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.  

Position Background

Established in 2009, UNOPS Ethiopia Office has been providing services to various partners, including the government of Ethiopia, UN agencies including but not limited to WHO, UNHCR,UNECA,UNOCHA,UNIDO and WFP, and other international organizations such as but not limited to EU, KOICA,EOJ,IRC and Italian Government . In 2014, the UNOPS Executive Director decided to establish the UNOPS Ethiopia Operational Hub (EMCO), which manages and coordinates the UNOPS activities in Ethiopia, as well as Sudan and Djibouti. 

UNOPS EMCO activities range from tailor-made administration, operations, human resources and logistics support for implementation of development and humanitarian projects, infrastructure and procurement management services; and advisory services on effective procurement, supply and financial management as well as project and program  management. 

From 2016, EMCO launched a strategy to position itself as the preferred partner of choice for development projects, increase visibility,balanced and growth, organizational development and increase operational excellence . As a part of this, EMCO is embarking upon various infrastructure management projects across Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti with a variety of donors and partners. These projects range from provision of advisory and transactional services to facilitate construction of various structures, from roads to hospitals, and from power plants to industrial zones. All of these projects and their sub-projects will be implemented in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia, Sudan and Djibouti, as well as other international and non-governmental organizations in the county.

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 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 Ethiopia Multi Country Office (EMCO) and with UNOPS HQ personnel, particularly with the Procurement Group (PG), as well as the Government officials, to successfully deliver procurement services.

1. Contract type: Local Individual Contract (LICA)
2. Contract level: LICA 10
3. Contract duration : ongoing

• 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.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and 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, or disability.
  
• 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.  
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, 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 recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.