Procurement Associate

Kathmandu

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Kathmandu
Grade: Administrative support - GS-7, General Service - No need for Higher Education - Locally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Administrative support
- Procurement
- PROCUREMENT
Closing Date: Closed

Background

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UNDP has been supporting the Nepalese people in their struggle against poverty since it opened an in-country office in 1963. Much of this support has gone to building up the capacity of government agencies, civil society and community groups to fight poverty, and to bringing these groups and Nepal's development partners together to design and implement successful projects to contribute to the achievement of Nepal’s development objectives.

In parallel to the roll-out of its new Country Programme, 2018-2022, UNDP Nepal has recently organized internally and moving towards strategically repositioning UNDP’s contributions in support of the Sustainable Development Goals and collaboration with national development partners. Nepal is transforming itself in a federal state as per its new Constitution which has implications for how UNDP engages with national and sub-national authorities. Meanwhile, Nepal’s GNI continues to grow, making graduation from LDC status a scenario for which UNDP needs to begin planning and adapting to different models of development cooperation.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Operations Manager, the Procurement Associate heads the Procurement Unit and provides leadership in execution of procurement services in CO ensuring their effectiveness, transparency and integrity. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach in the Unit.

The Procurement Associate supervises and leads the staff of the Procurement Unit. The Procurement Associate works in close collaboration with the Operations, Programme and project teams in the CO, Regional Bureau and UNDP HQs staff for resolving complex procurement-related issues and information delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities

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

Full compliance of procurement activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, proper functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system;
CO Procurement business processes mapping and elaboration of the content of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement and Logistics, control of the workflows in the Procurement Unit;
Elaboration of proposals and implementation of cost saving and reduction strategies in consultation with office management;
Provision of researched information for formulation and implementation of contract strategy and strategic procurement in the CO including tendering processes and evaluation, managing the contract and contractor, legal considerations and payment conditions, sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, e-procurement introduction.

2. Organizes procurement processes for CO, NIM/DIM projects and at the request of other Agencies focusing on achievement of the following results:

Preparation of procurement plans for the office and projects and their implementation monitoring;
Organization of procurement processes including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations;
Preparation of Purchase orders and contracts in and outside Atlas, preparation of Recurring Purchase orders for contracting of services, vendors’ creation in Atlas. Buyers profile in Atlas;
Review of procurement processes conducted by projects; submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP);
Implementation of the internal control system which ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems;
Presentation of researched information on procurement in the CO;
Preparation of cost-recovery bills in Atlas for the procurement services provided by UNDP to other Agencies;
Organization of joint procurement processes for the UN Agencies in line with the UN reform.

3. Ensures implementation of sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools focusing on achievement of the following results:

Development and update of the rosters of suppliers, implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
Timely conducted Travel Agencies, hotel and conference facilities surveys.

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

Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff on Procurement;
Synthesis of lessons learnt and best practices on Procurement;
Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

5. Ensure Gender and Social Inclusions (GESI) is prioritized in all procurement functions:

Ensure that GESI considerations are made in the procurement process;
Ensure that GESI related results from the procurement functions are well captured in the corporate reporting;
Devise mechanism to implement GESI strategy and policy in the work plan and implementation strategy and ensure it’s implementation;
Promote work life balance policy, prevention of sexual harassment policy and ensure gender and diversity principles practiced by all team members of the unit.

Competencies

Core Competencies- Level 2: Supervisor / Associate / Analyst

Achieve Results

Demonstrate focus on achieving quality results and impact
Consistently strive to meet or exceed excellence standards
Hold self and others accountable for results
Efficiently establish appropriate plans and resources for self and others to accomplish goals

Think Innovatively

Look beyond conventional approaches and established methods
Propose new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems
Seek patterns and clarity outside boxes and categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choice

Learn Continuously

Actively pursue opportunities for learning and self-development professionally and personally Keep abreast of new developments in one’s professional area
Proactively seek feedback, demonstrates a desire to learn from others as well as from experiences, both positive and negative
Contribute to the learning of others

Adapt with Agility

Be flexible in handling change, and adopt new ideas, approaches and ways of working
Seamlessly adapt to working within new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways
Participate in, support, contribute to or drive meaningful change in UNDP
Be comfortable with ambiguity and effectively managing multiple demands

