Procurement Specialist

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.  

In the Latin America and the Caribbean region, UNOPS has operations in 13 countries. The objective of this call is to create a pool of prequalified candidates for the role of Procurement Specialist / Manager at ICS10 level. Individuals who successfully pass the competitive process will be included in a pool of pre-qualified candidates and will be contacted whenever there is an opportunity in this role and level in any of the 13 countries where UNOPS operates in the region: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, English / Dutch Caribbean Countries, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Mexico, and if required also in any other place globally.

This position will be located in Managua, Nicaragua. Nicaragua is part of the Multi Country Office (MCO) that includes El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. This position will lead and be mainly responsible for the HR operations in Nicaragua, as well as will support the other MCO country offices as required. The portfolio of projects in Nicaragua include infrastructure and procurement, projects are complex and involve the acquisition of highly specialized talent, so this role will be key to assure the attraction, selection and retention of the best local and international talent for UNOPS operations in Nicaragua.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Support Services, the Procurement Specialist / Manager is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic and effective procurement services reflecting international public procurement best practices, compliance with UNOPS procurement policy, rules, regulations and procedures, ensuring appropriate risk management and obtaining the best value for money for the acquisition of goods, services and the contracting of works. 

He/she analyzes and interprets the respective rules and regulations and provides advice and solutions to a wide spectrum of complex issues related to procurement. The role requires a deep understanding of procurement policy and processes and the Procurement Specialist should be able to apply them to the appropriate situations.

In addition to responsibility for the deliverables of the work team, the incumbent’s work is focused on strategic relationship building and demand management, mainly referred to aggregation and dealing with complex organizational structures, preparation of business cases and understanding of the supply market, as well as sharing knowledge with projects in order to achieve reductions of costs and savings.

Maintaining the highest degree of personal and professional ethics, the Procurement Specialist promotes a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in the Business Unit.  

The Procurement Specialist works in close collaboration with the programme/project colleagues in the given geographical area and with UNOPS HQ personnel, particularly with the Procurement Group (PG), as well as the Government officials, to successfully deliver procurement services.

The Procurement Specialist will work in close cooperation with the Business Unit and Project Managers and report to the management on central issues related to procurement activities.  S/he supervises and leads procurement personnel to deliver work results, in close cooperation with the leadership team in the given geographical area.

• Appropriate application of UNOPS procurement governance framework (rules, regulations, policies and tools) in Business Unit and Project operations.

• Provision of supply-market intelligence and analysis. 

• Procurement strategies, approaches and plans designed and implemented according to cost reduction and saving strategies.

• Advanced degree (equivalent to master's degree) preferably in Procurement and / or Supply Chain Management, law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics, Industrial Engineering, Engineering, Architect, Environmental Engineering or related fields and five (5) years of experience

• A first-level university degree (equivalent to a bachelor's degree) and seven (7) years of  relevant experience.

• Academic degrees or certifications in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, the Chartered Institute of Supply and Management (CIPS) or a similar international certification is a clear advantage.

• Environmental infrastructure training or similar training is a clear advantage.

• Based on academic degrees, a minimum of five to seven years’ professional experience at the international and  national level, in advising on, implementing policies and procedures to deliver a range of procurement programmes and services.

• Personnel supervisory experience in procurement;

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (Google Suite or MS Office, alternatively).

• Procurement experience in  projects with social and environment infrastructure implementation challenges in Latin America is desirable.

• Procurement experience in infrastructure / construction projects is desirable.

• Experience using Procurement Rules and Regulations of the UN and/or other International Cooperation and Development Organizations is a clear advantage.

• Experience of work with international contracts (FIDIC/UNOPS) is an advantage.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• 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 (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.