Procurement Specialist

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the UNOPS Geneva office (GVA) manages a diversified portfolio of global and country specific Hosted Engagements (HE), funds, programs, and projects. The GVA services includes hosting, fund management, advisory services, project/program implementation, and procurement,financial and human resources support.

In June 2015, UNOPS and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate the use of the UNOPS UN Web Buy Plus procurement platform and services by the Global Fund’s Principal Recipients (PR) globally for the order of a range of products. The UNOPS offering includes all types of vehicles, ranging from soft skin vehicles or motorcycles to ambulances and refrigerated trucks, incinerators, warehouse handling equipment, energy solutions such as generators, or health sector solutions such as prefabricated modular buildings, mobile health units or biosafety laboratories. In 2018, UNOPS and the Global Fund agreed to further their collaboration and facilitate orders from PRs through the online integration of their two e-commerce environments, wambo.org and UN Web Buy Plus.

Under the guidance of the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager based in Geneva, the Procurement Specialist - UNWebBuy/Global Fund, is responsible for effective coordination of the procurement and supply chain management of equipment from UNOPS electronic catalog UN Web Buy Plus. S/He leads the team on a daily basis and ensures the provision of efficient and timely procurement and contract administration support services to the Global Fund and its PRs globally. The procurement specialist is in touch with a vast range of stakeholders at the Global Fund Secretariat and in countries. The incumbent will help further structure and manage a complex online environment characterized by the integration of, and workflows between, three electronic platforms (with another set of additional platforms that are not interconnected) responding to different needs and logics, to satisfy the respective ordering processes of the Global Fund and UNOPS, facilitate seamless data flows and processes, and satisfy the respective reporting needs.

The incumbent will be based in Geneva, where the Advisory services portfolio (Global Fund-focused) is located, and will undertake occasional missions to Headquarters in Copenhagen as needed. S/he will primarily report to the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager within the Geneva office, with functional linkages to headquarters entities, in particular to the UN Web Buy Plus team.

The incumbent will oversee the daily work of the team of procurement officers and will be responsible for the coordination of deliverables (+/- 40 million USD/year, with vast potential for growth) to satisfy the clients’ needs. S/he will also focus on meeting donor reporting requirements and performing against set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The incumbent will :

• Helps build efficient internal processes, limiting manual data entries and optimizing the use of existing data from systems in the daily work of the procurement officers;

• Enhances project and delivery workflows to continue improving the quality of services and timely delivery of goods to Global Fund grant recipients in the respective countries; 

• Advises the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager on further improvements required to enhance the compatibility and dialogue between electronic platforms, in consultation with the project team and users;

• Guides improvement in the coordination of the daily work with UNOPS suppliers on the Global Fund stream, including freight forwarders, among others through the production and early discussion of demand pipelines and forecasts;

• Sees to data integrity of the project logs, and supports the procurement officers in non-routine tasks related to revision of electronic orders; and

• Coordinates effective communication and issue resolution with the respective IT teams on the UNOPS and Global Fund sides.

• A Master's degree or equivalent preferably in Procurement and/or Supply Chain Management, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Economics or related field.
• A Bachelor degree with an additional 2 years of relevant experience, may be accepted in lieu of the master`s degree.
• For those who do not have a degree in Procurement or Supply  Chain Management, Chartered Institute of Supply and Management (CIPS) or similar international Certification, is a distinct advantage.

• A minimum of five (5) years’ professional experience including a minimum of 3 years at international level in implementing procurement policies and procedures to deliver a range of complex/global procurement programmes and services.
• Experience in working with a vast range of stakeholders in developing and developed countries is required;
• Personnel supervisory experience in procurement is required;
• Demonstrated experience in managing large data sets and/or electronic platforms is desirable
• Some experience in UN system organizations, preferably in a developing country, is desirable. Familiarity with the Global Fund or similar international donor is an advantage 
• Knowledge of UN/ /UNOPS Procurement Rules and Regulations is an advantage.

• Fluency in English is required. 
• Knowledge of French is a strong asset. Spanish is desirable

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement 
Contract level: ICS10 / IICA-2
Contract duration:Open-ended subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and/or to satisfactory performance.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• 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 (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and 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 personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Based in Geneva, the Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECR) supports UNOPS offices throughout the region through: management, financial and programmatic oversight of global and country-specific portfolios, clusters and operations centres, including hosting services; fund and management advisory services; project implementation; procuring goods and services; and managing human resources.

ECR ensures that projects are executed to the highest standards, providing a shared knowledge base and ensuring that best practices and lessons learned are disseminated between business units and projects across the entire region.

 ECR strategy is to:

• Strengthen UNOPS role in operationalizing the Sustainable Development Goals with particular emphasis on health, environment and economic development.
• Position UNOPS in the Balkan sub-region, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Strengthen the implementation of ECR global and regional programmes, with revitalized partnerships in infrastructure, procurement and project management.

ECR operates global portfolios from offices in Geneva, Brussels and New York, and country-specific programmes from its operations and project centres located in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries.