Lead Procurement Specialist (Health)

Project Information:

The project aims to support, strengthen and improve the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Barbados’ primary acute care medical facility, located in Bridgetown. UNOPS will support the QEH and the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Barbados (MoHW) through the provision of project implementation services for the management and procurement of the following components:

• Development of comprehensive Master Planning for Queen Elizabeth Hospital according to the results of the assessment of the Hospital and in coherence with the population health projections data for the hospital growth.
• Strengthen the existing capacity in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital through the provision of rehabilitation services on existing infrastructures.
• Support the optimization of the current hospital capabilities through the provision of procurement services for the acquisition of medical equipment and IT equipment.
• Support the identification and development of future hospital capabilities through the provision of integral design and procurement services for additional administrative and laboratory facilities.

Local Context:

Barbados is the United Nations hub for the Eastern-Caribbean, and as such benefits from a strong UN presence. UNOPS presence in the country will be expanded for this project, with the opening of an office in Bridgetown, supported by the UN system and UNOPS Multi-Country office for Panama, Costa Rica and the Caribbean based in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Barbados is a safe country, with a UN Class A hardship level, and level 1 Security level in the US State Department. Normal caution is advised. 

UNOPS benefits from an established relationship with the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Barbados and the QEH teams. 

About Our Culture:

Our work helps build the foundations for countries and communities to achieve peace and sustainable development, guided by our values - Inclusion, Integrity, Humility and Humanity.  

UNOPS celebrates diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunities. UNOPS encourages qualified female candidates, as well as qualified candidates from groups underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce, to apply. These groups include people from racialized or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, as well as people with disabilities.

• Purpose and scope of assignment

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager and the secondary supervision of the procurement practice coordinator, the Lead Health Procurement specialist will carry out all activities required for the Project, particularly those aimed at specifying and detailing medical and non-medical hospital equipment, according to the activities and stages listed below:

Summary of functions:

• Pre-procurement phase:

• Procurement phase:

• Phase of Support in Equipment Contract Administration:

• Personnel Management

• Knowledge management

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience (or more based on academic merit) is required in the procurement of medical equipment, this includes experience in procurement of medical technologies at national and international level.
• Strong experience in developing procurement strategies and exposure to public procurement processes is required.
• Experience in project management is desirable.
• Experience of successfully working with a variety of health sector stakeholders, particularly governments and development partners including UN organizations is an asset. 
• Experience working in developing countries is an asset. 
• Experience working with large global donors such as the World Bank, EU and IDB is an advantage.
• Governmental Advisory: Previous work experience in advising government and official bodies is desirable.

• Fluency in written, reading and oral English is required
• Fluency in Spanish is an asset.
• Fluency in another UN language would be an asset.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement 

Contract level: ICS10 equivalent to IICA 2 / LICA 10

Contract duration: Ongoing ICA - Subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

This contract is established in the Regular Monthly Contract modality; continuous service provision is required during the contract period;  the payments associated with the contract will be processed at the end of each calendar month.

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.

UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered: 11:59 pm CST.

• 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.