Act with Determination

Pursue everything with motivation and drive
Not give up in the face of adversity and setbacks; demonstrate resilience and composure Demonstrate courage, self-motivation and initiative to act on opportunities without being prompted by others
Be authentic and modest, get things done without unnecessary noise

Engage and Partner

Act in a way that demonstrates empathy and emotional intelligence, showing consideration for the needs and feelings of others
Demonstrate and encourage teamwork and co-creation internally and externally to achieve joint objectives and results
Establish and develop networks that deliver powerful collaborations
Encourage and respect the views of others; accept views and ideas other than one’s own

Enable Diversity and Inclusion

Treat all individuals with respect, consider ethical implications and respond sensitively to all differences among people
Fully accept and value all people, creating an inclusive environment
Understand that inclusion is multi-faceted (e.g. race, gender, age, disability, culture, etc.) Understand and appreciate issues from the perspective of others
Treat everyone fairly and equally
Demonstrate honesty and transparency

Cross-Functional Competencies

1. Business direction and strategy

Business Acumen and Commercial Thinking

Ability to understand and deal with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome
Knowledge and understanding of the operational frameworks in the organization and ability to make good judgments and quick decisions within such frameworks

Effective Decision Making

Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources

Negotiation and Influence

Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise and creates ‘win-win’ situations

2. Business development

Knowledge Facilitation

Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally

3. Business Management

Risk Management

Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks

Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience
Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Technical Competencies

Procurement

Ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source

Contract Management

Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical solutions.

Procure-to-Pay

Knowledge of purchase-to-pay cycles, concepts, principles and policies, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Sourcing

Ability to find, evaluate and engage suppliers of goods and services

Stakeholder Management

Ability to work with incomplete information and balance competing interests to create value for all stakeholders

Strategic Sourcing

Knowledge of strategic sourcing concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Supplier / Relationship Management

Knowledge of supplier management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations

Gender

Knowledge of gender, inclusion and overall diversity issues in the context of Nepal and proactiveness to learn.

People Management Competencies

Show Managerial Courage

Face up to organizational and people problems
Not to be afraid to take decision and action as and when needed
Not to hold back anything that needs to be said, respectfully and diplomatically
Address conflict in a timely manner, not allow conflicts in teams linger
Help others through emotional or tense situations, tactfully bringing disagreements into the open and finding solutions all can endorse

Demonstrate Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Genuinely care about people; demonstrate empathy with joys and pains of others
Enable wellbeing of the team(s)
Read a group’s emotional currents and power relationships, identifying influencers, networks, and organizational dynamics; adapt leadership styles at the appropriate times
See positive in people, situations, and events

Motivate and Direct

Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose
Align people and resources with organizational vision strategy and objectives
Understand and proactively build the team/organization culture

Build an Enabling workplace

Create a working environment where people are engaged and want to do their best; empower and enable team members to perform and have a positive workplace experience
Promote honestly, openness, trust and psychological safety and create opportunities to innovate and learn
Recruit and promote individuals based upon objective measures and meritocracy ; acknowledge and utilize the talent of others; Encourage collective action and integration

Build Capability

Identify and develop talent in individuals, providing positive support to enable them to achieve their potential
Foster learning or development of others by giving feedback, guidance, and support; support career development of others
Have willingness and ability to delegate to help people learn, including from failure

Manage Performance and Ensure Accountability

Ensure regular conversations with people about work
Provide positive and constructive feedback
Discuss poor performance in a timely manner
Provide praise and recognition, as well as ensure accountability

Lead with Humility

Be authentic and transparent, act with integrity
Be accessible and available to the team they lead
Encourage debate and discussion, creating a culture where people are comfortable to challenge senior leaders and feel listened to
Be modest, giving credit for success to others and admit own shortcomings

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary Education or Bachelor’s degree in Business or Public Administration.

Experience:

With secondary education 7 years or with Bachelor’s degree 4 years of relevant experience at the national or international level.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel etc).
Advance knowledge of automated procurement systems; experience in handling web based management systems.
Candidates will have a distinct advantage if they possess: Procurement Certification

Language Requirements:

Proficiency in English and Nepali

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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