Procurement Specialist

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations, and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

Procurement Service provides policy and operational support to ensure that the Organization procures good, works and services based on 'Best Value for Money' principles.

The Procurement Specialist will be located at FAO HQ and will perform a variety of procurement activities aimed to assist headquarters units and field offices requiring specialized procurement support.

Reporting Lines

The Procurement Specialist will work under the general guidance of the Chief CSLP and under the direct supervision of a Contracts or Procurement Officer, as appropriate for functional and policy guidance.

Technical Focus

Procurement of goods and services with particular emphasis on the contracting of services.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Consultant will provide support to ensure that procurement activities comply with FAO's established policies and procedures and reflect best practice for public procurement. The Consultant may also be requested to carry out functions relating to monitoring and reporting of procurement activities. The key functions of the Consultant will be as following:

• Review and analyze procurement requests for completeness and conformity with established FAO rules, procedures and practice; liaise with the requesters, as necessary, and recommend to supervisor appropriate strategy/approach to best serve institutional interests including requests from decentralized offices to undertake procurement locally;
• Assist in preparing evaluation criteria, for more complex procurement actions, tender documents and contracts.
• Perform operational functions relating to the procurement process including, but not limited to, preparation of documents in FAO’s ERP system and other office applications related to assigned procurement actions, issuance of tenders and purchase orders, evaluation of bids, follow-up with suppliers including follow-up on orders to ensure timely delivery, etc.
• Assist the supervisor in providing guidance to Organization staff particularly in country offices on procurement matters and on the implementation of procurement strategies and processes in conformity with the relevant rules, procedures and practices;
• Make recommendation of awards for procurement activities relating to the purchase of goods or services/works;
• Review and analyze requests for ad-hoc re-delegation of authority received from country offices;
• Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on the use of IT applications, including e-tendering tools, utilized in the Procurement Service;
• Participate in procurement missions worldwide, providing support and training to decentralized offices as necessary;
• Produce relevant reports to support contract monitoring;
• Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Law, Business, Administration, Economics, Public Administration or Commerce or a related field.
• A minimum of five years of relevant experience in procurement related activities;
• Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French or Spanish.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of internationally recognized procurement standards and international procurement techniques and operations used in contracting for goods and services;
• Extent and relevance of experience in public sector procurement dealing with contractual issues;
• Extent and relevance of experience in identifying clients' procurement-related needs and in providing support and guidance from clients' point of view;
• Specific experience in contracting of services and negotiating terms and conditions is an asset;
• Knowledge of procurement-related IT tools and systems (i.e. enterprise resource planning, procurement, business intelligence reporting, database management applications, etc.) is desirable.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency