Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had a profoundly negative impact on the lives of women and men, girls and boys, causing widespread destruction, displacement and suffering. According to Ukraine Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023, nearly 18 million people, out of whom 6.7 million are internally displaced, are in need of humanitarian assistance. Multiple forms of gender-based violence (GBV), including intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and economic exploitation, are being reported, exacerbating the pre-war situation. With women constituting the majority of refugees from Ukraine and those displaced within the country, the multisectoral impact of the war affects women disproportionately through such factors as increased care responsibilities, reduced access to livelihoods and increased threat of gender-based violence.

The Country Office with its national and UN partners continues working towards ensuring that many important gender equality gains achieved before the escalation of the war in 2022, will sustain, while emerging challenges and needs to women’s rights and empowerment are addressed, including though adequate funding, strengthen resilience, economic empowerment, and inclusion of women in the decision-making, humanitarian response and gender-responsive recovery at all levels.

Under the overall guidance of the Procurement Specialist in Headquarters and the daily supervision of the Operations Manager, with matrix reporting to and functional oversight from the Regional Procurement Analyst/Specialist, the Procurement Associate ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results- oriented approach and support: (i) compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (ii) effective systems to support programme delivery and growth; (iii) accountability to organizational values and principles; and (iv) an enabling workplace environment in which staff potential is maximized. The Procurement Associate also works in collaboration with operations staff in other UN Agencies, UN Women Regional Office (RO) and HQ staff and Government officials to successfully deliver procurement services.

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1.Implement procurement strategies in accordance with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies:

• Provide substantive inputs to procurement related reports and analyses; research and draft responses to enquiries for clearance by the Operations Manager;
• Provide substantive inputs to the implementation of procurement management policies and strategies on cost saving and reduction;
• Follow up with internal and external audits;
• Contribute to the development of sourcing strategies.

2.Organize procurement processes for the Country Office:

• Prepare procurement plans for programmes/projects;
• Review procurement requests and initiate procurement procedures for office and projects equipment, supplies and services;
• Organize procurement processes including the preparation of Request for Quotations (RFQs), Invitation to Bids (ITBs) or Request for Proposals (RFPs) documents, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals;
• Perform Buyer role in Quantum system prepare/close Purchase Orders (POs) and contracts in and outside Quantum system;
• Prepare submissions to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC).

3.Organize contract management process for the Country Office:

• Review/ process contracts for the CO;
• Develop and update the rosters of suppliers, and support implementation of supplier selection and evaluation.

4.Facilitate knowledge building and knowledge sharing:

• Provide substantive input and support to the development of training materials, webinars and other education materials;
• Organize trainings for the operations/projects staff on Procurement;
• Synthesize lessons learnt and best practices.

5.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Good knowledge of procurement process, systems; administrative rules and regulations;
• Good knowledge in the use of spreadsheets and database packages;
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to extract and interpret data;
• Ability to administer and execute administrative processes and transactions;
• Ability to perform work of confidential nature and handle a large volume of work;
• Strong IT and web based management skills.

 Recruitment Qualifications

Education and Certification:

• Completion of secondary education is required.
• Specialized training in Procurement; or a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration or related field is an asset;
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 2) is an asset;
• Willingness to take UN Women internal procurement certifications is required.

Experience:

• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administration or related at the national or international level;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) is required;
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, is desirable.

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Ukrainian is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish).

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)