Procurement Assistant
Organizational Context
The WHO country office in Yemen aims to establish an effective presence to implement country cooperation strategies. These strategies are aligned with Member State health and development agendas and are harmonized with the efforts of other United Nations country teams, ensuring a coordinated approach to health initiatives.
Job Purpose
The Procurement Assistant plays a crucial role in supporting the World Health Organization's country office in Yemen by ensuring the efficient, transparent, and compliant acquisition of goods and services. This position is integral to the effective implementation of WHO's technical and emergency programs, which are designed to align with Member State health and development agendas and harmonize with broader United Nations country team efforts. The assistant manages the end-to-end procurement cycle, from analyzing requests and initiating purchase orders to monitoring delivery and maintaining supplier relationships. By meticulously adhering to WHO's standard procurement guidelines, the role ensures accuracy, proper documentation, and judicious use of funds. The ultimate contribution is to facilitate the timely and cost-effective provision of essential resources, thereby directly enabling the country office to achieve its strategic objectives and deliver critical health interventions and emergency responses across Yemen. This role is vital for operational continuity and resource management within a complex humanitarian context.
Responsibilities
The Procurement Assistant is responsible for managing the full procurement cycle for goods and services supporting WHO's technical and emergency programs. This includes analyzing and processing procurement requests, ensuring strict adherence to WHO guidelines, verifying information accuracy, and confirming fund availability. The role involves initiating local purchase requests for both catalogue and non-catalogue items using the GSM system, monitoring their status, and ensuring timely delivery. The assistant drafts purchase order amendments, providing justifications and uploading supporting documents. Key duties also encompass preparing requests for price estimates, obtaining costs from relevant units, and implementing procurement decisions. The assistant drafts bid invitations, compiles offers, summarizes bids with pricing and conditions, and prepares adjudication reports for decision-making. Furthermore, the role involves organizing Country Procurement Committee meetings, including scheduling and disseminating background documents. The assistant maintains and updates the supplier database, completing evaluation forms, and prepares periodic procurement reports and briefings. This includes verifying data, addressing queries, identifying transaction gaps, and recommending solutions to the supervisor and technical units. The assistant also performs other related duties as required.
Work Experience
Essential: A minimum of five years of progressive experience in procurement. Desirable: Prior relevant experience within the United Nations system.
Skills
Proven knowledge of procurement regulations and procedures; demonstrated negotiation skills; very good organizational skills with an ability to meet deadlines; good analytical skills. WHO Competencies include teamwork, respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences, communication, producing results, and moving forward in a changing environment. Essential language skills include expert knowledge of English and the local language.