Procurement Specialist

Peace and Security Centre

The UNOPS Peace and Security Centre (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Centre is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations. It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.

The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) established a regional support office, the Entebbe Support Office (ESO) in November of 2016.  This office provides regional support to UNMAS programmes based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Abyei Administrative Area. The areas of support include Procurement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Human Resources, Finance and Contracts Management. 

He/she analyzes and interprets the respective rules and regulations and provides advice and solutions to a wide spectrum of complex issues related to procurement. The role requires deep understanding of procurement policy and processes and the Procurement Specialist should be able to apply them to the appropriate situations.

In addition to responsibility for the deliverables of the work team, the incumbent’s work is focused on  strategic relationship building and demand management, mainly referred to aggregation and dealing with complex organizational structures, preparation of business cases and understanding of the supply market, as well as sharing knowledge with projects in order to achieve reductions of costs and savings.

Maintaining the highest degree of personal and professional ethics, the Procurement Specialist promotes a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in ESO.

The Procurement Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme focal-points/colleagues and with UNOPS HQ and PSC personnel, particularly with the Procurement Group (PG) and PROT, as well as the Government officials, to successfully deliver procurement services.

S/he supervises and leads procurement personnel to deliver work results, in close cooperation with the Head of Support Services Functional Responsibilities:
1. Leads the development and implementation of procurement and contracting strategies for goods, services and works, focusing on achievement of the following:

• Appropriate application of UNOPS procurement governance framework (rules, regulations, policies and tools) in UNMAS programmes supported by ESO;
• Provision of supply-market intelligence and analysis;
• Design and implementation of Procurement strategies, approaches and plans according to cost reduction and saving strategies;
• Provision of expertise in market intelligence matched to business requirements;
• Utilization of optimal stakeholder management principles;
• Appropriate use of sustainability criteria;
• Provision of oversight and supervision of the implementation and results of strategic and routine procurement work plans in UNMAS ESO supported programmes, covering Pre-Purchasing, Strategy and Planning, Requirements Definition, Sourcing, Purchasing, Solicitation, Submissions, Evaluation; Review and Award, Post Purchasing, Contract finalization and issuance, and Logistics.

• Application of appropriate procurement modalities and instruments (e-sourcing, procurement and Rosters of Suppliers) based on individual case requirements, utilizing knowledge of procurement policies and instruments;
• Creation, implementation and oversight of proper monitoring and control of procurement processes including organization of RFQ, ITB or RFP, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation and negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNOPS Procurement rules and regulations;
• Preparation/review of solicitation documents, requests for awards and submissions to Contract and Property Committees (CPCs);
• Management of Procurement contracts and contractors through supplier and contract performance management against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanisms;
• Implementation of internal control system;
• Elaboration of comments regarding project audit reports as needed.

• Creation, development and management of rosters of suppliers, elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation, quality and performance measurement mechanisms;
• Ensures that the e-sourcing tools are used in accordance with agreed goals and standards in this area.

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective recruitment, work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development;
• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for UNMAS ESO supported programme personnel on Procurement-related topics;
• Lead and conduct initiatives on capacity development and knowledge building for procurement personnel, including network development, plans, learning plans and activities, procurement practice information and best practice bench-marking;
• Oversee team’s contributions to procurement knowledge networks and communities of practice including collaborative synthesis of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in procurement management;
• Guide team collection of feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices.

• Advanced-level university degree (Masters degree or equivalent) in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics or related field with five years of relevant experience is required OR;
• A First-level university degree (Bachelors degree or equivalent) in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics or related field with a minimum of seven years of relevant experience is required.

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in procurement or supply chain.
• Experience at the international level or in combination with three years at the national level, in advising on, or implementing policies and procedures to deliver a range of complex procurement programmes and services is desired.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office) is required.

• Fluency in English (reading, writing and speaking) is required.
• Fluency in French (reading, writing and speaking) is required.

• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement Contract level: IICA-2 (ICS-10)
Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

UNOPS mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.
Within these three core areas of expertise, UNOPS provides its partners with advisory, implementation and transactional services, with projects ranging from building schools and hospitals, to procuring goods and services and training local personnel. UNOPS works closely with governments and communities to ensure increased economic, social and environmental sustainability for the projects we support, with a focus on developing national capacity.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it. A flexible structure and global reach means we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.