CONTRACTS ASSISTANT GS-6 (FT), Kiev, Ukraine (Open to Nationals of Ukraine only)

Under the supervision of a Contracts Officer, the Contracts Assistant provides a broad range of transactional, procedural and administrative tasks in support of the efficient supply and procurement of the country office, ensuring timely and efficient output that is in compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, whilst demonstrating the capacity to research, adapt and evaluate irregular cases, and also to recommend improvements to process delivery and design.

Purpose of the Position

Under the supervision of a Contracts Officer, the Contracts Assistant provides a broad range of transactional, procedural and administrative tasks in support of the efficient supply and procurement of the country office, ensuring timely and efficient output that is in compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, whilst demonstrating the capacity to research, adapt and evaluate irregular cases, and also to recommend improvements to process delivery and design.

Key Expected Results

• Receive supply requisitions for services, ensuring accuracy of specifications of services, their feasible duration and launch date, confirm availability of funds, obtaining additional information from the programme sections as necessary. Monitor assigned requisitions to ensure completion of procurement actions in a timely manner.
• Perform supply review of the purchase requisitions for services.
• Arrange procurement of services: obtain quotations, issue invitation to bids to approved and listed suppliers; arrange and participate in bid openings, compile price tabulations with price ratings and recommendations for order placement.
• Draft and prepare for finalization by the Contracts Officer the Request for Proposal for Services (RFP), ensuring active communication with requesting Section on specifications, evaluation criteria, lead-time for announcement;
• Coordinate the process of announcement and dissemination of tenders, ensure efficient communication with Bidders and obtain clarifications from requesting Programme Section.
• Draft submissions to Contracts Review Committee for finalization by the Contracts Officer for adjudicated bids announced at request of Operations section for overall office needs.
• Draft and prepare low value (technical) Institutional Contracts.
• Draft and prepare Institutional Contracts on the basis of adjudicated bids, established price lists, monitors timeliness of deliveries, etc.
• Prepare Direct Orders (Institutional Contracts) against existing Global and Local Long Term Arrangements (LTA) ensuring that LTA has valid quantities and lead-time meets requirements.
• Process amendments and variation orders to established Institutional Contracts pursuant to UNICEF guidelines and CO SOPs.
• Monitor delivery and performance of vendors, prepare and update status report on the open Purchase Requisitions (PRs), and open Institutional Contracts, expedite deliverable, continuously updating Programme Sections on status and providing other related information as required. Maintain procurement monitoring database.
• Assist in monitoring the closure of Institutional Contracts by running monthly monitoring reports and reporting outcomes to the Contracts Officer.
• Track the duration and validity of ongoing Institutional Contracts and LTA and reporting to the Contracts Officer on the needs for extension.
• Administer documents flow and ensure electronic and hard copy filing according to the established CO procedures. Maintains Contract files with all required procurement documentation, and solicitation files.
• Monitor deliverable against agreed milestone, issues letters and general correspondence related to institutional contracts. Correspond with offshore and local suppliers when required.
• Corresponds with programme Sections/Field offices and suppliers on supply and procurement matters.
• Conduct local market surveys for new service suppliers, responsible for maintenance of services suppliers' database and filing with full information, in accordance with UNICEF supply guidelines.
• Serve as focal point for the process of financial evaluation of vendors: ensure timely and proper filing of the submission to Supply Division Evaluation Unit, active communication with vendors on required list of supporting documents and UNGM registration, ensure translation of financial records.
• Prepare or verify translation of documents into local official language: solicitation documents, contracts, and official letters.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

Completion of secondary school education is required, with courses/certifications in business administration, supply chain management, procurement or logistics considered as an advantage. University degree in Business Administration Contracts management, purchasing & Supplies or other related field will be considered as an advantage.

Minimum 6 years of progressively responsible administrative and/or supply-related work experience (procurement, supply or logistics) is required. Familiarity with UNICEF, UN supply procedures and systems is an asset.

Working knowledge of English and Ukrainian is required. Knowledge of other UN language to be considered as an asset.

Core Values

• Commitment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Integrity

Core competencies

• Communication (II)
• Working with people (II)
• Drive for results (II)

Functional Competencies

• Analyzing (II)
• Applying technical expertise (II)
• Planning and organizing (II)
• Following Instructions and Procedures (II)