Procurement Officer NOB - Bridgetown, Barbados

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of extreme weather shocks.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT:

In 2018, WFP re-established its presence in the Caribbean with an office in Barbados. The WFP Caribbean Multi-Country Office (MCO) supports 22 countries and territories across the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. WFP Caribbean’s capacity strengthening programme focuses on vulnerability analysis and mapping; end-to-end supply chain management; shock-responsive social protection; food systems strengthening; and climate risk financing. In times of crisis, WFP works with partners to provide direct assistance when events surpass national and regional capacities by delivering food, cash or voucher assistance, or through emergency logistics or emergency telecommunications service provision.

The Procurement Officer will support the effective planning, and implementation of procurement activities in accordance with WFP procurement policies, procedures, and standards. They will contribute to strengthening procurement operations and ensuring the timely acquisition of goods and services required to support programmatic and operational objectives.

In the context of WFP's humanitarian mandate, the Procurement Officer will also play a critical role in supporting emergency preparedness and response operations. This includes ensuring procurement readiness for sudden-onset emergencies, natural disasters, and other humanitarian situations that require the rapid mobilization of food, non-food items, and operational support. They will help ensure that emergency procurement actions are carried out efficiently, transparently, and in compliance with WFP regulations while balancing the need for speed, value for money, and accountability. Through proactive planning, market analysis, and surge support during emergencies, the Procurement Officer will contribute to WFP's ability to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of affected populations and maintain the continuity of critical humanitarian assistance.

Job holders at this level operate with a high degree of independence, and guide more junior staff to ensure effective procurement services.

JOB PURPOSE:

To provide technical and operational procurement support to ensure efficient, transparent, cost effective and compliant procurements processes for food and non-food commodities, services and work required by WFP. The incumbent will also collect, analyse and report on information to maximise efficiency of procurement operations and activities.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive, within delegated authority):

• Contribute towards the development of procurement plans and processes ensuring compliance with wider procurement policies and WFP standards.

• Support or manage procurement programs and operational activities, (e.g. issue tenders, evaluate offers and negotiate/award contracts), following standard processes to contributing to successful procurement of food and non-food commodities or services.

• Track and analyse data to provide recommendations for process improvement.

• Collate data and contribute to preparation of accurate and timely reports of procurement activities, to contribute to a WFP wide view that enables informed decision making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders, leading to performance optimization.

• Collate information and draft appropriate responses to recommendations to support auditing of procurement activities and ensure conformity with compliance rules.

• Work in close collaboration with internal counterparts and external partners including suppliers, superintendents, companies, etc to align procurement activities with wider programmes and ensure a coherent approach to meeting food assistance needs.

• Support training of WFP staff to take a strategic and proactive approach to the procurement of food and non-food commodities and services, for example designing and reviewing training materials.

• Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.

• Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy food and needed goods and services to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.

• Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.

• Other as required.

OTHER SPECIFIC JOB REQUIREMENTS:

WFP provides emergency response support to the 22 English and Dutch-speaking countries in the Caribbean as needed. In this role, the incumbent may be required to:

• Support the Unit's emergency response activities.
• Deploy to affected countries to assist with Unit operations as required.
• Work beyond regular working hours to support emergency response efforts.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Experience with procurement activities (purchasing, vendor research, etc.).

• Experience conducting cost analyses.

• Experience working with vendors or other partners.

STANDARD MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Advanced University degree in Economics, Commerce, Business Administration, Engineering, Legal or Accounting or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional relevant work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience:

• At least 3 years post graduate progressively responsible professional experience in Supply Chain and Procurement.
• Experience with procurement activities (purchasing, vendor research, etc.).
• Experience conducting cost analyses.
• Experience working with vendors or other partners.

Language:

• Fluency (level C) in English language. Fluency in Spanish is not required but would be an asset.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Who Can Apply?

• This position is open to nationals of Barbados and CARICOM member states and associate members. CARICOM Nationals applying for National positions outside of their home country bear sole responsibility for required actions or expenses related to relocation, accommodation, repatriation and any other living expenses, etc. A CARICOM Skilled National Certificate is a pre-requisite of employment for successful candidates who are not from the country for which the position is advertised.

Employment Particulars

• Type of position: Full Time
• Type of Contact: Fixed Term, National Professional, NO-B
• Duration on Contract: 12 months. This contract is eligible for extension. Extension of contracts will be based on satisfactory performance and operational requirements. There will be a 12-month probationary period upon appointment to the role.

• Duty Station: Bridgetown, Barbados
• Travel Requirements: The WFP Caribbean Office cover the 22 English and Dutch speaking Caribbean countries. The selected candidate may be required to travel from time to time, both regionally and internationally, to support missions, emergency responses, training etc. As such full medical clearance will be required.

Benefits and Entitlements

• Competitive Salary
• Up to 30 Days of Annual Leave
• Pension entitlement
• Learning and Development Opportunities
• Health, Life and Disability Insurance
• Sick Leave and Compassionate Leave
• Parental Leave (birth and non-birth parents)
• Child and Spousal Allowance (as applicable)
• Remuneration: The salary related to the position can be found in the https://onehr.un.org/salary-survey/#/salary_scale

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: global.inclusion@wfp.org

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• All applications must be submitted exclusively through our online recruiting system. We do not consider CVs or applications sent by email, LinkedIn, or any other channel.

• We strongly recommend that your Workday profile is accurate and complete, and that all sections are filled in, including your employment history, academic qualifications, language skills, and UN grade (if applicable). Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• If you experience technical issues while submitting your application, you may contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org. Please note that this email is only for technical issues with an application - unsolicited applications or documents sent to this inbox will not receive a reply.

• At the application stage, the only required documents are your CV and Cover Letter. Additional documents (passport, certificates, recommendation letters, etc.) may be requested later in the process.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.