Administrative and Procurement Assistant

Istanbul

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Administrative support - Administrative Services and Support - Generally no need for Higher Education
Occupational Groups:
- Operations and Administrations
- Administrative support
- Procurement
Closing Date: 2024-01-24

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched the Sustainable Finance Hub, which is a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy. As part of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, development finance has a central role to play in delivering support to the UN member-countries, in leveraging new sources of capital, offsetting high debt burdens, and in innovating for long term solutions to challenges around climate change, disaster resilience, and fragile ecosystems.

The Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (ICPSD) is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Policy Center mandated to leverage the role of the private sector in development. The ICPSD was established in Istanbul, Türkiye on the basis of the Partnership Framework Agreement signed between the Government of the Republic of Türkiye and the United Nations Development Program in March 2011. The Center is one of the five global thematic centers of UNDP, advocating and facilitating the contribution of the private sector to human development and inclusive growth through the following thematic priority areas:

Private Sector Engagement through South-South Cooperation for the SDGs
Private Sector Engagement in Skills Development and SDG Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab
Impact Investment
Private Sector Resilience and Crisis Response

The Administrative and Procurement Assistant will be supporting the coordination and implementation of project procurement, travel and HR management strategies, financial and budgetary management, organization of meetings and events, compilation and maintenance of project records, supporting partnership development and project reporting exercises and other related duties as may be required by the Supervisor. The Administrative and Procurement Assistant will work closely with the Sustainable Finance Hub Project Management Support Team (PMST).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of and reporting directly to the Project Analyst (NPSA9), Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development, the Administrative and Procurement Assistant will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following key functions:

Efficient and effective administrative and logistical support:

Assisting in the coordination and creation of travel requests in the system.
Assisting with the travel agencies on the ticket reservations, issuance, amendment, and cancellation as may be required.
Keeping abreast of updates/changes in the Travel and Expense Module and making new/updated information available to staff.
Assisting in the organization of national and international conferences, workshops, retreats, missions as well as high-level and working level meetings, including venue reservation, arrangement of catering, ICT and interpretation services, etc.

Daily office management and coordination:

Assisting in arranging shipment of goods, publications and correspondence as may be required.
Assisting in the drafting of routine correspondence, memoranda, reports, and meeting minutes in accordance with the diplomatic protocol and established procedures.
Assisting in the preparation of informal translations and acting as interpreter when necessary.
Maintaining contact list of strategic partners.
Assisting in the facilitation of timely documents submission for visa and residence permit issuance by the Turkish MFA.
Assisting in the onboarding of newcomers by sharing relevant information.

Ensuring effective implementation of operational strategies with primary focus on procurement processes:

Ensuring full compliance of administrative, logistics activities and procurement activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies, and strategies.
Assisting in the recruitment of personnel (ICs, NPSAs, UNVs, interns, etc.) as may be required.
Supporting the preparation of procurement plans and their implementation.
Supporting the organization of procurement processes including drafting of TORs/RFQ/RFPs and facilitating internal approvals, collecting quotations for micro-purchases of simple goods, works and services and their timely submission for contract / PO issuance.
Collecting and verifying necessary information for the creation of Vendor profiles.
Creating Travel Profiles.
Supporting the preparation of submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and (Regional) Advisory Committee on Procurement (R/ACP).
Supporting the implementation of the internal control system which ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched.
Maintaining data on all contracts and taking timely actions for the renewals.
Researching information for formulation and implementation of contract strategy and strategic procurement in the Unit including tendering processes and evaluation.
Ensuring timely response to the identified bottlenecks and operational issues.
Assisting in the collection of relevant data inputs in response to HQ requests.

Core Competencies

Core
Achieve Results:	LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
Think Innovatively:	LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
Learn Continuously:	LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
Adapt with Agility:	LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
Act with Determination:	LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident
Engage and Partner:	LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion:	LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Thematic Area	Name	Definition
Business Management	Operations Management	Ability to effectively plan, organize and oversee the Organization’s business processes in order to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner.
Business Management	Project Management	Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Procurement	Procurement Management	The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source. Procurement or project management experience is required at the national and/or international level.
Finance	Budget Management	Ability to support budgetary aspects of work planning process, drawing and management of team budgets.
HR	Recruitment Design and Management	Knowledge of, ability to design and manage end to end recruitment processes.
Business Development	Knowledge Generation	Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Secondary Education with at least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, procurement, or project management, OR

Bachelor’s degree with at least two (2) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, procurement, or project management is required.

Experience:

At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, procurement or project management with secondary education, OR at least two (2) years of relevant professional experience in administration, logistics, operations, procurement or project management with Bachelor’s degree is required.

Required skills and competencies:

Proficiency in IT software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advanced knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems is required.
Experience of administrative work and office management.
Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills are required.

Desired additional skills and competencies:

Demonstrated experience with organization of travel, events, conferences, and high-level meetings is highly desirable.
Knowledge of travel/ administration/procurement/HR rules and regulations for international development organizations is highly desirable.
Previous work experience with the UN/UNDP/International organizations on administrative, HR, procurement and operational matters is desirable.
Experience with ERP systems, such as Quantum/PeopleSoft is desirable.
Working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Required Language(s):

Fluency in English and Turkish (both oral and written) is required.

Professional Certificates:

Additional certification in project management and/or procurement is considered an asset.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment.

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

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