Background As part of the Procurement Oversight Unit (POU) in the Bureau for Management Services and under the overall guidance and working closely with the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP), the Chief, referred to functionally as the Chairperson, Regional Advisory Committee on Procurement (Regional ACP) will be responsible for reviewing all procurement actions exceeding the authority level of Resident Representatives in RBLAC and make recommendations to the Regional Chief Procurement Officer (RCPO), up to his/her delegated authority.
In addition to reporting to the Chairperson of the ACP on corporate procurement oversight and procurement technical aspects, he/she will have matrix reporting to the Director at the RBLAC-RSC in Panama, who has also been delegated the RCPO function, on all matters related to country office and regional support and day to day management and supervision. The incumbent will also be responsible for building the capacity of local contracts committees at the country level in the region to mitigate UNDP procurement risks.
The incumbent shall consult the ACP Chairperson for guidance and advice when required in discharging his/her function.
Duties and Responsibilities
Manage the Regional ACP function
Maintain adequate membership of the Regional ACP to ensure weekly meetings have sufficient quorum and that members are representative of the diversity of the region and are suitably experienced;
Organize weekly meetings to review cases submitted by Country Offices to the Regional ACP;
Respond to urgent requests from Country Offices for assistance and convene ad hoc Regional ACP meetings when necessary to expedite critical procurement processes specifically under UNDP’s Fast-Track Policy (FTP) with the support of the ACP Chairperson.
Ensure active and proper use of the ACP Online applications for all procurement oversight actions in the region.
Work with management practice colleagues in the Regional Centre to support regional programme as necessary on procurement oversight.
Support the Regional Chief Procurement Officer in fulfilling his/her functions.
Undertake oversight review of procurement actions in the region
Review cases prior to the meetings of the Regional ACP with assistance from the Secretary and, when necessary, request clarifications and additional information from the country offices, including withholding of incomplete or poor submissions.
During Regional ACP meeting deliberations, chair, lead and moderate the meeting in accordance with the established Terms of Reference for procurement review committees to ensure procurement actions reviewed are in compliance with procurement principles, represent value for money. For complex cases, seek advice from the ACP Chairperson in HQ in assessment of risks with appropriate strategies for mitigation where necessary.
Recommend to the RCPO for approval of compliant submissions or for rejection of non-compliant submissions.
Promptly notify the Country Office on sensitivities of any cases that have been rejected or deferred by the RACP.
Assess procurement risks and identify mitigation measures
Analyze Ex-Ante submissions for complex procurement actions or where significant deviations from existing guidelines are required to account for local conditions and seek advice from the ACP Chairperson in HQ in assessment of risks with appropriate strategies for mitigation where necessary.
Undertake CAP sampling through regular review of a sample of Country Office CAP meetings to assess CAP professionalism and procurement capacity.
Provide input as necessary to the ACP Chairperson on performance of each Country Office based on ACP Online records.
Review applications for Increased Delegation of Procurement Authority (IDPA), coordinate inputs from relevant offices and recommend granting or otherwise on the Increased DPA to the RCPO.
Maintain contact with Country Office CAP committees for a regular exchange of information and to provide advice.
Develop and maintain operational dialogue with Country Office colleagues in the region based on Regional ACP’s work to improve the Country Office procurement capability.
Contribute to knowledge sharing & professionalization of procurement
Synthesize lessons learned from Regional ACP meetings with a view to their inclusion in revisions of policies, procedures and/or procurement practice guidelines.
Disseminate to the country offices in the region, best practices in procurement in collaboration with the Procurement Support Office.
Organize and support regional procurement workshops, to share best procurement practices in cooperation with the Procurement Support Office.
Train Regional ACP and CAP members to build their capacity on procurement review and risk assessment.
Coordinate and implement identified procurement training needs of Country Offices together with the Procurement Support Office.
Collaborate regularly with Chairpersons of the Regional ACPs in other regions to share experience and expertise and to contribute to problem-solving in procurement practice across the regions.
Contribute to the interactions concerning procurement on UNDP networks and support procurement knowledge acquisition and practice.
Contribute to the corporate procurement function
Provide feedback to new procurement policies issued by the Procurement Support Office.
Provide feedback to the Procurement Support Office on systems, processes, tools and documents that have been developed;
Through regular contact with procurement counterparts from other UN agencies in the region, support harmonization and optimum synergies between agencies, specifically in common services.
Competencies
Core
Innovation
Ability to make new and useful ideas work
Leadership
Ability to persuade others to follow
People Management
Ability to improve performance and satisfaction
Communication
Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Delivery
Ability to get things done
Technical/Functional
Primary
Corporate Compliance
Ability to apply procurement oversight best practices to ensure compliance with procurement policy, principles and procedures
Anti-Corruption
Knowledge of anti-corruption concepts, principles and policies and the ability to apply in strategic and/or practical situations
Purchase-to-Pay
Knowledge of purchase-to-pay cycles, concepts, principles and policies and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
Risk Management
Ability to identify and prioritize risks, and organize action around mitigating them
Strategic Sourcing
Knowledge of strategic sourcing concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
Secondary
Knowledge Management
Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge
Data Analysis
Ability to evaluate, transform and model data to derive relevant findings- undertake & provide analysis of data to assess Org performance and or global trends
Supplier Management
Knowledge of supplier management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations with demonstrating ethics and integrity
Logistics
Knowledge of logistics operations, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
Contract Management
Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Master’s degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Law, Engineering or any other relevant field.
Experience:
7 years relevant professional experience with at least 5 years in procurement or procurement related functions;
UNDP country office experience would be an asset.
Language Requirements:
Fluency in English and Spanish. Working knowledge of Portuguese would be an asset.
Other:
Procurement Certification from a well-known international institution or body is highly desirable.
Required computer skills in a standardized language
Experience in ERP procurement module highly desirable.
