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IAEA Procurement Officer (P-4) - Vienna, Austria

Duty Station:Vienna, Austria
Issue Date:17 October 2012
Application Deadline:13 November 2012
Type/Duration of Appointment:Fixed term extrabudgetary, 2 years (subject to a probationary period of 1 year)

Organizational Setting

The Office of Procurement Services contributes to the implementation of the IAEA's program activities and mandates through the procurement of goods and services in a manner that effectively manages risk and opportunity and achieves best value for money in the interests of the IAEA. The IAEA issues thousands of procurement actions and contracts annually with a total value of over € 200 million. About half of this volume is for delivery to counterparts in IAEA Member States in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America in support of IAEA field projects. The remainder is for delivery to IAEA's Headquarters in Vienna, Austria and its Laboratories at Seibersdorf, Austria, and Monaco.

Major procurement projects undertaken by the IAEA are for specialized construction of nuclear-related facilities and security upgrades to such facilities in Austria and other member states, development of software and hardware systems to support the IAEA's nuclear safeguards, administrative, and scientific activities, projects for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials, and accelerators and cyclotrons for medical purposes.

Other Headquarters deliveries consist of computer and office equipment and supplies, specialized equipment for the IAEA's nuclear safeguards operations, and scientific equipment for use at the IAEA's Laboratories. Field deliveries are for a wide range of equipment and services related to radiation detection, laboratory, isotopes, nuclear imaging and radiotherapy, sample analysis, and nuclear safety and security.

The Office of Procurement Services, a team of 38 staff, is the operational group that manages procurement of goods and services for the IAEA. Opportunities to achieve best value for money are identified in the procurement forecasting and planning phases and are realized through the supplier engagement, selection and contract management phases of the procurement cycle.

Main purpose

The Procurement Officer, reporting to an MTPS Account Manager, serves as a contracting authority and expert for the IAEA with responsibility for the world-wide procurement of a wide variety of supplies and services associated with technically and legally complex contracts and procurement activities and leads procurement work in a specific sector related to the IAEA's mandate.

Role

The Procurement Officer is: (1) a senior contracting authority within delegated limits, (2) a specialist in a sector related to the IAEA's mandate; (3) a financial, legal, and commercial expert on the tendering and contracting process for procurement of a specific range of commodities and services; (4) a focal point in negotiations for contracts of significant complexity; (5) an agent promoting the principles of best value for at all stages of the procurement cycle, and; (6) a team leader of a multidisciplinary team that follows critical procurement projects throughout the procurement cycle, from identification of needs and requirements through bidding, source selection, contract issuance, and post-award administration.

Partnerships

The Procurement Officer consults with government officials, international service providers, and representatives of commercial organizations up to the senior executive level in achieving and negotiating the best procurement outcomes for the IAEA. Advocates changes in policy and procedures to senior management to improve procurement efficiency and obtain best value for money in the IAEA's approaches to meeting requirements.

Functions / Key Results Expected

  • Lead procurement for a specific sector related to the IAEA's mandate and serve as the subject matter expert for world-wide procurement of a variety of equipment, supplies and services with complex contracts and critical proposals of a significant financial, legal or operational impact.
  • Serve as project leader for critical procurement, requiring an ability to conduct and lead requirement, market, demand, stakeholder and requirements analysis.
  • Develop appropriate procurement strategies as a result of thorough analysis and prepare complex tenders and draft contracts for the procurement of non-routine and technologically advanced commodities or long-range services.
  • Document the evaluation, recommendation, and award process and obtain the necessary management approvals, ensuring processes are consistent with the approved Procurement Strategy.
  • Manage the contract during the post-award period by monitoring completion timelines and approved contracted budget, ensuring key performance indicators are documented and tracked.
  • Make recommendations for continuous business improvements of future procurement activities for like goods or services.
  • Provide guidance to IAEA staff for lesser-value procurements on preparation of specifications, and coordinate with technical specialists on non-standard and complex specification cases to ensure technical viability of requests received.
  • Keep abreast of market trends, production patterns in exporting countries and applicable export controls in sector of expertise to identify available sources of supply, new products, and alternate procurement approaches that will result in best value for money.
  • Contribute to the development of procurement policies and procedures and to the development of standards and criteria for the evaluation of goods and services, supplier capacity, etc.
  • Assist the Director in process improvement initiatives, and in developing training and ethical conduct and awareness programmes for Section staff members.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

  • Understanding of the methodology and approaches to strategic supply chain management and the application of best value throughout the procurement cycle.
  • Demonstrated planning, development and monitoring skills to ensure timely and cost-effective results for worldwide procurement of a broad range of commodities and services.
  • Sound negotiation skills.
  • Technical knowledge of sector(s) related to the IAEA's mandate.
  • Knowledge of current market trends and ability to make projections for future development within the IAEA.
  • Knowledge of the scope and application of results based management.

Education, Experience and Language Skills

  • Advanced university degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Commerce, Engineering, Law or other relevant discipline.
  • Minimum of seven years of professional experience in high volume procurement operations with a demonstrated ability in managing complex procurement evaluation and tendering processes at an international level.
  • A UNDP or UK CIPS Certificate in Purchasing & Supply - at least Level 4; US ISM CPM or CPSM certification; or equivalent certification or work experience.
  • Sound knowledge of logistics and international trading practices, or experience in an organization or commercial enterprise related to the IAEA's mandate would be an advantage.
  • Fluency in spoken and written English. Knowledge of other official IAEA languages (i.e. Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) and/or German is desirable.

Remuneration

The IAEA offers an attractive remuneration package including a tax-free annual net base salary starting at US $67 483 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance), a variable post adjustment which currently amounts to US $34 956*, dependency benefits, rental subsidyeducation grantrelocation and repatriation expenses; 6 weeks' annual vacation, home leave,pension plan and health insurance.

How to apply to the IAEA

Complete an Online Application

* Subject to change without notice

Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are encouraged

Applicants should be aware that IAEA staff members are international civil servants and may not accept instructions from any other authority. Staff members may be assigned to any location. The IAEA retains the discretion not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade or with a different contract type, or to make an appointment with a modified job description or for shorter duration than indicated above. Testing may be part of the recruitment process.