ACQUISITION PLANNING ASSISTANT

The United Nation Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified and available candidates to fill anticipated job openings in peacekeeping operations, special political missions, and other field operations.
The purpose of this job opening is to generate a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in the [insert job code] roster.
The entire assessment process takes an average of six months; all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) within 14 days of the conclusion of the process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently will be invited to apply for field mission vacancies open only to roster members. Roster membership does not guarantee selection.

This position is located in United Nations in peacekeeping operations, special political missions, and other field operations. The Acquisition Planning Assistant usually reports directly to an Acquisition Planning Officer in the Mission Support Component of the mission.

The incumbent participates in the business processes for acquisition of various services and commodities (e.g. information technology and communications equipment, vehicles, medical equipment and supplies, food rations, fuel, construction and building maintenance materials, furniture and fixtures, stationary and office supplies, accommodation and office equipment etc.) in accordance with the Mission Acquisition Plan, to support the mission mandate. She/he will assist to monitor the overall supply chain plan and perform acquisition planning activities to ensure resources are used in an optimal way to meet client requirements.

Within delegated authority, the Acquisition Planning Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Assists in the preparation of the annual acquisition plan; collects and consolidates requirements provided by the technical units;
• Liaises with counterparts in other Missions and/or UN Global Service Center (UNGSC) on item availability prior to
making decisions to acquire new items either for replacement or additional requirements; Prepares the extraction of information and generates expenditure reports from computerized information system databases; assists in preliminary analysis of the extracted information through review of stock holdings, consumption patterns, procurement cycle times, requirements and forecasts of internal and external customers, and highlights areas of concern for the attention of the Acquisition Planning officer in order to ensure timely decision-making and minimize potential supply chain gaps.
• Prepares the budget performance submissions and finalizes the budget performance reports, analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures, providing valid justifications for under/overspending.
• Records acquisitions actions and monitors status of acquisition processes for all commodities and services of assigned categories including a full range of procurement and other supply chain matters and identifies ways to overcome obstacles when delivering goods. This includes liaising with mission technical units on the planning and coordination of transportation requirements, service contract requirements and maintenance plans of assigned services, consolidation of inbound deliveries, ensuring that adequate lead times and sourcing options are taken into account in all requisitions.
• Monitors detailed status of implementation of the acquisition plan; assists in the preparation of quarterly progress reports providing updates regarding the implementation of the mission's
acquisition plan and timely submission thereof to UNGSC.
• Implements the mission policies and procedures, Standard Operating procedures (SOPs), guidelines and instructions governing the acquisition planning and requisitioning process.
• Provides work direction and guidance to national GS; manages and coordinates the activities in his/her area of responsibility.
• Performs other duties as required.

Core Competencies:

Professionalism:
-Demonstrated knowledge of and exposure to a substantive field of work in the areas of supply chain management, acquisition planning, warehousing, inventory management, distribution and procurement.
-Shows pride in work and in achievements;
-Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
-Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
-Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns;
-Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
-Remains calm in stressful situations;
-Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Planning & Organizing:
-Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies
-Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required
-Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work
-Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning
-Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary
-Uses time efficiently

Client Orientation:
-Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view
-Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect
-Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions
-Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems
-Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects
-Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client

High School or equivalent diploma is required. Technical or vocational certificate in at least one of the following areas is required: logistics, supply chain management, business administration and procurement or related areas.

At least six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in supply chain, inventory management, logistics, procurement, administration or related area in required. Experience providing logistics and supply chain in a volatile, conflict or post conflict environment is desirable. Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems or similar in the areas of scheduling, inventory control, procurement and/or logistics processes is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this vacancy, fluency (both oral and written) in English or French is required. Knowledge of English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.