Procurement Assistant, G-5, Fixed Term Position, Copenhagen, Denmark, Child Survival Center, Supply Division, #21908

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Chance

How can you make a difference

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 position is located within the Child Survival Centre (CSC) in Supply Division. Through applied technical, contractual and operational expertise, CSC supports UNICEF country programmes and procurement services partners with timely delivery of quality affordable medicines supplies. The position is in Medicines Unit in CSC.

Responsible for assistance with procurement cycle for a segment of products. Providing effective services to customers, ensuring accurate and timely processing of Requisitions and requests up to the completion and closure of the order, with the overall goal of meeting the needs and requirements of the customers.

Under the supervision of a Contracts Specialist, performs all procurement activities in compliance with the UNICEF Financial Rules and Regulations, UNICEF Supply guidelines and procedures and other applicable procurement procedures including:

1. Reviews and evaluates incoming supply requisitions and requests to ensure quality and adequacy of information, specifications, appropriateness of requests, quantities, shipment, delivery dates, budgets. Prepare and draft price and cost estimates for PS transaction including freight.
2. Reviews material specifications and requirements with customers andcountries with support fromthe Technical counterparts and Quality Assurance Centre to ensure completeness and appropriateness.
3. Ensures that customers’ claims/complaints are submitted in CICA and support the processing in collaboration with Shipping and Quality Assurance Centre.
4. Prepares sales orders, monitor and follows up on progress of sales orders to ensure that commitments entered into are met.
5. Drafts and prepares international tender invitations. Assists with preparation of CRC submittals. Drafts and prepares Purchase Orders. Assists with and prepares Long Term Agreements and Direct Order Arrangements.
6. Monitors the status of Country Office programme and procurement service orders and center specific KPIs. Pro-actively follows up on placed orders and deliveries with all parties concerned in order to ensure timely and safe delivery of goods. Transmits all relevant information to customer including changes to planned deliveries, to facilitate delivery and customs clearance of shipments. Prepares and provides timely and regular status / monitoring reports to customers.
7. Contributes to maintaining compliance with applicable international and regulatory standards in supply chain operations, especially for regulated products such medicines. Adherence to mandatory training requirements and internal procedures to maintain product safety and quality throughout the supply chain.
8. Updating of databases and management systems for use by Customers, HQ, Field and Regional Offices.
9. Prepares evaluation of suppliers with respect to delivery performance and commercial acceptability.
10. Maintains order filing in accordance with UNICEF guidelines.
11. Any other duties or assignments as requested by the supervisor.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Procurement Assistant_GS5

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Completion of secondary education. Additional training in Business Administration is an asset.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, preferably in a procurement function (Supply Management, Procurement, Contracting, Logistics, or Logistics Coordination) or in an administrative function within a commercial working environment.
• Skills: Sound knowledge of procurement practices. Good customer service, communication and negotiations skills. Good organisational and administrative skills. Knowledge of SAP, and proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Power point, Sharepoint). Ability to deliver timely, complete and accurate quality work with minimum supervision. Sense of responsibility, initiative, drive and resourcefulness are required. Commitment to develop and maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills in relevant areas to UNICEF.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• International tendering experience and experience with regulated products are assets.
• UN experience is an asset.
• Familiarity with Power BI.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

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…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

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.

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.

Visa residence requirements: i.e. UNICEF shall not facilitate the issuance of a visa and working authorization for candidates under consideration for positions at the national officer and general service category.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.