WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP’s values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In July 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) Zambia commenced a new five-year Country Strategic Plan (CSP), informed by and aligned with national and United Nations priorities and global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It embraces the Government’s long-term Vision 2030; aligns with 16 key strategic areas of the 8th National Development Plan (NDP8); and contributes to the joint Zambia-United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

WFP Zambia’s integrated and pragmatic CSP shifts away from unsustainable localized and micro-level interventions, to embrace more effective advocacy and engagement with national policies, systems, and programmes to achieve national impact on SDG2. Given the Government’s commitment to budgetary support for nutrition, social protection, and agriculture, despite the constraints in the country’s fiscal position, WFP’s overarching strategy seeks to strengthen the government’s capacities to meet its national priorities through stronger systems, expertise, and resources for implementation. This means a decisive shift of WFP’s country positioning towards the provision of innovative, sustainable, upstream technical assistance to support nationally owned solutions.

Advancing the global WFP Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the CSP addresses both SDG2 and SDG17, and WFP’s Strategic Results 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. WFP will implement seven activities to achieve five Strategic Outcomes (SO) under the CSP.  These SOs include: (SO1) responding to crises and shocks ensuring that crisis-affected people, including refugees, are able to meet their urgent food and nutrition needs; (SO2) addressing the root causes of malnutrition; (SO3) building the resilience, enabling environment and market access for smallholder farmers, especially women; (SO4) supporting government institutions to provide social protection systems (including home grown school meals) and disaster preparedness and response; and (SO5) improving access to supply chain services for humanitarian and development actors.

THE ROLE: Reporting to the Supply Chain Officer, the incumbent is required to provide end-to-end procurement services to the Country Office to ensure timely and cost-effective procurement of goods and services to support the effective implementation of WFP’s programmes and contribute to achieving its mandate of Saving Lives and Changing Lives.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES 

1. Provide operational coordination and administrative services, to support procurement projects and activities, following standard processes and contributing to the effective procurement of goods and services.
2. Identify and recommend potential suppliers and compile data/documents to support the selection of suppliers, ensuring compliance with standard processes.
3. Review, record, and prioritise purchasing requests, and provide support to requisitioners, in order to support the cost-effective procurement of appropriate goods and services.
4. In consultations with the supervisor, contribute to negotiations with suppliers on terms and conditions to obtain the most cost-effective terms.
5. Timely preparation of Purchase Orders, contracts, and other relevant supporting documentation to enable the efficient purchase of goods and services.
6. Manage vendor relationships and monitor supplier performance to ensure compliance with contractual agreements, quality standards, and timely management of contract durations and supplier performance assessments.
7. Timely and regular provision of updates to both internal and external stakeholders on procurements to ensure effective management of expectations and timely communicate any potential variations.
8. Coordinate timely resolution of procurement related issues in line with applicable guidelines to ensure maintenance of sound supplier/vendor relations.
9. Provide Procurement Policy guidance to all staff and support with correct interpretation and application of various corporate rules and regulations.
10. Timely Preparation of periodic and ad-hoc procurement reports and analytics to aid management decision making.
11. Facilitate regular updates of supplier/vendor databases and records to ensure maintenance of accurate and organized information that supports effective decision making.
12. Maintain relationships with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment of procurement activities with wider Country Office needs and ensure a coherent approach to supporting effective and efficient implementation of programmes.
13. Stay abreast of market trends, industry developments, and regulatory requirements to inform procurement decisions.
14. Identify opportunities for cost savings and process improvements within the procurement function to ensure continuous acquisition of quality goods and services.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education: Completion of secondary school education and a first degree in Procurement, Supply Chain or Purchasing and Supply, or other business studies with a professional qualification in procurement, supply chain or purchasing and supply.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

• Minimum of six (6) years of post-graduate experience in procurement in an international humanitarian organization.
• Demonstrated familiarity with locally purchased commodities/goods/services (e.g., cash based, in-kind donations).
• Demonstrated familiarity and experience with food procurement, food safety and food quality.
• Experience conducting supplier research and coordinating with retailers, wholesalers, and traders.
• Skills in maintenance and coordination of food quality and safety activities to maintain compliance with requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement processes and linkages with other operations (e.g., logistics).

Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrated familiarity with locally purchased commodities/goods/services (e.g., cash based, in-kind donations).
• Experience in conducting supplier research and coordinating with retailers, wholesalers and traders.
• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement processes and linkages with other operations (e.g., logistics)

Language: Fluency (level C) in English language in both oral and written communication.

ELIGIBILITY

Only applicable to Zambian National

DUE DATE

24 September 2024

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at [email protected]. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.
  Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at [email protected] in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.