Procurement Senior Officer

The Risk and Compliance Group (RCG) integrates key Second Line of Defence functions to strengthen risk management and ensure UNOPS operations align with UN values. RCG supports the organization in applying best practices across risk management, quality assurance, compliance, internal controls, and due diligence. Core responsibilities include enterprise and corporate risk management, such as secretariat support to the Quarterly Management Review (QMR); corporate insurance; development of compliance and accountability frameworks; oversight of internal controls; and due diligence. RCG also manages the Contracts and Property Committee (CPC) and the bid protest process. Through these functions, RCG helps embed risk management into operational processes, supports the automation of controls, proactively addresses key risks, prevents non-compliance, and ensures robust due diligence. Our group plays a vital role in advancing integrity, accountability, and operational excellence across UNOPS.

Under the Risk and Compliance Group, the Contracts and Property Committee is responsible for oversight related to procurement, provisions and write offs activities.

* THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL CANDIDATES ONLY *

This role serves a vital quality assurance function by directly assisting the Contracts and Property Committee (CPC) Chair in the review of submitted cases. The Procurement Senior Officer works in close collaboration with the operations, programme, and project teams to successfully deliver procurement services.

The Procurement Senior Officer (CPC Secretariat) will be responsible for the following duties:

CPC Quality Assurance, Strategic Advisory & Pre-Review:

• Strategic Quality Assurance & Risk Management: Lead comprehensive Quality Assurance (QA) and risk assessments on high-value and complex Contracts and Property Committee (CPC) submissions. Ensure submissions not only comply with UNOPS Financial Rules and Regulations (FRR) and procurement manuals, but also demonstrate sound commercial principles, value for money, and robust risk mitigation.
• Authoritative Advisory & Policy Interpretation: Serve as the primary subject-matter expert for requesting units. Provide authoritative, solutions-oriented guidance to Project Managers and Operations leadership on complex policy interpretations, optimal procurement strategies, and non-standard contract modalities prior to formal committee presentation.
• Cross-Functional Advisory & Stakeholder Engagement: Drive proactive outreach to non-procurement and non-CPC stakeholders (e.g., technical experts, finance, and project teams) to foster cross-functional collaboration to ensure CPC reviews seek and receive all required expertise needed for comprehensive assessments of the risks pertaining to specific cases.
• Capacity Building & Systemic Improvement: Analyze recurring compliance issues and rejection trends from CPC pre-reviews to identify knowledge gaps. Design and deliver targeted training sessions and capacity-building initiatives for procurement personnel to systemically improve the quality and compliance of future submissions.
• Process Optimization: Proactively identify workflow bottlenecks within the QA and pre-review process. Formulate and implement strategic business process improvements to streamline submission timelines without compromising compliance or risk management standards.

Secretariat Operations and Documentation:

• Manage the CPC case pipeline, prepare meeting agendas, and coordinate schedules for the CPC Chairperson and voting members.
• Act as the official rapporteur during CPC meetings, drafting accurate, comprehensive, and legally sound meeting minutes that capture the committee’s deliberations, technical queries, and final recommendations.
• Formalize and disseminate the CPC Chairperson’s final decisions to submitting units and maintain a highly organized, audit-ready digital archive of all CPC records.

Oversight of Procurement and Contracts:

• Conduct preliminary reviews and analysis of requests for contract awards, Long-Term Agreements (LTAs), and contract amendments (including cumulative variations) to verify that the solicitation and evaluation processes were conducted transparently, competitively, and in accordance with the Procurement Manual.
• Verify that vendor backgrounds, sanctions checks, and conflict of interest declarations are properly documented.
• Oversight of Property, Assets, and Financial Write-offs:
• Conduct preliminary reviews of submissions for the disposal of UNOPS or project assets (via sale, transfer, donation, or destruction) to ensure adherence to asset management frameworks and donor agreements.
• Review requests for the write-off of financial losses, ensuring adequate actions reports, justification, and evidence are provided.

Oversight of Dwelling and Lease Agreements:

• Conduct preliminary reviews of submissions for lease agreements, office facilities setups, and dwelling/housing contracts requiring CPC clearance.
• Ensure market assessments and financial commitments related to real estate and dwelling comply with UNOPS administrative instructions.

Knowledge Management & Capacity Building:

• Analyze common errors or recurring issues in CPC submissions and develop notes or checklists with recommendations to improve the quality of future submissions.
• Maintain, update, and enhance CPC statistical and knowledge management tools
• Organize and provide support in training sessions for field and operational staff on CPC procedures, submission requirements, and compliance standards.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 4 years of relevant experience OR

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 2 years of relevant experience is required

Desired

• A globally or nationally recognized professional certificate or membership (e.g. CIPS) is desired.

Required

• Direct experience reviewing, auditing, or preparing submissions for a procurement review or oversight committee (such as the CPC) is required.

• Experience in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems is required.

• Analytical skills and attention to detail, with a proven ability to interpret and apply regulatory frameworks is required.

Desired

• Experience of working in multicultural environments or UN system organizations in a developing country is desired.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.