Background

Organizational Context

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.

Through the Regional Office (RO) for Americas and the Caribbean, country offices (COs) and multi-country office (MCO) across the region, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments, civil society and other actors to deliver for women and girls. We advocate for and enhance accountability to enhance women’s political participation and prevent and respond effectively to violence against women. Our economic empowerment programmes seek greater economic security and rights particularly for marginalized groups of women. Other programmes in the region involve partnering with women in their efforts to engage in peace and reconstruction efforts and push for gender equality (GE) provisions integral to preparing for, mitigating, and responding to disasters and emergencies. To bolster gender-responsive budgeting and public planning, we assist efforts to monitor the different impacts of budget and policy choices on women and men and to mainstream gender considerations across sector.

Reporting to the Regional Operations Manager with matrix reporting to and functional oversight from the Chief of Procurement and Travel Services in HQ, the Procurement Specialist supports the management of procurement and promotes a strategic approach to sourcing within the Region in all areas from procurement process of goods and services, procurement contracts, long-term agreements, lease agreements. This role is designed to add value and effectiveness to the management of procurement within the Region while in no way creating an added layer of bureaucracy between the field and HQ, and all accountabilities and duties must reflect this overarching principle. In effect the incumbent acts as the interface between the field and HQ on several procurement areas.

The Procurement Specialist will ensure that procurement processes in the Region are in line with UN Women goals, plans and strategies and in compliance with applicable procurement policies and guidelines. The incumbent will assist the Regional Procurement Review Committee in ensuring compliance of procurement within the Region with corporate standards. The incumbent also supports the implementation of strategic procurement initiatives within the Region including e-procurement, e-travel, etc. S/he will keep the Regional Director aware of procurement issues within the Region requiring Regional Office attention and keep the Regional Director abreast of procurement and compliance issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Functions and Accountabilities

1. Lead the monitoring and implementation of the procurement strategies in the region

• Ensure full compliance of procurement activities with UN Women rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control, proper functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system;
• Support the development and implement regional procurement and contract strategy;
• Oversee and implement procurement business processes mapping and elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Procurement, control of the workflows in procurement;
• Develop and implement proposals of cost saving and reduction strategies in consultation with office management;
• Provide information for formulation and implementation of strategic procurement in the Region, including tendering processes and evaluation, contract management, legal considerations and payment conditions, sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation & quality management;
• Conduct periodic expenditure analyses to support the development of regional management strategy, which shall account for establishment of long term/strategic relationships with key suppliers for recurring supplies and services;
• Work closely with the Procurement and Travel Services in HQ, Regional offices and Country offices to ensure alignment in procurement practices;
• Lead the procurement regional network and provide technical support and guidance to procurement focal points in the region;
• Lead UN Women’s regional engagement on common back office procurement service expansions and joint services with other agencies in the region.

2. Organize procurement processes for the Regional Office, Country Offices and UN Women programmes implemented in the region at regional and country level

• Develop annual workplans and budget for the region, technically support the implementation of procurement plans in the country offices; review and monitor the implementation of the plans leading the Procurement Plan regional Task Team;
• Organize competitive and complex procurement processes for the Region including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations;
• Prepare and issue RO’s long term agreements (LTAs) for goods and services;
• Prepare Purchase orders and contracts in and outside Quantum and preparation of Recurring Purchase orders for contracting of goods and services;
• Review procurement processes conducted by RO, country offices, programmes and projects; monitor and provide guidance to regional submission to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC); Act as secretariat for the PRC;
• Implement the internal control system to ensure that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched;
• Monitor and track procurement progress and compliance across the region. Present of researched information on procurement in the RO and COs;
• Organize joint procurement processes for the UN Agencies in line with the UN reform.

3. Oversee implementation of sourcing strategy and preparation of the Institutional and Professional Contracts, in the region

• Develop and update rosters of suppliers, implementation of supplier selection and evaluation;
• Verify and control the supporting documents in respect of the Institutional and Professional Contracts for the RO;
• Ensure preparation, clearance, and issuance of the Institutional and Professional Contracts, in due time.

4. Provide Procurement Support to the RO’s Programme Team and Implementing Partners (IPs)

• Provide Procurement Support in the preparation of programme work plans and budgets, as well as the programme implementation arrangements;
• Provide capacity building and trainings on Procurement processes to the Implementing Partners (IPs), as support to programme implementation;
• Gather and compile updated data and information for the procurement policies and guidelines;
• Provide guidance to the RO Programme team related to procurement data tracking and reporting.

5. Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing in the RO

• Organize trainings for the operations/ projects staff on Procurement;
• Manage the regional community of practice and information dissemination.

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

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities.

The incumbent leads a team of 14 people, which includes 3 direct reports (1 G7 staff, 2 SC), as well as 11 under matrix supervision and oversight in the Americas and Caribbean Region (GS and SC).

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

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 Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Has a strong understanding of the main processes and methods of work regarding to the position;
• Possesses knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
• Client- oriented. Strong problem-solving skills; Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;
• Ability to gather and present information on best practices in organizational change;
• Knowledge of Data gathering and implementation of management systems;
• Ability to supervise information and procurement databases update;
• Strong procurement intelligence analysis skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, HR, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 3) is an asset;

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in procurement, administration, supply chain management or any related field at the national or international level is required.
• Experience in leading and coaching personnel, preferably in international settings is required.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
• Experience in the use of a modern web-based ERP System, preferably Oracle Cloud, ATLAS, Quantum or SAP is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in English and Spanish is required.
• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is desirable

Other important requirements:

The person to be hired must be Panamanian citizen (by birth or naturalization). Applicants who do not hold the Panamanian citizenship are not elegible for this position.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Only short-listed qualified candidates will be contacted.

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.

Additional Note:

In accordance with the UN Staff Regulation 4.5 (c) A fixed-term appointment does not carry any expectancy, legal or otherwise, of renewal or conversion, irrespective of the length of service. This fixed-term appointment is budgeted through 31 December 2025.