Procurement Associate

Established in 2009, UNOPS Ethiopia Office has been providing services to various partners, including the government of Ethiopia, UN agencies such as WHO, UNHCR and WFP, and other international organizations. Since 2014, the UNOPS Ethiopia Multi-country Office (EMCO) runs and coordinates the UNOPS activities in Ethiopia, as well as Sudan and Djibouti. The UNOPS EMCO team is composed of approximately 100 national and international women and men, and offers a broad range of services such as infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial and human resources management.
Currently, UNOPS EMCO is undertaking the EU COVID 19 Pandemic Response project for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with a base in Djibouti.

IGAD member states are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus appears to be spreading rapidly in the sub-region and governments have limited capacity to effectively monitor, contain and mitigate the pandemic. Various containment and mitigation measures are now in place in most countries, including complete lockdown, with the closure of borders and the reduction/suspension of international flights. These measures have however negative secondary effects not only on the movement of vulnerable populations and goods, but also on food security. Very dependent on external markets and investments, the impact of the pandemic on the sub-region economy and in particular employment is already manifesting and could be dramatic in the coming months. Disruptions to supply chains could cause food price hike and shortages, increase nutrition insecurity, halt production in key value chains.

The proposed programme design is intended to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the IGAD sub-region, responding to the call for international support made by IGAD Heads of States, Health and Finance Ministers.

UNOPS seeks a professional with sound procurement administration background to support Ethiopia Multi-country Office (EMCO) projects, and more specifically the Project Management Unit of the EU COVID 19 Response for IGAD.

• Full compliance of procurement activities with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies; including implementation of the effective internal control, proper design and functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system

• Incorporation of necessary steps to embed sustainability in the procurement process;

• Completeness of submissions to the Contract and Property Committees (CPCs);

• Completeness of documentation for preparation/processing of Purchase Orders (POs), Contracts, LTAs or their Amendments;

• Provision of requested research/data on market supply by conducting routine market research to determine sources of supplies, using United Nations Global Market Place, and other external sources;

• Set-up/improvement and maintenance of the local supplier database, ensuring regular update of data;

• Information databases, all procurement files and records updated and maintained;

• Status reports generated, as required;

• Availability of all supporting documents for audit and review purposes.

Procurement planning, requisitions and sourcing: Administratively and technically supports the office’s planning, requisitions/procurement and sourcing support processes, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Collaboration with projects personnel and Managers in the preparation of their Acquisition Plan (AP), awarding, administering and monitoring of all matters related to procurement for the given geographical area / project activity;
• Maintenance and update of Procurement Plan (PP) and monitoring processes for projects and provision of feedback on purchase orders to requesting office;
• Provision of proposals to requesting entity on modes for providing goods, works and services, including procurement deadlines for each stage;
• Review of requisitions for completeness;
• Preparation of proper and complete specification for goods, Terms of Reference (ToR) and Statement of Works (SoW) for the preparation of Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) and Instruction to Bidders (ITB), ensuring clearance/approval by respective units of the requests;
• Create Vendor/Supplier Profile on oneUNOPS ERP system as per prevailing policy and procedure; 
• Constant liaison and close-follow-up with Vendors/Suppliers and consignee until safe delivery of goods and/or cargo are arrived at their respective final destinations;
• Drafting of letters, memoranda, faxes, email, etc.; monitoring of progress and liaison with vendors during the entire procurement cycle; investigation and resolution of post-order problems and of progress reports on procurement matters;
• Oral/written responses to queries from projects, clients, companies, etc. regarding procurement related matters;
• Preparation of monthly reports on procurement matters;
• Liaison with the Logistics Unit or projects on receipt of goods, equipment and services in view of acquiring proper delivery report, RIR (Receipt and Inspection Report), Goods Receiving Note (GRN) or relevant certificates and that accurate inventory is taken.

Bidding and Tendering Processes: Undertakes or supervises technical support to bidding and tendering processes, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Preparation of shortlists of suitable contractors/suppliers for purchases of value over designated amounts for approval of designated officer;
• Preparation and issuance of Expression of Interest (EOI), Request for Information (RFI), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), Instruction to Bidders (ITB) or other tender documents as required, ensuring their conformity with UNOPS approved templates or seeking legal clearance in case of required adjustments on UNOPS eSourcing Platform;
• Handles Note for Shopping (NFS) for small purchases for Goods, Services and/or Works for PMU in Djibouti Office;
• Handles Call-of-Orders (COO) from exiting and active LTAs for Goods, Services or Works;
• Together with the requesting programme/operations clients, support review and evaluation of bids or proposals received and preparation of analysis for less-complex, contract awards and for submission to the LCPC or other, statutory, designated body;
• Preparation of HQCPC, or designated body, submission together with the requesting programme/operations component;
• Organizing of LCPC (or designated, statutory body) meetings as may be required, and circulating at least 24 hours in advance documents for review; 
• Maintenance of records of LCPC or designated, statutory body.

Contract administration: Supports efficient contract administration, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Follow-up signing of contracts by vendors;
• Obligation of funds on oneUNOPS Enterprise system and obtaining of appropriate signatures for approval;
• Manages Contact Amendments and/or Variation Orders (VOs) (if any) once the contract is in due course of implementation; 
• Review of commercial invoices, shipping documents thereof and follow-up of payments to vendors upon successful delivery of Goods, Services or Works;
• Facilitates Vendors/Suppliers Performance Evaluation in close collaboration of Project Managers (PMS);
• Dissemination of contract records and awards;
• Maintenance of contracts and record system in hard copies, soft copies and oneDrive platforms for subsequent review by Project Managers, internal users and/or Auditors;
• Maintenance of databases/rosters of the best suppliers, contractors and service providers, activities and procurement statistics;
• Collaborate with internal and/or external UNOPS auditors while reviewing contract records for procurement of Goods, Services and/or Works within a given timeframe; as well as adhere to auditor’s recommendations (if any) to ensure procurement due diligence thereby improve service excellence.

• Organizes, facilitates and/or delivers training and learning initiatives for personnel on procurement and project staff;

• Provides sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing of lessons learnt and dissemination of best practices in procurement; 

• Collects feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize productively.

Education:

Completion of secondary school is required.  First University Degree in Procurement and/or Supply Chain Management, Business Administration or relevant field  is desirable  and may substitute some of the required years of experience .  Relevant certification in Procurement and Supply Chain Management (CIPS or similar) is a distinct advantage.

Experience

• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience  (or less depending on academic credentials)  in providing procurement support services in national and/or international public or corporate organizations.
• Supervisory experience of personnel in procurement support services is preferred.
• Experience in working with a range of stakeholders in developing countries is an asset.
• Some experience in UN system organizations is desirable.
• Proficiency in computers and office software packages (G suite or MS Office) and experience in handling of web-based procurement systems (eTendering) is required.
• Experience in use of Enterprise systems including OneUNOPS is desirable

Full working knowledge of English and French is required. Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset

• Contract type: LICA
• Contract level: LICA 6
• Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to the project duration, organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.'

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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 is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.