OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Under the overall delegated authority of the Head of the Desk for Ukraine and the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer and functional guidance by Headquarters sector for Administration and Management (ADM), the incumbent provides dedicated procurement services to coordinate the procurement, importation, distribution, and delivery of all required infrastructural needs, equipment, materials and other related goods for the UNESCO  Desk in Ukraine. The incumbent will ensure best value for money and fairness, integrity and transparency of processes in accordance with the Organization’s regulations, rules and procedures as well as international standards and best practices. For this purpose, the Procurement Officer shall:

Main duties and responsibilities

• Work closely with the functional guidance from ADM/OPS Procurement & Contracting, the incumbent will carry out the following roles and responsibilities:

• Coordinate procurement planning, quality assurance, effective coordination, monitoring of compliance with rules and regulations for contracts-related procedures, assess the procurement proposals and support, as needed, the overall administration of the programme;

• Monitor budget implementation, track resource allocation and ensure compliance to financial rules and regulations;

• Develop and implement a Procurement Plan and design, maintain and monitor work plans and schedules for ongoing and new procurement requirements and contracts;

• Establish and implement proper monitoring system and control of procurement processes including organization of RFQ, ITB, RFP, EOI, and IPA. Receipt and evaluation of quotations, bids or proposals or applications, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNESCO rules and regulations;

• Verify the procurement needs and support the delivery and monitoring of restoration materials, supplies and equipment;
• Conceptualize, elaborate and implement  Strategic and Sustainable Procurement in the field office (FO) including sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, customer relationship management, e-procurement introduction and promotion, and performance measurement;

Long Description

• Manage all aspects of the bid/proposal process, including the identification of requirements, preparation of announcements and participating in the selection of and negotiations with suppliers/vendors;
• Coordinate the evaluation team, analyze and evaluate vendors’ offers considering various factors affecting cost, technical specifications, implementation schedules, reliability, and after-sales/completion implications, ensuring value for money;
• Review procurement and other new contract requests prepared by Programme staff to ensure completeness, correctness and adequacy to assure fair and transparent competition or comparison process, assisting in market research and providing advice where required;
• Provide policy, guidance, training and technical assistance to staff in planning, developing and managing contracts (including the identification of requirements, estimation of budgets, appropriate procurement or contracting methods, etc.) with a special focus on high value/high-risk contracts;
• Ensure that approved projects are registered, when required, under International Technical Assistance (ITA), in line with national requirements and procedures (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 153, “On the creation of a unified system of involvement, using and monitoring of international technical assistance,” dated February 15, 2022).
• Provide advice on the selection of appropriate contractual modalities for engagement with Vendor, Consultants and Partners in various programmes and project contexts.
• Analyse and review existing internal office practices and policies with respect to partnership with NGOs and CBOs and proposes ways and means to ensure more effective partnership with these organizations.
• Review the ongoing procurement and contracting practices undertaken by the projects for continuous identification, assessment, prioritization, and monitoring of risks.
• Negotiate the settlement of disputes arising from contractual relationships between contract holders and the FO. If in the course of negotiation, it becomes apparent that no amicable solution will be possible, and that formal legal proceedings are likely to be initiated against UNESCO, the she/he shall promptly notify and liaise with the OPS/PRO/LA on the appropriate next steps.
• Provide substantive support and guidance on activities related Enterprise Risk Management and project risk assessments for the FO.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

1. Building Strategic Partnerships

• Identifying and building partnerships – Displays initiative, sets challenging outputs for him/herself and willingly accepts new work assignments.
• Takes responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines and strives until successful outputs are achieved
• Catalyzes new ideas, methods, and applications to pave a path for innovation and continuous improvement in professional area of expertise

2. Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Developing tools and mechanisms -Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches.
• Identifies new approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms.
• Develops and/or participates in the development of tools and mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

3. Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Serves as an internal specialist in the area of expertise and shares knowledge with staff.
• Solid functional competencies in planning, establishing and maintaining contracts incl.  monitoring and performance evaluation.
• Knowledge on procurement, contracts and legal obligations as they relate to project management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as ability to set priorities, to interpret rules and administrative guidelines, to analyze and evaluate routine and non-routine issues.
• Awareness ethical and behavioral expectations service-oriented disposition and team builder: Ability to establish good working relationships with senior management and people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.
• Experience in working in multi-skilled and multi-cultural teams.
• Excellent interpersonal communication (written and oral) skills.
• Technology skills to use contracting and financial management software, including MS Office software applications. Micro-computer: elaborates documents, analyses data,

4. Promoting Organizational Change and Development

• Assisting individuals to cope with change.
• Provides counseling and coaching to colleagues who are dealing with change.
• Assists in the development of policies, communications, and change strategies.
• Performs appropriate work analysis and assists in redesign to establish clear standards for implementation.

5. Designing and implementing a management system

• Makes recommendations regarding the design or operation of systems or programmes within organizational units.
• Identifies and recommends remedial measures to address problems in systems design or implementation.

6. Client Orientation

• Contributing to positive outcomes for the client and anticipating client needs.
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider.
• Demonstrates understanding of the client’s perspective and keeps the client informed of problems or delays in the provision of services.
• Uses discretion and flexibility in interpreting rules in order to meet client needs and achieve organizational goals more effectively.
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality

7. Promoting Accountability, Results-Based Management and Enterprise Risk Management.

• Input to the development of standards and policies.
• Provides inputs to the development of organizational standards for accountability and results-based management.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Academic qualifications

• An Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in the relevant field. first in public procurement, business administration, finance, law, or other fields closely related to the position
• A first-level university degree with specialized courses or certificates (e.g. CIPS) in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience in finance, administration, project management/operations, including supply chain management, procurement and/or contracting.
• Experience in administrative work, preferably with wide experience in procurement in an UN agency or other international organization.
• Professional experience required application of knowledge of commercial supply sources and of common business and industry practices.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English and Ukrainian.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Proficiency in data collection, analysis, and reporting, along with experience in using various monitoring and evaluation tools and methodologies.
• Experience in implementation of education projects in Ukraine.
• Solid understanding of UNESCO mandate and action.
• Relevant professional experience in UN System or at the international level.