CONTRACTS MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT (Temporary Job Opening) At United Nations

Org. Setting and Reporting

The United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) provides critical Supply Chain, Geospatial, Information and Telecommunications Technologies services and Training to all peacekeeping and special political missions around the world as well as to other UN Offices, Agencies Funds and Programs. This position is located in the United Nations Global Service Centre, Brindisi, Italy within the Supply Chain Service, Planning and Sourcing Support Section, Supply Network Management Unit. This position reports directly to the Chief Supply Network Management.

Responsibilities

Under the responsibility of the Chief Supply Network Management, the incumbent will perform the following duties: • Assist in the management of contractual and procurement aspects of procurement project; establish and maintain work programme and schedules for on-going contracts and newly planned ones. • Review requests submitted by projects, substantive units, or field offices to ensure completeness, and adequacy of the goods, services, and related procurement and contract specifications. • Ensure adherence to contractual agreements for material, equipment and production costs, performance requirements and delivery schedules by periodic and ad hoc checks. • Provide assistance to the Supply Network Management Team with the interpretation of UNHQ field mission system contracts with a view to resolve contractual and performance issues in Field Missions. • Contribute to the development and presentation of supply chain management best practices, tools, guidelines, manuals, policies, and lessons learned for use by Field Missions. • Assist in the daily monitoring, updating, and reporting of the UNGSC Supply Chain Planning tool activities and preparation and coordination of the yearly UNGSC Supply Chain demand plan. • Assist in the market research to keep abreast of significant market developments, research and analyze statistical information, and market reports on the world commodity situation, production patterns and availability of the goods and services to be contracted; identify new technologies, products or services as well as new potential supply sources for the programme serviced; participate in the incorporation of the research and study results in the procurement programme; and identify, evaluate and recommend potential suppliers and manufacturers. • Draft relevant audit responses. Maintain contract related electronic and hardcopy files and records to ensure proper accountability. Implement Contracts Management work program. • Administration of office, managing and liaising with vendors, assisting with budgetary reporting, and reconciliation of invoices. • Assists with the collection and analysis of data as well as preparation of data presentations and reports for information sharing, responding to queries, knowledge management, planning and decision making. • Assists with visualizations and updating information material such as web pages or brochures. • Perform other duties as assigned.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of policies, practices, and regulations on management of supplies, purchasing and logistics and ability to apply them in an organizational environment. Ability to maintain accurate records and prepare reports on a wide variety of data. Knowledge of the Organization’s financial rules and regulations, as well as budgetary, administrative procedures, policies, and directives, with respect to specialized tasks in supply management, logistics and transport operations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Able to perform analysis, modeling and interpretation of data in support of decision-making. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Job – Specific Qualification

A certificate in the Supply Chain Management (SCOR, CSCP or equivalent) is desirable. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in logistics, supply chain management, administrative services, or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 3 years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Work experience in Enterprise Resource Management System such as SAP or similar is required. Work experience in MS Office is required. Experience of working with Supply Chain Planning tool (SCPT) is desirable. Experience of working with Microsoft applications such as Power BI, SharePoint is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in any of the areas of contract management, procurement and property management is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English, (both oral and written) is required.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This position is temporarily available until 31 December 2024 with possibility of extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. An extension of this temporary vacancy is subject to availability of post. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Recruitment for this position is done on a local basis. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. Staff members of the United Nations Common System organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

United Nations Considerations

According to 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.