Procurement Senior Assistant

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Nairobi, UNOPS East and Southern Africa supports sustainable development across 14 countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zanzibar, and Zimbabwe. Since 1995, UNOPS has expanded its footprint in Kenya, delivering services in project management, infrastructure, procurement, and financial management. Across the region, the office implements diverse, partner-funded initiatives that respond to national priorities. In Mozambique, this includes delivering specialized equipment (EU), supporting health services (UNICEF), promoting agro-processing (KOICA), and advancing peacebuilding efforts through a Multi-Donor Fund. UNOPS also supports agricultural input distribution and the Northern Crisis Recovery Project, both funded by the World Bank. In Malawi, efforts include developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres in partnership with the EU and the British Council. These initiatives reflect UNOPS’ commitment to strengthening national capacities, enhancing service delivery, and supporting progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Under the direct supervision of the Procurement Manager and guidance from the Head of Support Services, the Procurement Senior Assistant provides administrative support for procurement and contracting processes - including goods, services, and works - for the East and Southern Africa Multi-Country Office (ESAMCO). The role supports ESAMCO’s transactional procurement, supplier roster management, using e-procurement tools and client service delivery across a multi-country portfolio of development and infrastructure engagements.

The Senior Assistant, Procurement provides administrative support to a variety of procurement and contracting processes and transactions for goods, services and works. The role ensures consistency and quality in the completion of work steps, as well as optimal information flow.

Procurement Administration

• Assist in drafting bidding documents, evaluation reports and contract award submissions, ensuring consistency in format and content.
• Process procurement transactions in UNOPS’ corporate system, OneUNOPS (oU).
• Assist in the preparation of Purchase Orders (POs), Contracts, Long-Term Agreements (LTAs), or their amendments.
• Process invoices for goods and services delivered, ensuring accuracy and completeness of documentation and timely payment. Follow up to completion and inform clients.
• Monitor expenditure against allocation.
• Receive, review, log and route incoming communication and procurement requests/ invoices.
• Prepare reports, tables, charts, etc, applying technical skills and knowledge in formatting and presentations.
• Prepare statistics and reports, including on procurement volume.
• Undertake routine follow-up action on procurement on behalf of the supervisor.
• Publish procurement advertisements and awards.
• Maintain status reports on procurement activities and work in progress.

Client Service

• Work with clients to provide and exchange information on various issues in procurement processes and transactions in order to deliver correct and timely service.
• Provide standardized service, guidance and information to personnel on routine procurement processes and procedures.

Knowledge Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Undertake routine follow-up action on procurement questions and answers (Q&As) or Knowledge Management issues on behalf of supervisor, providing status updates to the supervisor as and when required.
• Perform assigned tasks related to the planning and delivery of training and learning initiatives on procurement for personnel.

Required

• Secondary school (or equivalent) with 5 years of relevant experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 1 year 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.
• Experience in the use of collaboration and productivity tools (e.g. MS Office, G-Suite, etc) and web-based management systems is required.

Desired

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