Procurement Specialist

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) is a leading organisation whose mission is to contribute to public health protection by engaging with an international community of experts and stakeholders. We achieve this by promoting access to safe medicines and healthcare through the elaboration of quality standards, which are recognised as a scientific benchmark worldwide. The EDQM's standards for medicines and their ingredients, compiled in the European Pharmacopeia, are legally binding in its 39 member states (and the European Union) and are also widely used across the globe in the human and animal health sectors. The EDQM also plays a crucial role in the areas of blood transfusion, organ, tissue and cell transplantation and in developing and setting consumer health standards, such as for cosmetics and food contact materials.

Within the Resources Department, you will be part of the Procurement Section that is responsible for acquiring goods, services, and works that the EDQM needs to operate.

As a Procurement Specialist, you will be responsible for procurement portfolios covering categories such as works, supplies and services, as well as other indirect procurement categories required for the smooth running of the Organisation. You will:

• help to define procurement strategies and monitor their implementation (procurement mapping, business intelligence, statistical analysis followed by proposals for optimising and harmonising contracts, analysis and consistency of the prices paid);
• inform and advise internal departments about procurement and provide them with operational support for procurement:
  • advising prescribers on the choice of purchasing procedures according to the projected budgets for each project;
  • assisting prescribers in defining needs and drawing up specifications, taking into account the concept of best value for money and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership);
  • preparing and drafting the administrative documents for the contracts and ensuring that the selection criteria are appropriate;
  • ensuring compliance with the tendering and advertising procedures for each procurement procedure, while proposing service providers suited to the requirements;
  • assisting prescribers in drawing up analysis reports, ensuring the best value for money;
  • awarding contracts according to the type of procedure and providing responses to unsuccessful tenderers;
  • monitoring the administrative execution of contracts, helping to ensure that contractual terms are complied with and enforced (price adjustments, deadlines for completion, penalties, performance monitoring, dispute settlement, renewal, etc.).
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• carry out continuous market analysis and supplier sourcing activities and monitor to keep abreast of the various sectors of activity, services providers (sourcing), products and regulations, and anticipate changing needs;
• conduct any negotiations needed to obtain bids optimised in line with targeted criteria;
• put in place and monitor performance indicators to ensure continuous improvement of procurement efficiency;
• play an active part in modernising procurement processes and in rolling out dedicated tools (e‑procurement, databases, statistical reports, etc.);
• work with procurement departments in other international organisations to share best practice and compare performance;
• develop and monitor supplier performance management mechanisms to ensure value delivery throughout the contract lifecycle and support continuous improvement initiatives.

You must:

• have the support of the member State seconding you to the Council of Europe;
• hold a higher education qualification (minimum bachelor’s degree or equivalent to 1st cycle of the qualifications framework in the European Higher Education Area as defined by the Bologna Process) in public contracts, public procurement, purchasing, international trade, or a relevant field;
• have a minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in public and/or private procurement;
• have a very good knowledge of one of the Council of Europe’s official languages (English/French) and good knowledge of the other (English/French);
• be a citizen of one of the member States of the Council of Europe.

• Operational - Planning and work organisation
• Operational - Analysis and problem solving
• Interpersonal - Service orientation
• Interpersonal - Teamwork and co-operation
• Interpersonal - Negotiating

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • knowledge of public procurement and public procurement regulations;
  • knowledge of indirect procurement (works and/or supplies and/or services);
  • good command of IT tools (Pack Office, Official Journal of the European Union, eNotices, e-procurement platforms) and ability to use other software.

• Interpersonal - Relationship building

• Professional and technical expertise:
  • ability to build management tools with relevant indicators;
  • professional experience in a public institution.

This vacancy is for a secondment, ruled by Article 23 of Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2. You can consult the conditions of secondment to the Council of Europe (days of leave, allowances etc.) on the webpage What we offer. This secondment foresees the relocation allowance and the travel expenses from the Organisation as indicated in Article 23 of the Resolution.

This secondment should start as soon as possible.

For more information on how we recruit, you can consult the page Our recruitment process of our Career's website. The deadline for applications is indicated in the General information section of this vacancy notice (see above) and is fixed at 23:59:59 (CET/CEST). Only applicants who meet the conditions of the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2012)2) and who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for selection and for the next stage.

As an equal opportunity employer, the Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people, irrespective of sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief. Under its equal opportunity policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve gender parity in staff employed in each category and grade. At the time of appointment, preference between suitable people shall be given to the person of the gender which is under-represented in the relevant grades within the category to which the vacancy belongs.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact us at talents@coe.int, we will ensure that your request is handled.

The information published on the CoE’s careers website regarding working conditions is correct at the time of publication of the vacancy notice. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process will be updated on our Portal and will apply at the time of the job offer. Our career's website is not intended to be exhaustive and may not address all questions you would have. Should you have remaining questions, please contact us at talents@coe.int.