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Procurement/Supply Management Specialist - Global Fund Local Fund Agent

  • Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
  • Location:
  • Grade: Mid level - P-3, International Professional - Internationally recruited position
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Banking and Finance
    • Logistics
    • HIV and AIDS
    • Procurement
    • Supply Chain
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background Information - UNOPS

 “UNOPS plays a critical role in providingmanagement services for our life-saving, peace building, humanitarian anddevelopment operations. I have seen many examples of how these activities helpsuffering people in troubled parts of the world.”

 

-BanKi-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

The mission of UNOPS is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peace building, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, the vision of UNOPS is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

Annually,UNOPS employs approximately 6,000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of regional offices as well as operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries. UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

The Global Fund does not have a country-level presence outside of its central Secretariat.Instead, it hires third party Local Fund Agents (LFAs) to verify and report on grant performance. LFAs are selected through a competitive bidding process.

The Global Fund typically has one LFA engaged in each country where its funds are disbursed. The LFA provides access to local knowledge that may be relevant to grant performance.  The Global Fund adheres to the principles of performance-based funding in making disbursement decisions.The aim is to ensure that investments are made only where funding is managed and spent effectively on programs that achieve impact in fighting the relevant diseases (HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria). Therefore, the LFA is a crucial part of the Global Fund’s system of oversight and risk management. Its principal role is to provide informed and independent professional advice about the capacity of fund/grant recipients to manage the implementation of activities funded by grant funds (including the recipient’s capacity to oversee implementation of activities by implementing parties), to make recommendations concerning periodic disbursement of grant funds, to review grant performance when a grant is being considered for renewal, and to provide the donor on an on-going basis with relevant information on issues or risks which might affect grant performance.

The LFA team is expected to have an up-to-date and comprehensive understanding of relevant diseases, how they are prevented, transmitted and treated, and their impact on a specific country. The team assesses the recipients’ institutional and health/programmatic capacities and arrangements to ensure adequate health expertise (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and/or malaria) in the implementation of the donor grant funds. The LFA also determines whether the recipient has adequate infrastructure and information systems to support grant implementation, including the monitoring of performance of implementing partners and outsourced entities in a timely and accountable manner. The donor has recently adopted an intensive risk managementa pproach to services with enhanced effort toward in-depth verifications and reporting. The identification of financial and programmatic risks with ongoing updates shall be provided the donor with special attention to the overall context of the relevant diseases and grant implementation in country.

The Procurement/Supply Chain Specialist will be based in-country and report to the LFA Team Leader. The incumbent will be responsible for procurement and supply management technical area within the UNOPS team andfor ensuring that all PSM work is of high quality and completed within the timeframe set by the client. The incumbent will also be required to travel in-country when necessary.

The functions/duties/key results of this job description are genericand may not always be applicable, nor comprehensive, for all jobs under thisjob title.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 


Functional Responsibilities

Below are some of the key functionalities, which it may vary from duty station to duty station.

The incumbent is required to perform the function of procurement/supply chain specialist in the relevant country by carrying out the following activities:

Report reviews:

Reviewing progress update reports and disbursement requests submitted by the grant recipients as per following:

·        Review the performance of the procurement work plan and assess its efficiency and effectiveness, identify its weaknesses and success and make recommendations for necessary follow up by the grant recipient;

·        Review the resources allocation plan (funds and personnel), assessment of targets and achievement, storage and delivery aspects and its implementation, identify weakness and success relating to procurement and make recommendations for necessary follow up by the grant recipients;

·        Review and clearance of the recipient’s PSM plan, using the template for assessment and advise whether the grant recipient meets the required minimum capacities for implementing the programme as listed in the PSM assessment guidelines and framework.  This will include compiling information on supply procurement and distribution system from various documents, discussing with the grant recipients and visiting various offices located in-country.

·        Debriefing grant recipient and implementing partners’ staff members on the main findings from the UNOPS verifications/reports;

·        Cross verification of PSM data with M&E and health/programmatic, management and financial data/information;

·        Conduct comprehensive PSM analysis and reflect in the PSM-related section of the obligatory reporting template.

On-site and off-site assessments:

Conduct regular (preferably monthly) and field visits to the grant recipients and implementing partners  and provide independent opinion and analysis on the procurement/ supply chain management by the relevant parties. Such on-site and off-site assessments follow the donor framework approach, by using the forms, checklists and questionnaires provided by the donor as guides or tools.  This includes:

1.      Organize and lead recipient assessments, and procurement/supply chain reviews to provide informed and independent professional advice to the donor about the capacity of recipients to effectively manage and implement the donor grant funds from a PSM-perspective;

2.      Identify whether the recipient is able to co-ordinate and/or otherwise manage pharmaceutical and health products management systems which can:

a)    Collect, record and report programmatic data with appropriate quality control measures

b)    Support the preparation of regular, reliable programmatic reports;

c)    Make data available for the purpose of evaluations and other studies: and

d)    Identify key weaknesses and risks of capacities on the recipient and provide specific recommendations for strengthening and level of enforcement.

Implementation Reviews:

·        Identify PSM weaknesses and make recommendations with timeframes for necessary follow up by the grant recipients and implementing partners;

·        Suggest remedial measures on the potential weaknesses in the management of implementing partners, to  ensure the optimum utilization of donor grant money and safeguarding the funds against any fraud;

·        Undertake preliminary quality assurance of the LFA PSM deliverables to be submitted to the donor, to ensure that these are in line with contemporary professional standards; 

·        Discuss with the team leader any other institutional and PSM aspects to be reviewed and take action accordingly;

·        Identify risks which may lead to diversion of health and non health products/frauds

·        Identify if the products under the grant are used for the purpose for which they were procured

·        Conduct desk review and physical verification of goods procured under the grant.

·        Verify that all the procurements have been made in line with applicable quality assurance policies.

·        Identify overstocking /under stocking situations in the supply chain which may lead to unwarranted expiration/out of stock situation.

·        Assess that the procurements have been carried out in transparent manner using competitive procedures in line with donor and national guidelines/regulations and bring adequate value for money.

·        Carry out price quality reporting auditing for all covered pharmaceuticals and health products.

·        Immediately raise all suspicious acts, transactions and activities and processes which may pose potential risks, misconduct, mismanagement, misuse and frauds by grant recipients and implementing partners to the attention of the team leader;

·        In conducting the above tasks, ensure that  relevant guidelines and policies are adhered to including the ones which are related to the PSM functional area. The respective international guidelines (e.g. WHO, UNAIDS, etc) shall be also consulted and followed.

Management & client relations:

·        Supervise and closely monitor the work of any PSM staff on the LFA team;

·        Ensure that all teamwork, includes inputs of all PSM staff, is of high quality and completed within the timeframe, and as per guidelines set by the donor;

·        Responsible for completion of the performance management process for assigned staff;

·        Contribute to the annual scope of work, cost proposal and the consequent annual work plan of team activities;

·        Foster an atmosphere of team spirit, mutual respect and professional independence within the team;

·        Assist the donor in grant negotiations;

·        Assist the donor in grant closure activities;

·        Demonstrate an overall understanding of the grant architecture and in-depth knowledge of all team activities required to be performed as described in the donor manual;

·        Remain updated on  donor guidelines and procedures, timeframes for completion of team activities, and the forms and templates to be used in the field of work;

·        Perform other duties as per the donor manual and/or as assigned/ required.

Competencies

·        Decision making.

·        Ability to analyse.

·        Organizing and quality orientation.

·        Communication skill.

·        Client focus.

Skills:    

The incumbent must be an expert in PSM and be familiar with government PSM practices and best practices in international Procurement & Supplies Monitoring management.  The consultant should have hands-on-experience with the Procurement & Supplies Monitoring of health projects. Specifically, the Consultant should have expertise in:

-        experience/expertise in assessing policies, systems and structures in the public and/or private health sector relevant for managing effective and efficient access to pharmaceuticals and other health products, particularly for AIDS, TB and malaria;

-        experience/expertise in the procurement of health products including regulations and tendering process;

-        experience/expertise in supply chain/logistics management systems;

-        experience in quantification and forecasting of health product needs in public health programs;

-        a good understanding of AIDS, TB, malaria market dynamics and existing global supply challenges as well as international health products procurement and supply management practices, applicable national international laws and recognised standards; and

Must be a team player, flexible, well organized and an efficient time manager. 

Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with senior level officials, multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds;

Strong professional oral communication and writing skills, including the development of reports, oral presentations, and technical/persuasive documents;

Experience with larger donors is an advantage;

Education

A Graduate Degree (MSc. equivalent) in:

·        Public Health; or

·        Pharmacy; or

·        Medicine;

Or other related discipline.

Desirable

Professional training in procurement and supply management (PSM) of health products, logistics and/or public health.

Certifications

Professional training in procurement and supply management (PSM) of health products, logistics and/or public health.

Experience

A minimum of 5 years relevant experience in managing or advising on the procurement, supply and use of health products, particularly in developing countries with:

(i)      experience/expertise in assessing policies, systems and structures in the public and/or private health sector relevant for managing effective and efficient access to pharmaceuticals and other health products, particularly for AIDS, TB and malaria;

(ii)    experience/expertise in the procurement of health products including regulations and tendering process;

(iii)   experience/expertise in supply chain/logistics management systems;

(iv)   experience in quantification and forecasting of health product needs in public health programs;

(v)    a good understanding of AIDS, TB, malaria market dynamics and existing global supply challenges as well as international health products procurement and supply management practices, applicable national and international laws and recognised standards; and

(vi)   good writing and analytical skills.

Languages

Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of specific local LFA country language is desired.

Additional Considerations



For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the job.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply


Based on organizational needs at the time of recruitment, applicants accepted into this UNOPS roster pool may be considered for job at the advertised job level or its equivalent.  The successful candidate(s) may be offered a contract governed by the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules or UNOPS individual contractor agreement.
This vacancy is now closed.
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