Procurement Associate

In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNOPS operates across 23 countries, delivering high-impact solutions that drive sustainable development. UNOPS focuses on building and improving resilient infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public facilities, sanitation systems, and housing—to enhance quality of life and foster inclusive growth. UNOPS also supports public health by procuring essential medicines and medical equipment, ensuring broader access to healthcare services. By strengthening institutional capacities, UNOPS promotes transparent, efficient, and equitable public management. As a trusted partner to governments and development stakeholders, UNOPS aligns its interventions with national priorities, helping countries advance the Sustainable Development Goals through practical, results-driven support.

The Barbados Country Office (CO) functions as a strategic hub to support Caribbean nations in implementing the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS), helping regional leaders advance a global agenda on climate justice and financing. The primary mandate of the Barbados Country Office is to Speed Up and Scale Up engagements across 17 Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that partner expectations are met with agility and precision. Through dedicated operational presence, UNOPS Barbados Country Office streamlines complex regional logistics and fosters stronger collaboration with sovereign governments and financial institutions in the Caribbean. The office focuses on delivering high-value solutions aligned with the region’s priorities, including the economy, nature and climate, human capital, infrastructure and capacity development.

The Procurement Associate provides efficient and timely support services in procurement and contract administration to the different programmes managed by their office. S/he promotes a quality-driven, client-focused and results-oriented approach to ensure compliance with UNOPS procurement rules, regulations, policies and strategies, while working and liaising with other procurement personnel and various other stakeholders, including programme support officers, chief technical advisors, portfolio managers, and portfolio assistants. In the discharge of their duties, the Associate, Procurement works with minimal supervision.

Procurement Transactions Support
* Execute approved steps to embed sustainability in the procurement process.
* Ensure complete submissions to the Contract and Property Committees (CPCs).
* Ensure completeness of documentation for preparation/ processing of Purchase Orders (POs), Contracts, Long Term Agreements (LTAs), or their amendments.
* Conduct routine market research to determine supply sources using the UN Global Market Place and other relevant external sources.
* Set up, enhance or maintain the local supplier database, ensuring regular update of information databases and procurement files and records.
* Generate status reports, as and when required.
* Ensure the availability of all supporting documents for audit and review purposes.

Procurement Planning, Requisition and Sourcing
* Collaborate with project personnel and managers in preparing their procurement plans and awards.
* Maintain and update procurement monitoring processes for projects and provide feedback on POs to the requesting office.
* Provide proposals to requesting entities on modes for the provision of goods, works and services, including procurement deadlines for every stage.
* Review requisitions for completeness.
* Prepare proper and complete specifications for equipment and materials, job profiles and statements of work (SoWs) as inputs to Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Quote (RFQs) and Invitations to Bid (ITBs), ensuring clearance/ approval by the relevant approving units.
* Liaise regularly with vendors and consignees until safe delivery of goods is achieved.
* Monitor progress and liaise with vendors throughout the procurement cycle.
* Investigate and resolve post-order problems and share progress reports on procurement matters.
* Provide oral or written responses to queries from projects, clients, companies, etc, regarding procurement-related matters.
* Prepare monthly reports on procurement matters.
* Liaise with the logistics unit or projects on receipt of goods, equipment and services in view of obtaining proper delivery reports, Receipt and Inspection Reports (RIRs), or relevant certificates while ensuring that proper inventory is taken.

Bidding and Tendering Support
* Prepare shortlists of suitable contractors/ suppliers for purchases of value over designated amounts for approval by designated officer(s).
* Prepare and issue Expressions of Interest (EOIs), RFQs, ITBs, RFPs, or other tender documents as required, ensuring conformity with UNOPS’ approved templates and seeking legal clearance in case of required adjustments.
* Work with requesting programme or operations clients to review and evaluate bids or proposals received and prepare analyses for less complex contract awards for submission. to the regional sub-group of the Contracts and Property Committee (CPC) or other designated statutory body. body.
* Work with requesting programme or operations clients to make submissions to the CPC.
* Organize CPC regional sub-group (or designated statutory body) meetings as may be required, circulating documents for review at least 24 hours in advance.
* Maintain records of the CPC regional sub-group or other designated statutory body.

Contract Administration
* Follow up on the signing of contracts by vendors.
* Obligate funds in the ERP and obtain appropriate signatures for approval.
* Disseminate contract advertisements and awards.
* Maintain contracts and filing systems.
* Maintain databases/ rosters of best suppliers, contractors and service providers.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing
* Organize, facilitate or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on procurement.
* Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing lessons learned and disseminating best practices in procurement.
* Collect and productively utilize feedback, ideas and internal knowledge about processes and best practices.

Required
* Secondary school (or equivalent) with 6 years of relevant experience OR
* Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Procurement, Supply Chain, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, or Economics, or related fields with 2 years of relevant experience is required

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

Required

• Relevant experience is work in procurement or related areas.

• 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.