Senior Procurement and Supply Chain Management Advisor

The mission of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need. In line with its mandate UNOPS acts as a central resource for the United Nations system in procurement and contracts management as well as in civil works and physical infrastructure development, including the related capacity development activities.

UNOPS Ghana Operational Hub (GHOH), located in Accra, Ghana is responsible for projects in Anglophone West Africa, covering Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. GHOH is responsible for managing strategic and operational risks associated with a subset of the regional portfolio of engagements, developing and delivering cost effective services contributing to partners’ sustainable results and achievements of UNOPS management results.

The core functions of the Operational Hub are to:       

• Liaise and develop engagements, and deliver services responding to partner needs.
• Leverage advice and integrate delivery modalities of the three Delivery Practices and the Global Partner Service Office.
• Maintain appropriate arrangements and capacity for direct transactional support for delivery of the sub regional portfolio.

Under the direct operational supervision of the GHOH Head of Support Services (HoSS) and dotted line reporting to the GHOH Director, the Senior Procurement and Supply Chain Management Advisor will technically supervise the procurement teams within the Hub and provide procurement advice on various matters in support of the activities pertaining to programme support and/or project implementation by UNOPS in the Western Africa Countries covered by the GHOH. He/she is expected to meet and exceed the Hub’s procurement performance and delivery goals. The position requires sound judgment, diligence and the ability to act in a firm but tactful manner.

This position will be home-based with frequent travel within West Africa Countries under the Ghana Operational Hub.

The specific duties and responsibilities of the incumbent will consist of those listed below, as directed by the GHOH HOSS and liaising, as appropriate, with the concerned Country Managers and/or Project Managers:

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The functions and services of the Senior Procurement and Supply Chain Management Advisor include:

1. Technical supervision and support to Project Centres on all procurement related matters;
2. Procurement and Supply Chain Management activities;
3. Contract Administration and Contract Management activities;
4. Facilitation of capacity building and knowledge sharing within the Hub and beyond;
5. Organisation and promotion of Supplier Sustainability Initiative;
6. Procurement Resource Pool Management.

Technical supervision and support to Project Centres on all procurement related matters:

• Oversight, technical supervision, guidance and mentoring of the procurement units and procurement personnel in the Project Centres under the Hub;
• Act as Hub’s procurement focal point. In this regard, provide interpretation of procurement policies and guide the personnel within the Hub on the appropriate application of procurement policies and procedures in their daily work;
• Ensure full compliance of the Hub’s procurement activities with UNOPS policies and strategies by designing and operationalizing a client-oriented procurement management system for the Hub to monitor and control the implementation of procurement plans and procurement processes conducted by Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Manage the process of periodic (annual, semi-annual and quarterly) procurement planning for the projects and oversee their implementation ensuring effectively-functioning processes to avoid costly delays and lost opportunities for the projects and the Hub;
• Provide technical support to Project Cenntres on all procurement related matters, including:

-        Assistance in identification of procurement needs at the project development stage;

-        Assistance in preparation of realistic procurement plans and development of appropriate procurement strategies;

-        Assistance in preparation of technical specifications, terms of references, scope of works;

-        Assistance in cost estimations for the required goods/services/works;

-        Assistance in drafting solicitation documents;

-        Guiding the personnel throughout the solicitation, evaluation and submission for award processes whenever required;

-        Assistance in contract management and dispute resolution issues;

-        Assistance in establishment of the procurement process monitoring systems and mechanisms to eliminate deficiencies in the concerned Project Centre’s procurement activities;

• Quality assurance (preclearance and clearance) for procurement actions and documentation requiring a PA approval (solicitation documents, shortlists, requests for awards, submissions to LCPC and HQCPC, contracts, agreements, etc.) and obtaining, on timely manner, of the necessary approvals and clearances from the relevant PA on behalf of the Project Centres;
• Ensure effective lines of communication between the Hub’s Programme Management Office, Project Managers and procurement teams to ensure priority requirements, timely delivery of goods, works and services using the most appropriate procurement procedures;
• Provide inputs to the Hub’s administrative business process mapping and development for streamlining the various procurement related process-flows between the Hub and other business units (headquarters, the regional office, project centres).

