Procurement Specialist (Internal Surge for FAO personnel only)

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The scope of this Call for Expressions of Interest is to find qualified affiliate workforce to support L2/L3 countries in the above functional area.

Qualified affiliate workforce will be placed on an Internal Surge Team (IST). IST will enable the deployment of essential personnel to lead and support country-based emergency response on a short-term basis. These surge roles are designed to provide a punctual, time-bound support to country response and help establish longer-term mechanisms and processes.

o Support deployments are considered for affiliate workforce already in service of the Organization, including those on contract break with a new assignment planning to start over in the short term.
o Applications will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile (see “How to Apply”). We strongly recommend that you ensure that the information is accurate and complete including employment record, academic qualifications and language skills.
o Interested employees will be required to discuss upfront with their managers, who are encouraged to release employees to support.
o Selected candidates will receive a notification of their inclusion in the IST and will be requested to provide a pre-release agreement signed by the direct supervisor. From that moment they might be called for a surge support at any time, and in line with the duration of their contract.
o Selected candidates will be released of their function for a period which may vary according to country offices needs not exceeding three months, after which they return to their normal functions.
o Surge support must be provided in person, candidates in the IST will be required to have the following documentation ready in case of upcoming mission (Valid passport, Laissez-passer, SSAFE training).
o Affiliate workforce deployed will be reporting to the assigned supervisor for the duration of surge and the change in reporting lines will be reflected in GRMS.
o Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

Organizational Setting

FAO country offices, headed by an FAO Representative, are assisting governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition.

Reporting Lines

The Procurement Specialist deployed for surge support will report to the International Procurement Officer (IPO) in the relevant Regional Office or, in absence of the regional IPO, to CSLP Field Unit Head, under the administrative supervision of the FAO Representative in the country of assignment.

Technical Focus

Timely, efficient, and effective procurement of goods and services and Quality Assurance for Letters of Agreement in compliance with the relevant FAO Rules and Regulations for emergency response in food crisis contexts.

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 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 GRMS 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 recommendation of awards for the assigned procurement activities; where applicable prepare submissions for relevant procurement committee review presenting the submission if needed. Prepare full set of sound contractual instruments required and manage their correct execution until their final closure after 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 for avoiding arbitration.
• Provide general guidance and technical advice as required to requesters and local technical experts in the country office 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 office responsible to prepare sound procurement plans. Maintain regular and open communication with requesters in the office, updating regularly on the status of advancement of procurement activities required, challenges arising during tendering or contract management.
• Supervise and ensure adequate leadership required by the members of the Local Procurement Unit (LPU), preparing performances plans and related timely and objective assessment when time comes. Ensure that the LPU has sufficient resources to undertake efficiently procurement actions required in the offices, preparing RACI analysis aimed to objectively identify possible conflict of interests, gaps for the Procurement Authority to assess, together with Improvement Action Plans for the LPU with SMART objectives and TORs for new procurement staff to hire.
• Prepare sound requests for ad-hoc re-delegation of authority on behalf of the Procurement Authority in the country office and present, if required, submission form prepared by the office to the HQPC meetings.
• When requested, provide advice and guidance to colleagues on the use of the Oracle Procurement Module and other IT applications, including e-tendering tools, utilized in the Procurement Service.
• When requested, participate in procurement mission to sub-offices in the country, providing support and training to staff working in these offices as necessary.
• When requested, participate in procurement missions to other field offices, providing support, guidance, training and mentoring to staff working in these offices as necessary and preparing office procurement function status/performance analysis, improvement action plans, TORs, etc.
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Experience in procurement related activities;

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of internationally recognized procurement standards and international procurement techniques and operations used in contracting for goods and services;
• Extent and relevance of experience in public sector procurement dealing with contractual issues;
• Extent and relevance of experience in identifying clients' procurement-related needs and in providing support and guidance from clients' point of view;
• Experience in logistics operations is an asset desirable;
• Knowledge of procurement-related IT tools and systems (i.e. enterprise resource planning (ERP) and especially ,
• Procurement module, UNGM and e-tendering solutions, such as Intend, database management applications, etc.) is desirable.
• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable;
• Experience in humanitarian contexts is desirable.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance\: https\://fao.service-now.com/csp

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