Procurement Assistant

THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION AND ONLY UKRAINIAN NATIONALS OR THOSE WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND WORK IN UKRAINE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION.

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peace building, 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.

Following the signing of the Host Country Agreement on 22 November 2016, UNOPS Ukraine office was established on the 1st of April 2017. According to the Agreement, UNOPS Ukraine is mandated to provide a broad spectrum of services to the Government and people of Ukraine including but not limited to procurement, contracting, recruitment and administration, implementation of technical assistance, humanitarian and investment projects that are funded by the Government, international organisations, local communities, foreign governments and non-for-profit organisations, international financial institutions, UN Agencies and alike. 

The project “Support for Rule of Law in Ukraine in the areas of Police, Public Prosecution and Good Governance [known as PRAVO]” funded by the European Union. Within the Support for Rule of Law Reforms in Ukraine Project, UNOPS provides project management implementation services and support for the European Delegation and the Government of Ukraine project, focused on reform of the Rule of Law system in Ukraine and to align its functioning with the best European and International practices. This EU-Funded Project aims to support the creation of an efficient law-enforcement system respectful of human rights in support of the people of Ukraine, via provision of the necessary support to the National Police and other Ukrainian authorities in charge of civilian law-enforcement. On substance matters, the project relies on the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM) to Ukraine, which is a Rule of Law and Police Mission, based in Kiev and with presences in Kharkiv and Lviv.

Under the overall supervision of the Procurement Specialist, the Procurement Assistant provides administrative support in the implementation of a variety of processes/transactions related to procurement of goods, services and works, ensuring the high quality and accuracy of his/her work. He/she uses his/her own discretion to address unforeseen situations, seeking advice from and/or reporting to supervisor as applicable.

The Procurement Assistant liaises with the team of UNOPS Ukraine operations and the PRAVO project personnel in order to ensure the best support rendered. In performing his/her work, the Procurement Assistant promotes a client, quality and results-oriented approach.

Summary of Key Functions: 

• Implementation of operational strategies
• Support to contract administration and procurement processes
• Administrative and clerical support
• Support to sourcing strategy
• Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing

1. Ensures implementation of procurement and operational strategies, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Full compliance of procurement activities with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
• Inputs to the office’s procurement business processes mapping and to the elaboration of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement, in consultation with the direct supervisor and office management.

• Inputs to the preparation of procurement plans for the project
• Support to the organization of procurement processes including preparation of Micro Purchasing, RFQs, ITBs or RFPs documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their preliminary evaluation
• Preparation of purchase orders and contracts in and outside OneUNOPS system, , vendor, maintenance of the filing system in the procurement Unit. . Implementation of the internal control system which ensures that purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems.
• Maintenance of a vendor database system to record the listing, updating, evaluation and monitoring of performance of service providers and vendors;
• Maintenance of contracts, LPO filing system

3. Provides efficient administrative and clerical support to procurement processes, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Processing of invoices for goods and services delivered ensuring accuracy and completeness of documentation and timely payment. Follow up to completion and inform clients
• Monitoring of expenditures against allocations
• Receipt, review, logging in and routing incoming communication and procurement requests/invoices
• Preparation of reports, tables, charts etc. applying technical skills and knowledge in formatting and presentations
• Routine follow up action on procurement on behalf of the supervisor and inform supervisor of status.
• Collaboration with Procurement Officers, vendors and UNOPS Offices to solve problems related to payments
• Oral/written responses to queries from internal and external clients regarding procurement matters
• Establishment and maintenance of working files on procurement activity
• Preparation of letters, memoranda, faxes, email, etc.; monitor progress and liaise with vendors during the entire procurement cycle; investigation and resolution of post-order problems and preparation of progress reports on procurement matters
• Liaison  with the logistics unit or projects on receipt of goods, equipments and services in view of obtaining proper delivery report, RIR, or relevant certificates and that proper inventory is taken
• Ensuring that all supporting documents are available for audit and for review purpose;

4. Contributes to implementation of sourcing strategy focusing on achievement of the following result:

• Update of the rosters of suppliers

5. Provides support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Maintenance of database and web site on procurement standards and tools, roster of best suppliers, contractors and service providers, activities and statistics and contract advertisement and awards to share and disseminate information
• Participation in the trainings for the operations/ projects staff on Procurement.
• Sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice

• Secondary education/High school diploma is required;
• University degree (Bachelor’s or Master’s), preferably in Procurement, General Administration, Logistics, or any other related field will be considered an asset and may substitute for some of the required years of experience;
• Diploma or professional certification in Procurement, will be an asset.

• 5 years of relevant experience is required in the area of procurement, logistics, general administration with demonstrated capacity to meet performance indicators, and deliver results. (A relevant master's or bachelor's degree will offset some years of experience).
• Experience in the procurement in UN or international organisations will be an asset.
• Ability to work with computer and office software packages (MS Office) and knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages is required.

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Ukrainian is required. 
• Working knowledge of Russian language is desirable.

1. Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement
2. Contract level : Local Support Level 5
3. Contract duration Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organisational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• 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
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• 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.