Procurement Intern

Procurement at UNOPS

Public procurement can play a powerful role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It has the potential to create jobs, drive equality and reduce carbon emissions. More sustainable and resilient procurement models can strengthen supply chains, enhance transparency and achieve greater impact for populations. At UNOPS, we work with our partners to drive transparent, sustainable and resilient procurement practices that lay the foundations for a better future. 

Effective public procurement underpins nearly all sustainable development activity. Every Global Goal, every 

mission, every operation. Without the efficient and sustainable purchasing of goods and services, addressing the world’s problems would be impossible.

Public procurement can also be an agent of change, with transformational potential to drive sustainable, resilient and inclusive development. It offers an opportunity to maximize the impact of spending and is a vehicle to promote social inclusion, fairness and value for money.

As reflected in the restated UNOPS Strategic Plan 2022-2025, we aim to help governments and other partners plan and implement transparent, cost-effective public procurement for sustainable, equitable and gender-sensitive impact. As a central United Nations resource for procurement, we harness efforts for economic, social and environmental effect through sustainable procurement and capacity development of local supply chains and public institutions, responding to all Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 12. Institutional capacity development for sustainable, transparent and fair public procurement practices can expand the resources available for countries to accelerate achievement of the SDGs and combat climate change.

We help our partners purchase for impact by:

Realizing potential through sustainable procurement: UNOPS ensures sustainable and resilient procurement that can strengthen supply chains, enhance transparency and facilitate inclusive choices. Diversifying supply chains can give businesses owned by women, young people, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities a chance to prosper. 

Ensuring more effective public spending to empower institutions: UNOPS helps public procurement be more efficient, with greater levels of transparency, greater value for money, a greater impact for governments and better public services for the people they serve.

Supporting local economies: Around half of our procurement is from local suppliers, which can help lessen environmental impacts by reducing emissions and directly support local economies.

Optimizing public procurement for impact: UNOPS strives to free up resources by realizing efficiencies, avoiding loss from fraud, corruption and lack of transparency, and increasing effectiveness through choices that enable sustainable, resilient and inclusive development.

In 2022, UNOPS procured $1.8bn of goods and services, across 828 projects in 101 countries. Health was the largest category of procurement, closely followed by infrastructure, operations and administrations and other goods and services. 97.4% of procurement was conducted by local procurement teams globally. UNOPS has a diverse, global supply base procuring from 5,613 different suppliers across 161 countries in 2022.

Procurement Group

The Procurement Group (PG) is based at UNOPS HQ in Copenhagen. It leads the organization’s sustainable procurement practice and is responsible for: articulating strategy, policy positions and innovative solutions for procurement at UNOPS; enabling the operationalization and managerial oversight of UNOPS procurement activities through appropriate systems and reports; strengthening the knowledge, skills and career development of procurement practitioners; and leading the implementation of sustainable supply chains across the organization.

• Data Acquisition and Validation

  • Familiarize with relevant data sources (e-Sourcing, One UNOPS, Country level reports)

  • Extract, transform, and load (ETL) data for analysis

  • Ensure data quality and address any data cleaning or validation needs

  • Support the development of a KPI dictionary for the pilot 

• Data Analysis and Interpretation

  • Perform data analysis using statistical methods and relevant tools

  • Identify trends, patterns, and insights from the data

  • Develop and maintain data models and reports

• Communication and Collaboration

  • Assist with the development of dashboards, reports, and key conclusions from the analysis of procurement data. 

  • Present data analysis results to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner

  • Collaborate with relevant practices and project teams to translate insights into actionable recommendations

  • Support the drafting of communication and capacity building materials related to health related work packages 

• Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building 

  • Assist with the production of materials, planning and coordination of capacity building and knowledge management sessions

At the end of this internship, the successful candidate will have gained in: 

• Exposure to and experience in procurement at the corporate level, core function within UNOPS;

• Exposure to medicines procurement in the context of development and public procurement;

• Exposure to an international multicultural work environment and team;

• Exposure to headquarters and country offices.

a. Education and qualifications       

• Completion of secondary school or equivalent is required.

• To be eligible for this particular internship with UNOPS, the candidate must be studying towards a university degree or have graduated in the past three years in the following areas: data science, information technology, health science, health informatics, data analytics, public health or other related field. 

• Advanced computer literacy is required and may include skills such as: Advanced Excel / Google Sheet skills, advanced Powerpoint / Google Slides skills, advanced Word / Google Docs skills 

b. Work Experience 

• Previous experience in data analysis or  data management particularly within the healthcare or pharmaceutical sector is an advantage 

• Experience in using and creating dashboards in visualization tools such as Google Sheets / Google Data Studio, PowerBI, and Tableau is an asset.

• Work experience in the pharmaceutical industry, medicines regulation or pharmaceutical supply chain management is an advantage 

c. Language skills

• Fluency in English is a requirement.

• Fluency in French is highly desirable. 

• Knowledge of another UN language such as Spanish, Russian, Chinese or Arabic will be considered an asset.

IMPORTANT: It is highly encouraged that applicants submit a Cover Letter with their CV that outlines their motivation for participating in this internship. 

• 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.