Procurement Advisor

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Programme and in close collaboration with the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager, the Procurement Advisor is responsible for the strategic development of the global procurement service portfolio by identifying, selecting, and implementing client and market-oriented offers and solutions.  

The incumbent will perform the following tasks and functions:

1. Business development

   • Reach out to UNOPS programs and external organizations with global activities to promote UNOPS procurement and supply capacities;

   • Develop and maintain new strategic procurement partnerships with partners/donors involved in global activities.

   • Identify opportunities to grow the UNOPS procurement portfolio by understanding the future needs of key partners; and

   • Support the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager in strategic discussions with the current and potential partners related to procurement and support needs.

1. Market analysis

   • Work closely with the Geneva-based global procurement and supply chain management team and stakeholders to understand and futureproof other current and potential needs of the Global Fund and any other potential partner (internal and external to UNOPS); in particular, take stock of, and quantify, unmet demand and forecast upcoming needs;

   • Analyze competitive advantages of the respective procurement channels/sourcing in use by clients with regards to a range of commodities and advise on how UNOPS may best position;

   • Conduct research and reach out and establish collaborative relations with relevant focal points and parties, including other UNOPS country offices, to analyze demand and support the development of prioritized sourcing strategies

   • Use spend analysis to evidence business projections and identified needs;

   • Prepare and present reports to the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager on strategic development perspectives based on procurement activities and outcomes.

1. Sourcing and catalogue development

   • Recommend innovative procurement solutions to meet the partners’ current needs and opportunities;

   • Map yet untapped UN capacities, which could be leveraged to achieve the goals of the portfolio and meet clients needs;

   • Develop and help furthersourcing strategies aligned with the partners’ goals,in particular in relation to the greening of the offer, and value-adding strategies (end-to-end services, regionalization of supply, recycling options, and other relevant strategies) 

   • Develop technical specifications, and prepare sourcing sollicitations, with support from specialized consultants when needed;

   • Work closely with UN Webbuy corporate team to develop the sourcing of new products against new Long Term Agreements (LTAs) and manage additional sourcing activities to expand catalog capacity;

   • If needed, support the development of new catalogues/platforms to meet the needs of other internal UNOPS programmes, including the hiring of technical resources and technical setup of the procurement facility;

   • Identify local sourcing opportunities; 

   • Advise the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager on new technological advancements and best practice on the market that could benefit the program’s team and partners.

1. Coordination with UNOPS regional and country offices

   • Identify complementary services to be offered by field offices;

   • Maintain effective communication and coordination with Regional Offices to understand the available expertise and potential resources to be provided to the program’s partners; and

   • Assist the Advisory Services Portfolio Manager in coordinating the implementation of joint projects with field offices.

The effective and successful achievement of results by the Procurement Advisor will directly affect the overall UNOPS capacity to respond to the market opportunities, trends, and needs in terms of access to a broad base of product/equipment categories.   UNOPS partners will receive both operational and strategic support in the successful implementation of their programs involving procurement activities.