Procurement Officer

Within the Directorate of Administration, the Contracts and Procurement (CP) Department is responsible for and executes the procurement process. This is done within the framework of the Organisation’s policy for awarding contracts for supplies and services as specified in the Financial Rules and Regulations and in the ESO Procurement Rules and Regulations. Our dynamic and highly multicultural department consists of 18 staff members, 9 of which are based in Garching, and 9 in Vitacura, Santiago .

Although a temporary role you will be joining us at an exciting time as we look to introduce a new ERP system. Working with colleagues in the CP team you will enable us to provide the necessary expertise to take the ERP project forward through supporting colleagues and releasing them for the project. You may also be involved in elements of the process including testing the new system. We expect you to gain valuable experience across the range of procurement activities and would see this as an excellent development role.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

As part of the Contract and Procurement (CP) Department, you will be responsible for the management of the entire procurement cycle for a very broad range of goods and services, from items and services of common use for the ESO sites in Chile to technical and scientific equipment and services for construction, operation and maintenance of ESO’s Observatories. You will work in close collaboration with the Divisions, Departments and Project Teams of ESO in Chile to identify and implement the most efficient procurement solutions in compliance with the procurement rules and regulations of the Organisation. The main focus will be on the lower value/less complex procurements.

In particular you will:

• Review and discuss with the requesters the requests for purchases (including the requirements contained therein) to determine their adequacy and completeness and the appropriate procurement strategy;
• Identify the suppliers capable to supply the requested goods and services;
• Prepare the tendering documentation (price inquiry, etc…) and coordinate and document the procurement process through evaluation of the offers, negotiation of the conditions with the bidders where appropriate and award of the orders / contracts;
• Participate in the follow-up of orders/contracts in case of contractual issue.

The above responsibilities are not exhaustive and a flexible approach and willingness to adapt to unexpected needs is required.

Reports to:

Supervisor of the Procurement team.

Key Competences and Experience

Essential Competences and Experience:

• At least two years of experience in a procurement role of a similar level of responsibility;
• A complementary (additional) experience of at least one year in an engineering, legal or commercial environment;
• Good communication skills, being able to discuss and clarify with the requesters the requirements in an efficient and constructive way;
• Good knowledge of MS Word and Excel;
• Positive and flexible attitude to look into solutions for the presented problems taking into account the rules and boundaries of the Organisation;
• Service- and customer-oriented attitude;
• Good sense of judgment as to when cases need to be discussed with or escalated to a more senior level;
• Ability to work in an organised and accurate manner;
• Ability to work autonomously after training and to contribute to a positive team spirit.

Desirable Competences and Experience:

• Recent experience in a similar procurement role in an international setting;
• Experience in an entity applying the public procurement principles;
• Ability to understand technical and operational issues at a general level, i.e. why a product or service is needed and what the consequences are if it is not on time and of in the right quality, etc;
• Experience working with an electronic tendering tool;
• Experience working with any common ERP (e.g. MS NAV, Oracle, SAP).

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Applied Science degree or equivalent diploma in Procurement, Business Management, Business Engineering, Economics or Law

Language skills:

Full command of English and Spanish (written as well as spoken).

Remuneration and Contract:

We offer an attractive remuneration package including a competitive salary and medical, educational and other social benefits, as well as financial help in relocating your family. ESO aims to support members of personnel in maintaining a good work-life balance via its flexible working and mobile working policies For any further information, please visit https://www.eso.org/public/jobs/conditions/localstaff/ The contract on offer is for a fixed term duration of two (2) years and is subject to medical clearance and successful completion of the probation period. There is no possibility of contract extension.

Duty Station:

The duty station is Vitacura. The applicants should be resident in Chile, in or around Santiago.

Career Path:

This position has been assessed to be in Career path IV which covers A5 and B2 grades.

Application:

If you are interested in working in areas of frontline science and technology and in a stimulating international environment, please visit http://www.eso.org for further details.

Applicants are invited to apply online at https://jobs.eso.org/. Applications must be completed in English and should include a motivation letter and CV. Within your CV, please provide the names and contact details of three persons familiar with your work and willing to provide a recommendation letter upon request. Referees will not be contacted without your prior consent.

Deadline for applications is 17 December 2024.

Interviews are expected to start soon after the deadline date.

ESO Values:

An important element in any successful employment relationship is harmony in values between an organisation and its people.

The ESO Values are:

ESO strives for excellence through innovation.

ESO provides outstanding services to its communities.

ESO fosters diversity & inclusion.

ESO believes in the key role of sustainability for its future.

Achieving the above are recognized as only possible on the basis of personal values and attitudes that we expect from our employees: respect, integrity, accountability, commitment, collaboration, and clear & open communication.

Applicants to any ESO role are asked to reflect on their affinity with these values and advised they may be asked about them if called for interview.

Diversity

ESO has established diversity as an important value of the Organisation, is committed to providing an equal opportunities environment and is actively seeking to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Please visit https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/sustainability/dei-at-eso/ for further details.

Nationality

No nationality is excluded, however non-Chilean applicants must have the pertinent working permit according to Chilean regulations, at the time of the application. The post is equally open to suitably qualified candidates irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.