Procurement and Supply Chain Management:

• Organise and implement the required strategic procurement activities in the Hub: establish Long Term Agreements and Blanket Purchase Agreements for common user items and services in the Hub, develop sourcing strategies specific to local context for the Project Centres (supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, customer relationship management, performance measurement, etc.), etc.;
• Organise and implement project specific procurement processes, including formulation of strategy for obtaining best results, developing criteria for evaluation, preparation and conducting of ITBs and RFPs, evaluation of bids and proposals, pre-award negotiation of contract conditions with winning bidder(s), submissions for review and award to UNOPS Contract Committees, prepare Purchase Orders and Contracts in and outside of oneUNOPS;
• Review unsuccessful procurement processes conducted by Hub’s procurement personnel, undertake remedial actions when and where possible to positively conclude the process.

Contracts Administration and Management:

• Develop appropriate contract management tools, guidelines and manuals for standardization and knowledge sharing purposes;
• Provide oversight over various contract management processes and ensure transparency;
• Monitor and analyze contract performance against agreed benchmarks through agreed reporting mechanisms and advise the concerned Project Manager on potential issues and recommend remedial actions;
• Negotiate, within the terms and conditions of the contract, solutions to conflicts/problems arising in case of poor performance or non-compliance with contractual obligations and convene meetings with contractors to allow ample opportunity for the identification and early resolution of potential disputes in the best manner achieving the best interest of UNOPS, its clients and beneficiaries.

Facilitation of capacity building and knowledge sharing:

• Synthesis of lessons learnt, keeping abreast of best practices in procurement and making recommendations for continuous improvements of processes and policies in the Organisation;
• Develop effective working relationships with the Hub’s procurement personnel; coach, mentor and evaluate the Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Promote and support a learning culture by empowering individuals and teams to identify critical learning needs and plan/provide easy access to learning opportunities to maintain personnel competency and flexibility;
• Develop trainings and related training materials and promote capacity development among the Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Build strong and collaborative relationships with a network of people who possess a variety of competencies;
• Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts and facilitate appropriate arrangements for capacity building for the suppliers and contractors to execute their responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

Organisation and promotion of Supplier Sustainability Initiative:

• Develop risk based mechanisms for monitoring the compliance of suppliers with behavioral codes of conduct;
• Develop and implement processes for managing sustainability risks for goods, works and services.

Procurement Resource Pool Management:

• Exercise control of all staffing issues within the Hub’s procurement team including recruitment, on-boarding and staff performance reviews;

• Coach and develop others, e.g. provide positive and constructive feedback, acknowledge and utilize the talent of others, build capacity and career paths for all the members of the Hub’s procurement team;
• Skills mapping of the Hub’s procurement team;
• Sourcing of pipeline of talented individuals (particularly women) in procurement.

• Master’s degree in Procurement and Supply Chain, International Development, Economics, International Finance, Business Administration, Public Policy, Accounting or other related disciplines. 

• Bachelors degree with an additional 2 years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s Degree.

• Certificate in Procurement – CIPS (certificate in Purchasing and Supplying) Accredited Level III or equivalent is an asset.

• Minimum of 7 year of experience in the field of procurement and Supply Chain Management.
• International procurement exposure and knowledge of the international procurement best practice is added advantage.
• At least 3 years of UNOPS procurement rules and regulations is required for this position.
• A member of international professional body is desirable.
• Prior experience within the development sector, with NGOs and/or the UN is an asset.
• Well conversed in data analysis, management reporting and project management tools and information management systems is an added advantage;
• At least 2 years of experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office 2003 and/or newer versions) is required.

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

• 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.
• 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.