Overview
The Operations and Quality Assurance Specialist will lead the operations of the SDG Local Action project, ensuring efficiency in strategy development, procurement, finance, human resources, administration, and contract administration. The role also involves providing project management guidance and support.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide advice on and quality control for contract terms and clauses, penalties, handling of guarantees, and any other issues related to contracts or purchase orders.
- Serve as a key support and contributor on all SDG Local Action project related procurement cycle needs, including anticipating procurement needs, assessing risks, proposing risk mitigation strategies, and maintaining vigilance throughout the procurement process.
- Ensure full compliance of finance and procurement activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies.
- Represent the SDG Local Action project in communication and liaison with operations personnel from UN and non-UN partners.
- Provide strategic oversight and coordination of finance, human resources and administrative operations for the SDG Local Action Project.
- Prepare procurement plans to ensure project implementation in city winners.
- Review annual works plans and project documents to adapt them to changing needs and circumstances.
- Develop pre-qualification criteria for procurement of goods and services.
- Develop Bid Documents, evaluation criteria, and provide guidance/support.
- Prepare Ex-ante submissions for approval by appropriate procurement committees.
- Coordinate and advise on formal evaluation of bids, processing of technical clarifications, and finalization of commercial evaluation of bids.
- Prepare and certify submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP).
- Advise cities on the formulation of procurement plans using appropriate tools.
- Analyze and evaluates procurement plans to harmonize strategies, determine appropriate procurement methodologies and ensure consistency with organizational needs.
- Support participant cities to rethink and improve their own operations and procurement systems.
- Offer advice about elements to consider during the establishments of PPPs with private providers.
- Organize training and knowledge building for city staff on procurement policies and new tools and systems.
- Synthesize lessons learned and best practices in procurement.
- Identify and share trends on public procurement at municipal level.
- Conduct supply market analysis of requirements.
- Contribute to the further development of systems, standard operating procedures, processes, tools and methods relevant to global and specialist procurement operations.
- Provide advice on project activities as per UNDP - POPP - Policy Page and guidance to COs on related matters.
- Perform quality assurance function and guide on accountability systems.
- Collect and elaborate information supplied by UNDP Country offices, promoting institutional knowledge generation and exchange.
- Supervise 3 NPSA9 - buyer profile and other staff assigned within the project.
Required Experience
Minimum 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s degree) of progressive relevant experience at national and international level in public, government and/or UN procurement management; Experience in purchasing methods, procedures and techniques of writing technical specifications is required. Experience in sourcing a variety of goods, works and services is required. Experience in methods of analyzing procurement needs is required. Experience working on projects led by local and regional governments is required; Experience in Finance, HR or Administration is required. Experience managing teams is desired. Experience of working in a Country Office and central level is desired; Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Teams, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.) is required.
Qualifications
Advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Procurement or Supply Chain Management, Law, Finance or related field from an accredited college is required or; A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree. CIPS level 4 is highly desirable for this position and candidates holding this level at the time of application will have a distinct advantage. If the desired certification is not available at the time of recruitment, it should be obtained within one year of recruitment. Candidates holding a CIPS certification at any level below at the time of application will have a proportionate advantage.
