Procurement Specialist

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. 

Under the guidance and supervision of the Head of Support Services, the Procurement Specialist will work to provide various internal and external clients with procurement and logistics management services. These services will include:

• Procurement of infrastructure works and construction services for various internal UNOPS clients, as well as external clients.
• Management of construction/works/infrastructure contracts in place, as well as troubleshooting with vendors, as required.
• Management of the procurement of a variety of goods and services required for the UNOPS office, and successful implementation of its projects.

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Support Services, the incumbent shall perform duties including, but not limited to:

1. Ensures elaboration and implementation of operational strategies focusing on achievement of the following results:

• 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.
• Timely and duly prepared procurement plans for the office and projects, and monitoring of their implementation.
• Procurement business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement, and control of the workflows in the Procurement Unit.
• Analysis of requirements, and synthesis of proposals for cost-saving and reduction strategies.
• Synthesis of proposals and implementation of contract strategy, including tendering processes and evaluation, contractor appraisal, managing the contract and contractor, legal considerations and payment conditions, risk assessment.
• Provision of quarterly reports and updates for management and various clients, including cost-recovery requirements from various projects and clients.

• Performs any other relevant tasks as requested by the supervisor.

2. Manages and guides procurement processes of the UNOPS office, as well as its internal and external clients, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Completion of procurement of all required goods, works and services on a timely basis and in an accurate manner.
• Elaboration and implementation of proper needs assessments and requirement definition approaches to assist with identification of projects' procurement needs.
• Implementation of proper monitoring and control of procurement processes in full compliance with UNOPS rules and regulations, including (i) organization of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, (ii) receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, (iii) their opening and evaluation, (iv) negotiation of conditions of contracts with suppliers, and (v) contract management.
• Coordination of submissions to the Contracts and Procurement Committee and Advisory Committee on Procurement.
• Management of various procurement contracts, including resolution of issues and their timely evaluation.
• Implementation of proper monitoring and control of procurement processes including receipt of requisitions, organization of RFQ, ITB and RFP, receipt of quotations, bids and proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNOPS Procurement Manual and FRR.
• Implementation of the internal control system, which ensures that contracts and Purchase Orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems.

• Preparation of pro-forma invoices and contract documents prior to submission for signature to the relevant Procurement Authority.

• Monitor the progress of shipments for UNOPS and its clients, and coordinate deliveries.

3. Ensures introduction and implementation of sourcing strategy and strategic procurement, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Conduct of market research, surveys and other relevant procurement duties in Addis Ababa as well as various regions of the country.
• Development and management of the rosters of pre-qualified suppliers, and elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation, and quality and performance measurement mechanisms.
• Implementation of strategic procurement, including sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, customer relationship management, e-procurement introduction and promotion, and performance measurement.

4. Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the office, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Represent UNOPS in relevant meetings and discussions, including meetings with various clients, partners and stakeholders.
• Inform supervisor of bottlenecks regarding procurement and logistics issues, including issues relating to LTAs and warehousing, and propose solutions.
• Coach, mentor and provide advice to other UNOPS personnel on a range of procurement issues.
• Organization of trainings for the operations/project staff on procurement.
• Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices in procurement.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

A.  Education

• Advanced Degree in procurement, construction management, project management or related fields is required.  

• A First University degree in combination with a minimum of seven (7) years’ qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Professional certificate on Procurement or Supply chain management (such as CIPS 3) is highly desired.

B. Work Experience

• A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience  for Bachelor’s Degree and 5 years of experience for Masters Degree at the national or international level in procurement management.
• At least 2 years’ experience in the area of procurement of infrastructure works and/or construction management services is required.
• Experience with developing long-term agreements, rosters and other strategic sourcing approaches is highly desired.
• Knowledge of the UN system is an advantage. Knowledge of UN procurement and financial rules and regulations is an asset.
• Experience with an ERP system such as SAP is required.

C. Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and oral English is  required. 
• Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

1. Contract type: Local Individual Contract Agreement
2. Contract level: LICA-10
3. Contract duration: Ongoing ICA

• 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 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.