Procurement Assistant

UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, an Education

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children's rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society's most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Strategic office context:

UNICEF Supply Division (SD) works to ensure equitable and inclusive access to essential supplies and services for children and their families, in development, humanitarian and fragile contexts. These supplies are critical to saving lives, supporting children's health and education, and protecting them from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. As the UN's largest end to end supply chain entity, UNICEF leverages its global reach, market influence, supply chain expertise and partnerships with governments, civil society, private sector, industry, and other stakeholders to meet children's needs and protect their rights around the world. 

SD focuses on three result areas to maximize impact, scale, and effectiveness: strategic procurement; supply preparedness and response in humanitarian and fragile contexts; and supply chain optimization. To facilitate and accelerate progress toward these results, SD employs three change strategies: financing for supply and services, supply chain digitalization and supply chain localization. 

The Service Contracting Centre is part of UNICEF Supply Division (main location Copenhagen, Denmark). The Centre is working closely with the other UNICEF Headquarter Divisions.  The Procurement Assistant will assist in the contracting of services for a selected portfolio of Service Categories in support of all contracting activities carried out by Head Quarters Divisions/Offices The role will be providing effective services to customers, ensuring accurate and timely processing of Requisitions and requests up to the completion and closure of the contracts, with the overall goal of meeting the needs and requirements of the customers. 

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Procurement Specialist, the Procurement Assistant provides a broad range of transactional, procedural and administrative tasks in support of service contracting activities carried out by Head Quarters Divisions/Offices, ensuring timely and efficient output that is in compliance with UNICEF rules and regulations, whilst demonstrating the capacity to research, adapt and evaluate irregular cases, and also to recommend improvements to process delivery and design.  

At the GS-5 level, the below tasks are expected to be carried out within delegated levels of independence.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Prepares and analyzes data on past and present procurement transactions to determine the appropriate procurement strategy for different Service Categories, including collaboration with other UN agencies; 
• Support planning through coordination with UNICEF Headquarter Divisions as well as provide support to Divisions through the requisitioning stage; 
• Reviews incoming requirements from Divisions and Offices in coordination with Supply Division's Contracts Officer/Manager for appropriateness and completeness of ToRs and other required documentation to ensure quality and adequacy of information; 
• Drafts and prepares Requests for Proposals, and coordinates evaluation of proposals with Divisions and Offices, ensuring procurement processes are conducted in a timely manner with transparency and farness, promoting competition to achieve value for money;  
• Assists with preparation of Contract Review Committee (CRC) submissions using an electronic CRC tool; 
• Draft and issue Contracts, ensuring Contracts are signed in a timely manner and all documentation is properly filed.  Monitors and follows up on progress of Contracts ensuring proper contract management is followed, and contracts are fully implemented. Coordinates required amendments to contracts and the evaluation of suppliers with respective contract managers, and ensures contracts are closed in Vision; 
• Drafts and issue LTAS for services. Monitors the use of LTAS in accordance with LTA guidelines, and follows up on performance issues, as well as required amendments and extensions; 
• Keeps Contracting Dashboard as well as other information management systems updated with contractual information, to be able to prepare reports and report on progress of contracting processes; 
• Maintains filing in accordance with UNICEF guidelines; 
• Any other duties or assignments as requested by the supervisor. 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

• Completion of secondary school education is required, with courses/certifications in business administration, supply chain management and procurement are required. 

Experience:

• Minimum  five (5) years of progressively responsible supply-related work experience (procurement/ contracting, supply)  
• Familiarity with UNICEF, UN Supply procedures and systems is advantageous. 
• Strong computer skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SAP. 

*A bachelor's degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position may replace three years of related work experience. A master's degree may replace an additional two years.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.    

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

The capabilities required for this post are…

Project Management: 

• Use project management tools to organize and track tasks within a project ​ 
• Schedule and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines 
• Provide project updates and report issues 

Collaboration:

• Use tact and discretion in sensitive situations ​ 
• Communicate thoughtfully and diplomatically considering how words may be perceived by others
• Write clearly and concisely in emails and reports, outlining brief summaries and suggested actions
• Communicate key points and recommendations verbally in a clear and direct manner ​ 
• Organize, visualize and present data, tailoring visuals to highlight key insights 

Problem Solving: 

• Compare different sets of information to identify correlations and differences ​ 
• Analyze information to identify the root cause of problems and possible risks ​ 
• Identify key data and patterns in reports and summaries ​ 
• Organize, visualize and present conclusions in a structured and logical way ​ 
• Consider and suggest possible solutions to resolve problems independently ​ 
• Consider available information when making decisions​ 

Digital Dexterity: 

• Use AI tools and digital platforms to collect information ​ 
• Assess AI generated tasks for accuracy and effectiveness ​ 
• Use key organizational business systems and digital platforms ​ 
• Manage and organize digital documents and files in alignment with digital workforce policies and culture ​ 
• Safeguard documents ensuring confidentiality and manage data risks ​ 

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable candidates are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.