Regional Procurement Officer at IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature: (Deadline 31 October 2022)

BACKGROUND:

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous people’s organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Head of finance and Administration, ESARO direct line manager) and the Senior Procurement Officer, HQ (matrix manager), the successful candidate will perform the following functions for the activities of IUCN in the Eastern and Southern Africa region:

The position ensures that procurement is carried out efficiently,to a high standard and that IUCN receives the best value for money and respects sustainability, the environment and ethical principles in its procurement transactions.

The position supports the implementation of IUCN’s global procurement policy throughout the Eastern and Southern Africa Region and acts as the procurement focal point in the region.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Act as procurement focal point for ESARO. Provide advice and training as necessary and liaise with Senior Procurement Officer at HQ regarding changes and improvements in procurement procedures, templates and tools.
Act as Super-User for IUCN’s e-Tendering Portal.
Conduct overall needs assessment and help establish annual procurement plans for the entire region and for individual projects as required by the project agreements. Identify logistical bottlenecks and propose the ways to fill in the gaps. Develop a strategy to optimize purchasing power.
Set up a procurement monitoring system to follow up the implementation of the procurement plan. Participate in regular portfolio review meetings with programme and project officers.
Conduct the process of selection of preferred vendors in all the countries on specific services and procurements such as travel agencies,hotels,office supplies,etc… Collect information and provide explanations to the enquiries from the annual compliance review of procurements conducted by the Headquarters.
When necessary, liaise with donors to resolve differences that occur between the donors’ procurement policies and IUCN’s.
Assist the Senior Procurement Officer at HQ in the review and assessment of Single Tender Requests.
For projects having dedicated Procurement Officers, the Senior Procurement Officer conduct quality control of all the procurement process and will help as necessary and final approval.

For the other projects and costs centers:
Manage the entire process for all Requests for Proposals, their evaluation, negotiation and contracting in full compliance with IUCN, and donors’ rules and regulations,
Procure goods and services above a value of 25.000 CHF on behalf of projects and cost centres in the region:
Identify service providers; evaluate information regarding legal status and performance quality, prices, delivery performance) of existing and prospective suppliers.
Ensure that all required approvals are obtained internally (Country office, Regional Office, Headquarters) as per delegation of authorities and IUCN procurement procedures and externally with the donor as per the relevant conditions in the project agreement.
Assist administrative/programme/project officers in procurements of lower value as deemed necessary. Review procurement documents and contracts and ensure quality control.

For the Regional Office-related procurements:
Prepare all contracts and purchase orders, and all required documents and processes for the tax exemption and customs clearance.
Oversee adherence to contractual agreements, recommend amendments and extensions of contracts, and advise concerned parties on contractual rights and obligations.

Provide guidance to new staff. May supervise junior staff.
Perform such other duties as may be assigned.