)  Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)  Works Collaboratively with others (1)  Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)  Innovates and Embraces Change (1)  Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)  Drive to achieve impactful results (1)  Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

Living conditions and remarks

The situation in Afghanistan remains exceptionally complex, with a protracted emergency situation, characterized by recurrent natural disasters, an increased number of people living in poverty, continued internal displacement, unprecedented levels of food insecurity, further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This complexity has greatly impacted the situation of children and women in the country. The withdrawal of United States military forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the establishment of a de-facto government by the Taliban has exacerbated the complexity and uncertainty of the situation. UNICEF is required to rapidly adapt its ways of working to address the multiple operational constraints present in the highly volatile and unpredictable context. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.”