Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

FAO is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations dedicated to raising levels of nutrition and standards of living, securing improvements in the efficiency of production and distribution of food and agricultural products, and contributing towards expanding world economy and ensuring humanity’s freedom from hunger. FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy, and has an extensive network of decentralized offices.

To deliver its mandate, and programme of work, FAO undertakes a large number of procurements every year, both small and large. The management of the procurement function, the policy owner (CSLP), is located at the FAO Headquarters but includes a large number of outposted procurement officers assisting budget holders in the decentralized offices.

The Legal Office provides advice on specific procurement issues and performs a number of other functions of relevance to procurement.

The involvement of the Legal Office in procurement matters, and the interface to the procurement function proper, is insufficiently defined. The need for a clearer formal attribution of tasks to the Procurement Function and the Legal Office respectively has been identified – with emphasis on the systemic analysis of activities related to the procuring goods/services/works within the overall structure of the organization.

Preliminary analysis and definitions have been made but the Organization wishes this work to be accompanied by thorough and professional workflow modelling.

Reporting Lines

The workflow modelling specialist reports to the Legal Counsel and the Director, Logistics Services, while day-to-day supervision is provided by the Deputy Legal Counsel and the Chief of Procurement Services.

Technical Focus

Modelling and analyzing FAO’s workflow as it pertains to the Procurement Function’s interface to the range of stakeholders and particularly to the Legal Office.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent shall model the current workflow, as formally defined in the normative framework of FAO. The modelling shall cover not only the discrete functions of the Procurement Function and the Legal Office but shall position these functions within the entire workstream of FAO relative to procurement, from upstream funding provision all the way to closure of contracts - and shall cover all the interactions between stakeholders leading to acquisition and ultimate delivery and procurement closure.

The incumbent may also be requested to analyse the currently proposed consolidation and evolution proposal and create alternative workflow model(s) - pointing out the differences between the status quo and the evolution. This modelling shall present possible alternative pathway(s) as concerns the consolidation and evolution based on the agreed principles for the division of labour and the respective authority of procurement and legal functions and shall include consequent changes affecting other stakeholders involved in the end-to-end process.
The workflow modelling shall be based on a thorough analysis of the relevant descriptive documentation to be provided and upon virtual dialogue with responsible officers from relevant internal stakeholders.
The Specialist shall deliver the workflow model of the current approach within two weeks of kick-off.
Should it be deemed useful and viable, the workflow model of the consolidated, evolved approach shall be delivered within four weeks of kick-off.
A virtual final presentation shall be made at the end of the modelling.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     Advanced University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in in Law, Economics, Business Administration, Logistics, Management Engineering, or any other discipline relevant to the work of the Organization. 
•     Certification as an ISO 9001 auditor, or a similar qualification.
•     At least 10 years of relevant experience in non-manufacturing quality assurance, including process workflow modelling and/or business process design/mapping.
•     Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Work experience in modelling and reviewing processes within IGOs will be considered an asset. 
•     Work experience in modelling and reviewing processes involving procurement and legal functions will be considered an asset.
•     Working or limited knowledge of one or more FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) would be desirable. 
•     Work experience in more than one geographic location would be considered an asset.