Senior Procurement Associate, GS-7, FT, Istanbul Common Services, Turkiye, #127415.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, equality

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens addressing inequity not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

How can you make a difference?

The Senior Procurement Associate performs highly skilled work on UNICEF supply chains, and manages the more complex cases and client requests, which frequently requires the evaluation of difficult situations and adaptation of procedures and processes to resolve such cases. This is the senior GS level for more specialized supply chain work and requires advanced knowledge acquired through formal training and experience.

The function is characterized as highly independent and provides opportunities for Associates to lead and carry out responsibility for end to end supply chain management from the beginning to the end of the process and provide input into the design and development of improved supply chain services and delivery mechanisms.

The position can involve supervisory responsibility of others or in some instances be non-supervisory if highly technical.

Key Functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks

Supply Chain Service Delivery and Response

Planning:

• In consultation with supervisor, provide input and advise on Supply requirements for the Plan of Operations and Annual Work Plans. Participate in the forecasting, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the supply chain operations, including establishment of performance indicators, and assessment of fit for purpose and end-user verification/monitoring of products and services.
• Support supply and logistics emergency preparedness and response activities including establishment of Long-Term Arrangements (LTAs), Procurement and Logistics Capacity Assessment and Contingency Plan update, and pre-positioning of stock.

Procurement/contracting: (specialized)

• Provide input to and advice on the annual supply plan. Conduct data review and analysis for category management and development of procurement strategies. In collaboration with supervisor, develop procurement management strategies and best practices which help to strengthen supply chain systems which significantly contributes to Programme results. Conduct market research in relevant areas for UNICEF and advice on best approaches to obtain best value for money and sustainable procurement. Support product innovation and market shaping initiatives for specific categories of supplies and services.
• Liaise with clients in planning procurement and contracting initiatives, supporting development of appropriate specifications, terms of reference, and logistics arrangements and timelines. Identify opportunities to strengthen sustainability of supply chains.
• Ensure establishment of Long-Term Arrangements (LTAs) and act on specific procurement requisitions as might be required. In consultation with supervisor, review and provide inputs on Terms of References for service contracting and specifications for goods.  Review technical evaluations to ensure equal assessment of suppliers and that scores are commensurate with comments. Prepare and process Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs), as might be requested by the Supervisor. Organize bid openings and conduct technical and financial analysis of offers as might be required, as well as coordinate sample evaluations and supplier sites inspections. Conduct pre-bid meetings, clarifications and negotiations with suppliers and contractors. Maintain highest level of integrity, ethical standards and accountability in the procurement of goods, contracting of services and construction work. Support potential suppliers to register through the United Nations Market Place platform (UNGM).
• Prepare requests for award including submissions to Contract Review Committee. Prepare purchase orders and Institutional Services contracts in SAP (ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning system), and submit for relevant approvals, ensuring completeness of documentation in UNICEF systems.
• Keep stakeholders/partners informed on the progress. Liaise with suppliers and contractors, ensuring timely follow-up on delivery schedules and coordinate quality assurance inspections. Implement appropriate vendor management practices e.g. supply performance reviews. Monitor expiry of contracts and take timely action for renewal and/or closure.
• Ensure appropriate filing of procurement cases and maintain up to date records for future reference including for audit.
• Prepare procurement and supply reports (open SO, PR and Institutional Services Contracts), goods and services delivery reports. Conduct procurement analysis and provide inputs to reporting to management and programme colleagues on procurement status, timelines, trends and KPIs.

In-country logistics:

• Provide logistics input to the supply plan, including advising on infrastructure constraints (e.g. customs clearance, port capacity, transport options and warehousing capacity, warehouse security and warehouse handling services) and different delivery mechanisms. Advise on budget requirements for various delivery modalities and ensure establishment of budget with clients.
• Liaise with supply colleagues as well as clients and using supply dashboards to ensure pipeline monitoring and establishment of appropriate logistics capacity. Monitor progress of offshore and/or regional procurement and take action to ensure timely customs clearance of supplies entering the country. Perform research, collect data and conduct analysis, produce reports and ensure information accuracy in corporate systems to enable informed decision-making.
• Provide specialized support in the area of logistics, following standard processes and contributing, directly or indirectly, to the effective delivery of programme supplies. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to support logistics operations management and contribute to effective service delivery.
• Identify needs for contracting of logistics third party services (e.g. customs clearance, warehousing, transport, distribution) and support contracting of such service providers including establishment of KPIs and performance monitoring mechanisms. Liaise closely with service providers to ensure smooth flow of supplies into the country and through in country logistics delivery modalities.
• Manage documentation processing for execution of logistics operations (e.g. customs clearance, invoice verification), and take appropriate actions to resolve operational issues, escalating complex issues to the supervisor.

