Procurement Associate (NPSA-7)

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women aims to make its procurement practices a cornerstone of its competitive advantage as a preferred development partner. This involves strategic integration of procurement from the project design phase, encouraging innovation, and embracing sustainable practices that align with its development goals. Sustainable procurement focuses on minimizing environmental impact and maximizing social benefits. To achieve these priorities, Business Units will adopt flexible procurement strategies for efficient, high-value, low-risk delivery, catering to client and stakeholder needs.

Under the overall guidance and daily supervision of the Procurement Specialist, the Procurement Associate provides leadership in execution of procurement services in BU ensuring their effectiveness, transparency, and integrity. S/he promotes a client-focused, quality, and results-oriented approach in the Unit.

The Procurement Associate works in close collaboration with Operations, Programme and Project teams in the Business Unit, Region and UN Women HQ as well as with Government officials to deliver information, provide advisory support, and resolve complex procurement-related issues.

UN Women embraces a programmatic approach that facilitates adaptation to changing business needs and maximizes synergies across various initiatives to achieve its strategic goals. Consequently, it is anticipated that UN Women staff will engage in cross-unit and cross-functional collaboration. This approach is designed to amplify and facilitate cross-disciplinary teamwork, supporting the organization's overarching mission and goals.
 

Scope of Work:

1. Administer and support implementation of innovative and sustainable procurement strategies and policies aligned with principles of fairness, integrity and transparency to achieve best value for money.

• Ensure full compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies, and strategic priorities through implementation of effective internal controls and proper functioning of UN Women’s client–oriented procurement management system.
• Elaborate/establish internal procurement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), map BU procurement business processes, and help manage workflows in Procurement Unit with supervisor.
• Conduct research to provide input to the formulation and implementation of the BU contract strategy that includes tendering processes and evaluation, managing the contract and contractor, legal considerations and payment conditions; and strategic procurement that includes sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, and cost reduction strategies.

2. Organize procurement processes for BU and projects and collaborate with other UN Agencies.

• Support projects in preparing procurement plans for the office and monitor their implementation for the Business Unit and projects.
• Organize procurement processes that include preparation and conduct of RFQ, ITB or RFP, and the receipt and evaluation of quotations, bids or proposals in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations. 
• Prepare submissions to procurement review committees (HQ-PRC/R-PRC/L-PRC). 
• Prepare Purchase/Contract Orders according to applicable policies and procedures. 
• Implement internal control systems that ensure purchase orders/contracts are duly prepared, dispatched, and corrected on a timely basis when there are budget check errors or other problems.
• Implement harmonized procurement services
• Contribute to, and participate in, business process automation and optimization activities to enhance effectiveness of procurement processes.

3. Implement a sourcing strategy and e-procurement tools to find the best value in the marketplace and align purchasing strategy to project and BU goals.

• Develop and update rosters of suppliers. 
• Analyze new opportunities for joint procurement for the UN agencies in line with the UN reform.

4. Facilitate procurement knowledge building and knowledge sharing in BU, Region and UN Women.

• Organize procurement training for operations and project staff.
• Organize procurement training for suppliers on e-procurement modules.
• Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in procurement.
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.