Procurement Associate

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Position Title: Procurement Associate
Location: Abidjan
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
Deadline Date: 30-Nov-2024

Job Details

Job Posting Organization:
The job posting organization is UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), which was established to help the United Nations and its partners provide peace and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable development. UNOPS operates in over 80 countries and employs thousands of staff members worldwide, focusing on project management, infrastructure, and procurement services. The organization aims to support the implementation of projects that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Job Overview:
The Procurement Associate position is designed to provide effective and timely procurement and contract administration support services to various program managers in a relevant geographical area. Under the direct supervision of the Senior Procurement Analyst, the associate will promote a client-centered approach, ensuring quality and results while supporting the procurement staff. The role requires working with minimal supervision and liaising with UNOPS program support managers, chief technical advisors, portfolio managers, and portfolio assistants to ensure optimal support. Key functions include transactional procurement support, procurement planning, sourcing requests, tender processes, contract management, team management, and knowledge development and sharing.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Transactional Procurement Support: Administer a range of transactional procurement support activities, ensuring compliance with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies, and strategies. This includes integrating sustainability into the procurement process, ensuring completeness of submissions to contract and goods committees, and maintaining updated supplier databases.
• Procurement Planning and Sourcing: Provide administrative and technical support for procurement planning, requisitions, and sourcing processes, collaborating with project staff and managers to prepare procurement plans and manage all procurement-related issues.
• Tender Process: Undertake or supervise technical support for tender processes, preparing lists of suitable contractors/suppliers, issuing requests for proposals, and supporting the evaluation of received offers.
• Contract Management: Ensure effective administration of contracts, tracking contract signatures, maintaining contract records, and managing databases of suppliers and service providers.
• Team Management: Facilitate high-quality service delivery from the supervised team through effective work planning, performance management, coaching, and promoting learning and development.
• Knowledge Development: Organize training initiatives for procurement staff, contribute to knowledge networks, and synthesize lessons learned to disseminate best practices in procurement.

Required Qualifications:
A secondary school diploma is required. A first university degree in procurement and supply chain management, law, business administration, or a related field is desirable. Relevant certification in procurement and supply chain management (CIPS or similar) is a significant advantage. A minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience in providing procurement support services within public organizations or national/international companies is required. Experience working with various stakeholders in developing countries is desirable, as is experience in a UN organization. Proficiency in MS Office/Google Suite and familiarity with enterprise systems, including OneUNOPS, is an asset.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a secondary school diploma as a minimum requirement. A first university degree in relevant fields such as procurement and supply chain management, law, business administration, or related areas is preferred. Additionally, having a relevant certification in procurement and supply chain management (such as CIPS) is considered a strong advantage.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience in providing procurement support services. This experience should ideally be within public organizations or national/international companies. Experience working with diverse stakeholders in developing countries is desirable, and prior experience in a UN organization is also preferred. Familiarity with office software and enterprise systems is beneficial.

Languages:
Fluency in French is required for this position, as it is the primary working language. A good knowledge of English is considered an asset, enhancing communication and collaboration in a multilingual environment.

Additional Notes:
The contract type for this position is Local ICA Support at the LICA-6 level. The application period is from November 15, 2024, to November 30, 2024, with applications needing to be submitted before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date. This position is likely to be full-time and may involve working with international teams, given the nature of UNOPS operations.