Warehousing and inventory management, if established:

• Manage UNICEF central and peripheral warehouse facilities and operations in line with UNICEF policies and procedures. Assess warehousing capacity including facilities, conditions of equipment, manpower, and processes. Propose corrective actions to supervisor. Assess new warehouse facilities when required. If necessary, implement and organize new warehouse facilities which may include installation and assembly of temporary warehouse structures (e.g. Wiik-Halls/Rub Halls).
• Maintain appropriate warehousing and inventory management processes in support of the country programme implementation. Ensure accurate and complete accounting, reporting and internal control systems are in place, and relevant records are properly maintained.
• Assess availability of space and prepare stacking and storage plans to ensure appropriate storage and optimize use of space.
• Supervise receipt of consignments and dispatch of supplies.
• Prepare stock reports. Monitor inventory to track trends and account for the inventory status from source to beneficiary. Carry out regular physical counts of inventory in the warehouse. Prepare documentation for commodity disposal through Property Survey Board committee.
• Support Warehouse and Inventory assessments and capacity building of partners and counterparts.

Partnership, coordination and collaboration:

• Participate in events/meetings that build partnerships and collaborative relations with UN organizations to support harmonized and collaborative procurement and logistics arrangements.
• Support effective working relations with other agencies, local authorities and implementing partners through information exchange, collaboration, and harmonization. Cooperates with other UN agency counterparts in the UN reform initiatives (including common LTAs, bulk procurement, etc.).
• Support national emergency logistics coordination structures and ensure alignment of UNICEF supply contribution and technical assistance with processes, systems and principles established under the same.
• Supporting in designing and delivering training, capacity building for partners) and internal stakeholders.

Other duties/responsibilities:

• In cases where the incumbent has managerial responsibility of lower-level GS staff, the incumbent will ensure timely and effective performance management of staff, providing practical advice and guidance to ensure individual and team objectives are met.
• Provides practical input on implementation of guidelines in the area of supply and logistics, in close coordination with the supervisor.
• Supports supervisor and updates staff on supply and logistics policies, procedures rules and regulation.  Implements the appropriate application and interpretation of S&L rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Contributes to recommendations on the improvement of internal controls systems taking into account the prevailing conditions in the locality.
• Keeps supervisor abreast of potential problem areas, prepares reports on supply and logistics matters as required.
• In collaboration with supervisor, Supply Division, Regional Office and the global supply community, provide input to help ensure knowledge exchange and learning is prioritized to continuously build capacity of individuals and the team. Develop and facilitate training of newcomers, establish processes or manuals to support effective workflows.

Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of the concepts, methodologies relevant to the area of work including the relevant supply chain policies, partnership mechanisms, rules and regulations, as well as general knowledge of other related fields.
• High level of proficiency or skill is required in the interpretation and application of specialized rules and regulations to particular circumstances of complex individual cases.
• Experience using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other UNICEF office tools.
• Demonstrated understanding of the relevant supply chain processes and ability to consistently apply relevant policies, procedures and good practices in the daily work. Good judgement in order to handle complex cases including considerations for exceptions.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with clients, suppliers, contractors and colleagues and gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavor.
• Ability to use supply related modules within UNICEF ERP system.
• Ability to establish priorities and plan his/her own work and plan, coordinate and monitor the work of those under his/her supervision.
• Ability to draft clear and concise reports or rationale for supply and logistics related decisions on key issues.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to supply chain, logistics, business administration, contract/commercial law, or another relevant technical field.

• A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in supply chain management or a commercial context is required. Understanding of development and humanitarian work is an advantage.

• For this position, a bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a relevant field may replace three years of related work experience. A master’s degree may replace an additional two years.

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.