The Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. The mission will be guided by ECA's five new strategic directions which are: Advancing ECA's position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent's problems and take local solution to the continent; developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure, and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; advocating Africa's position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues. This position is located in the Procurement Unit, Supply Chain Management Section, Division of Administration (DoA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Procurement Assistant will work under the direct supervision of the Associate Procurement officer and the Chief of Procurement Unit.

Within delegated authority the Procurement Assistant is responsible for the following duties:

• Reviews, records and prioritizes purchasing requests and obtains additional information/documentation as required; provides assistance to requisitioners in preparing scope of work and specifications of goods and services; proposes product substitutions consistent with requirements to achieve cost savings; determines the availability of funding sources.

• Identifies and recommends sources of procurement; interview potential suppliers.

• Produces tender documents (e.g. Invitations to Bids, Requests for Proposals and Requests for Quotation) based on the nature of the requirements and cost of procurement involved.

• Prepares abstracts of offers and compile data contained in quotations, proposals and bids to determine which supplier can deliver the required goods/services at the best terms and lowest costs possible with due consideration to quality, delivery time, prompt payment and other discounts, transportation costs, etc.

• Prepares and submits LCC and HCC presentations.

• Enters into negotiation of terms and conditions of orders under the guidance of Procurement Officers; obtains credit and other information on proposed suppliers.

• Finalizes purchase orders and contracts for approval by the Procurement Officer; may authorize purchases in line with delegated signature authority, and, if required, prepares submission to the Contracts Committee for review and subsequent approval by the authorized official.

• Resolves issues/problems related to delivered goods, including discrepancies between purchase orders and items/quantities shipped or received; prepares and signs Return to Vendor forms for unacceptable and/or damaged goods received.

• Maintains relevant internal databases and files; keeps track of any contractual agreements, direct provisioning contracts, etc. and informs affected users of contractual rights and obligations.

• Researches, retrieves and presents information from a variety of internal and external sources on sources of supply, vendors by commodity, etc., as well as obtain specifications for new products and equipment on the market.

• 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.

• Signs procurement orders up to the authorized limit.

• Drafts a variety of correspondence.

• Supervise 05 level staff members and Individual Contractors in the Procurement Unit. Supply Chain planning & requisitioning

• As a fully empowered representative of the ECA/SCMS Acquisition and Service Delivery Assistant, liaise with CORE Team Members of multiple Mission Teams covering different development sectors and advises ECA/SCMS Team and management on the interpretation and application of acquisition policies and regulations to specific acqu.isition and assistance activities, both operational and project support

• Participates in the business processes for acquisition of various services and commodities ( e.g. information technology and communications equipment, vehicles, medical equipment and supplies, food rations, fuel, construction and building maintenance materials, furniture and fixtures, stationary and office supplies, accommodation and office equipment etc.) in accordance with the Entity Acquisition Plan, to support the mission mandate. She/he will assist to monitor the overall supply chain plan and perform acquisition planning activities to ensure resources are used in an optimal way to meet customer requirements.

• Liaise with OCSM regarding the submission of the Entity's annual (both draft and final) acquisition plan. Assisting in forecasting the logistics requirements in the near and medium terms based on changing p1liorities and emergencies as related to the assigned categories, provides advance infonnation of such requirements to the concerned stakeholders is part of it.

• In collaboration with the requistioners, initiate actions leading to the implementation of the commission's Acquisition Plan, taking into account different sourcing options, including global and regional systems contracts, local market and other conditions, logistics forecasting, inventory holdings, consumption patterns, supply schedules, and ongoing assessment and prioritization of operational supply chain requirements.

• Contributes to the execution of internal controls over acquisition activities and support functions; Advises recipient entities and technical units periodically on the progress of acquisition activities and detailed Section.

• Compile and share Annual Acquisition plan updates

• Communicate and facilitate the update ofUNECA Annual Supply Chain Plans in the Supply Chain Planning Tool (SCPT)

• Generate and share weekly case status report and generate and share quarterly report on Umoja

• Liaise and communicate on the status of implementation of the Annual Supply Chain Plans as approved in the SCPT

• Facilitate Training on TM, source to acquire, BI and Power BI and other applications

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

Education

High school diploma or equivalent is required. CIPS Level 4 professional certification is required. A first-level university degree in the field of procurement, business administration, accounting related field is desirable. Additional training in the area of IPSAS & Umoja, or a similar system, on procurement and/or logistics is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, administrative services or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to eight (8) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. Three (3) years or more of experience in the UN common system or in a large, international organization is desirable. Two (2) years or more of procurement experience is desirable. Experience in contract management and/ or contract administration and experience with an ERP system in the area of purchasing and/ or supply chain are desirable. Work experience: 1 year or more of experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Language

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable.

How to Apply

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