Supply and Procurement Officer

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.


UNICEF Malawi Country Programme (2019-2023) is aligned with the Government of Malawi’s Growth and Development Strategy (MDGS III) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). The programme supports the Government of Malawi to meet its commitment to respect, protect and fulfil children’s rights in line with international conventions and standards. The country programme is guided by the principles of children’s rights, equity, gender equality, inclusion and resilience, and supports evidence-based, integrative and innovative programming. The vision is that ”all girls and boys in Malawi especially the most disadvantaged and deprived, realize their rights”. The programme focuses on early childhood (parenting, high-impact social services, early stimulation and learning), middle childhood and adolescence (learning, multi-sectoral services, active citizenship), communities (decentralized services and systems, community ownership, social norms), programme effectiveness (monitoring, evaluation, HACT, Innovation, Social Protection and Social Policy and External Communication. The programme is based on “leaving no child behind”, realizing ‘rights for all children in Malawi’.

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 fulfill 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
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The International UNV Supply and Procurement Specialist will be supporting the procurement of goods and services for UNICEF Malawi, where the market is affected by a deteriorating economic situation, limited suppliers, and service providers that are extremely prone to foreign exchange risk and a shortage of US dollars, which has impacted their access to hard currencies, limiting their ability to timely import goods. The Specialist will contribute to strengthening the procurement of goods and services by proactive market assessment, identification of new vendors and suppliers, brainstorming vendor expansion strategies, and collaboration with other UN agencies aimed at enhancing competition, reducing dependency on a few service providers, and materializing the concept of value for money. He or she will further contribute to risk management related to procurement including, but not limited to, potential fraud, corruption, favoritism, and other practices that are not in line with the principles of fair, transparent, and competitive procurement of goods and services.

Under the direct supervision of the Procurement Specialist - Supply Section, the UN Volunteer will:

• Support programme sections in developing, reviewing, and updating supply plans to reflect evolving needs and funding realities.
• Track implementation of supply plans and flag delays, deviations, and risks to management.
• Analyze supply dashboards and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) performance to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
• Support evidence-based decision making through data analysis and reporting.
• Conduct root-cause analysis of procurement and supply chain delays and recommend corrective actions.
• Undertake periodic trend analysis of procurement activities to identify opportunities for process simplification and efficiency gains.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, including digitization and workflow optimization.
• Support identification and monitoring of risks in supply planning and procurement processes.
• Analyze patterns related to procurement anomalies, potential fraud, diversion, or inefficiencies.
• Provide recommendations to strengthen internal controls and compliance mechanisms.
• Support programme sections in mitigating risks related to aid diversion and misuse of supplies.
• Support market research initiatives and contribute to mapping of suppliers and service providers.
• Collaborate with UN agencies to undertake joint market surveys and share intelligence.
• Analyze market trends (pricing, availability, foreign exchange impacts) and provide insights for procurement strategies.
• Support initiatives to diversify supplier base and enhance competition.
• Coordinate with UN agencies to identify opportunities for joint procurement and shared services.
• Liaise with regional offices and other country offices to explore regional procurement options for high-value goods.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and alignment with global and regional supply strategies.
• Support programme sections and partners in strengthening supply planning and monitoring capacities.
• Assist in documenting lessons learned, best practices, and standard operating procedures.
• Contribute to training and orientation of programme staff on supply processes and tools.
• Provide analytical and coordination support to construction procurement and logistics planning (without direct contract management responsibilities).
• Support logistics teams through data tracking and coordination (e.g., customs clearance follow-ups, pipeline visibility).

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work.
As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results or expected outputs
• As an active UNICEF team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
o Contributed to strengthening procurement risk management
o Played an active role in combating potential fraud and corruption in the procurement process
o Championed ethics and integrity around procurement
o Supported creation of an environment of accountability and trust
o Demonstrated professionalism and high procurement standards
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed