Supply Chain Risk Officer

The Procurement Group (PG) at UNOPS leads the organization’s procurement practice and is responsible for: articulating strategy, policy positions and innovative solutions for procurement at UNOPS; enabling the operationalization and managerial oversight of UNOPS procurement activities through appropriate systems and reports; strengthening the knowledge, skills and career development of procurement practitioners; and leading the implementation of Sustainable Procurement across the organization.

As a central procurement resource for the United Nations system and its partners, UNOPS emphasizes efficient, transparent, cost-effective and sustainable delivery of goods, services and works, in line with public procurement best practices. On a yearly basis, UNOPS procures USD 750-900 Million worth of goods, services and works on behalf of our partners. These include a broad base of categories, including life-saving pharmaceuticals, mine action equipment, vehicles or road construction services. Procurement is decentralized, with approx. 90% done outside HQ in Copenhagen through a global supplier base from +90 countries.

In recent years, UNOPS has implemented a series of procurement and supply risk mitigation initiatives, including conducting enhanced supplier vendor background checks prior to award, and procedures for independent internal investigation of fraud and other proscribed practices by vendors and a mechanism to determine sanctions.

In this context, and in parallel to other risk mitigation sustainable procurement initiatives, UNOPS is interested in developing and implementing a framework for carrying out supplier site inspections. The overall purpose is to verify that UNOPS suppliers in higher risk situations operate with high standards of integrity and competency and comply with essential contract provisions, in terms of quality; performance; and  social, economic and environmental considerations.

• Developing UNOPS procurement policy, guidelines and templates and other knowledge products, assuring alignment with best practices and business needs;
• Establishing UNOPS Procurement Training Strategy and developing and delivering training courses for UNOPS personnel;
• Coordinating eProcurement initiatives, including the development and roll out of the UNOPS eSourcing system;
• Hosting the secretariat of the Vendor Review Committee (VRC);
• Addressing and implementing procurement recommendations  internal/external audits, as well as for procurement assessments and certifications.

The Supply Chain Risk Officer will report to PG’s Knowledge Management Team Lead and will be responsible for the following areas of work:

1.    Develop a framework for carrying out supplier inspections

• Review exisiting procurement and supply risk policies and tools currently in place at UNOPS, including but not limited to: the UNOPS Procurement Manual, Operational Instruction on Vendor Sanctions, contract templates and General Conditions of Contract, the United Nations Supplier Code of Conduct, Supplier Performance Evaluation module in UNOPS’ ERP system, policy on Occupational Health & Safety and Social & Environmental Management, supplier quality inspection tool , sustainable procurement questionnaire at tender stage, etc.
• Develop a framework for carrying out supplier inspections, building on existing policies and tools.
• Define a protocol to determine when supplier site inspections are to be conducted based on risk elements such as:  the type of contract and its monetary amount, the type of goods/services/works being supplied, the complexity and risk of the supply chain including number and type of parties in the chain, the supplier and sub-contractor’s country, etc.
• Identify at least 8-10 suppliers (to be located in 3-4 different countries) to carry out supplier site inspections per year, based on the priorities identified.
• Assess potential future arrangements to complement and expand UNOPS resources for carrying out supplier site inspections, including through the potential enagement of inspection companies, a roster of subject matter experts, and/or the engagement of local NGOs/CSOs.
• Develop a capacity building toolkit to support suppliers with the development and implementation of corrective action plans identified.

2.    Carry out supplier inspections

• Carry out announced and un-announced supplier site inspections according to priorities identified. Note: most suppliers are located outside Denmark, hence the Supply Chain risk Officer will be required to travel internationally including to areas with hazardous working conditions. Travel requirements are estimated at approximately 20-30% of the time.
• Prepare detailed supplier inspection reports to be shared with relevant UNOPS stakeholders for consideration and decision, depending on the findings.
• Monitor the results of the supplier inspections and the implementation of corrective action plans (if this was agreed).
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices and elaborate case studies, standard operational procedures (SOP) and other guidance material.

3.    Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders

• Work in close coordination with the Sustainability and Category Management teams at PG as well as the Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG).
• Liaise and keep informed other key internal  stakeholders such as the Risk and Quality Group (RQG), Corporate Support Group (CSG), Headquarters Contracts and Property Committee (HQCPC), Legal, etc. as well as relevant external stakeholders such as other UN Agencies and the UNOPS vendor community.

Education

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in supply chain, procurement, business, law, audit, economics, or other related disciplines.
• Applicants with Bachelor’s Degree in related fields with additional 2 years of relevant working experience may be considered in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the fields of procurement and supply chain, quality assurance, compliance or audit.
• Demonstrated experience in carrying out supplier inspections or similar investigating or auditing work.
• Experience in developing countries is an advantage.

Language skills

• Fluency in written and oral English is a requirement.
• Knowledge of French and/or Spanish is an advantage.

• 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.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• 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.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our 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.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ 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 that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.