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.

5. The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to find, evaluate and engage suppliers of goods and services.
• Knowledge of evaluating businesses, projects, budgets, and other finance related transactions to determine their performance and suitability.
• Ability to acquire goods, services or works from an external source.
• Ability to work with incomplete information and balance competing interests to create value for all stakeholders.
• Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfill and understand the real customers' needs.
• Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
• Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns.
• Ability to identify and organize action around mitigating and proactively managing risks.
• 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.
   

Minimum requirements:

Education and Certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required. 
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics or equivalent is desirable.
• CIPS level 3 or another procurement certification is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of progressively responsible experience in Procurement is required. 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required. 
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is required.
• Experience in Procurement with an international organisation or in a UN Agency is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Fluency in Spanish or French is desirable.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.