Job Overview
Shape Global Health: Strategic Procurement Advisor Opportunity in Washington, D.C., USA
Are you an accomplished strategic procurement advisor with a passion for global public health? The World Health Organization (WHO) / Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) seeks a dynamic leader. Join our team in Washington, D.C., USA. This pivotal role drives efficient, ethical, and strategic purchasing. Ultimately, your work directly impacts health outcomes across the Americas. Therefore, your contribution is vital.
The Department of Procurement and Supply Management (PRO) provides vital guidance. We manage purchasing and contracting for headquarters, regional offices, and centers. Furthermore, our responsibilities include sourcing, vendor relationship management, and the procure-to-pay cycle. We act on behalf of PAHO Member States. We also, crucially, support PAHO’s technical programs. Specifically, PRO oversees procurement for essential health products. This includes vaccines. Consequently, our work ensures transparent and cost-effective procurement. This role, therefore, is central to our mission.
This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned professional. You will leverage category management principles. You will lead negotiations for high-cost commodities. Indeed, your expertise will enhance access to health technologies. Join a dedicated team in the United States. Contribute to a truly worthwhile cause. Hence, consider this challenge.
Key Responsibilities for this Strategic Procurement Advisor:
As Strategic Procurement Advisor, you’ll lead critical functions. Moreover, you will shape initiatives.
1. Strategic Planning & Execution
- Manage procurement goals and strategies. Collaborate with technical units and country offices. Ensure competitive strategies. This is achieved by leveraging market dynamics and category management. Thus, you optimize outcomes.
- Lead strategic procurement plan development. Execute tactical actions. Align with organizational goals. In doing so, you drive efficiency. Therefore, strategic alignment is paramount.
2. Supplier & Market Expertise
- Ensure quality and accuracy of strategic buyers’ work. Specifically, guarantee an in-depth and up-to-date understanding of relevant suppliers. Furthermore, comprehend market dynamics and category-specific requirements. Moreover, stay informed about trends.
- Define negotiation strategies. Lead negotiations with single-source suppliers and vendors of high-cost commodities. Consequently, ensure alignment with organizational objectives. Increase access to health technologies, therefore.
- Conduct direct negotiations with strategic suppliers and/or critical contracts. This is to ensure continuity of supply and price throughout the year. Therefore, manage risks effectively.
Strategic Procurement Advisor
3. Partnership & Relationship Management
- Support supplier management. Focus on quality assurance, item availability for delivery, price competitiveness, innovation, and partnership fostering. Hence, build strong ties.
- Identify and establish partnerships across the Organization, WHO-HQ, Ministries of Health, UN agencies, and other partners. Subsequently, promote and maintain these partnerships. Maximize programmatic integration, efficiency, and effectiveness of the Strategic Fund. Thus, you expand reach.
- Foster partnerships with strategic suppliers. Develop joint business plans. Implement innovative approaches. This will, ultimately, impact health outcomes of Member States and the region. Therefore, drive positive change.
4. Procurement Operations & Fund Management
- Lead the Regional Revolving Fund procurement operations. This includes planning, sourcing, tendering, and negotiating with vendors. The objective is to respond effectively and efficiently to Member States’ needs. Purchase pharmaceuticals, kits and reagents, insecticides, laboratory and hospital equipment, and additional items bought through the Fund. Furthermore, ensure timely delivery.
- Implement and monitor transactional and operational workload for all purchasing under the Strategic Fund and the Reimbursable Procurement mechanism. Crucially, anticipate procurement needs as well as potential bottlenecks. Proactively, maintain supplies of essential medicines. Consequently, ensure continuity.
5. Compliance & Quality Assurance
- Oversee compliance of procurement quality management systems. This includes sourcing, response times, purchase order volumes, costs, and delivery performance. Identify performance gaps. Then, advise on remediation efforts, including corrective actions and process improvements. Therefore, ensure high standards.
- Manage procurement activities. Do so in accordance with the Organization’s rules, regulations, policies, and strategies. This also includes supporting effective internal controls. Ensure the proper design and functioning of a client-oriented procurement management system. Indeed, compliance is key.
6. Team Leadership & Technical Cooperation
- Manage the Strategic PRO team. Aim to develop people, careers, and organizational climate. Thus, foster growth.
- Lead and/or participate in country missions. Provide technical cooperation to Country Offices, Centers, and government authorities. Support other parties involved in supply management. Specifically, offer expert guidance.
- Monitor product/service quality with the client area. Analyze quality indicators and technical reports. Ultimately, ensure compliance with established standards. Therefore, guarantee quality.
- Provide advisory support to Country Offices and Centers. Focus on procurement strategic planning and quality management for the Strategic Fund. Furthermore, ensure effective communication and integration of SF operational activities across PRO and with Country Offices and Centers.
- Provide technical guidance to countries and technical departments. Assist in procuring health commodities during declared emergency situations. Moreover, ensure timely delivery of supplies and goods to countries in need. Operate within the Organization’s emergency framework.
- Perform other duties as assigned. Naturally, these duties support overall objectives.
Qualifications for this Strategic Procurement Leadership Role:
1. Education Requirements
- Essential: A bachelor’s and a master’s degree are required. Focus on business administration, economics, public administration, or a related field. Degrees must come from a recognized university.
- Desirable: Supply Chain Management or Procurement Professional Certification. Indeed, this would be a significant asset.
2. Experience Requirements
- Essential: Nine years of combined national and international experience in strategic procurement is critical. This must include expertise in category management, negotiation, supplier relationship management, and/or partnership development. Furthermore, proven experience supervising and leading teams is required. This means a strong track record of managing and developing staff.
- Desirable: Experience working within a public health context and/or the international pharmaceutical market. Ultimately, this would be an asset.
3. Essential Skills
a. PAHO Competencies:
- Integrity and Ethics: Maintain integrity; ethical approach. Demonstrate commitment to the Organization’s mandate. Promote values in daily work and behavior. Be accountable for work. Be respectful and trusted. Consequently, uphold high standards.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Treat everyone with dignity and respect. Foster positive relationships. Reflect on personal behavior; avoid stereotypes. Consider situations from others’ perspectives. Thus, promote an inclusive environment.
- Teamwork and Collaboration: Work collaboratively with team members and counterparts. Achieve and build rapport. Help others when asked. Accept joint responsibility for successes and shortcomings. Therefore, foster a cohesive team.
- Communication and Knowledge Sharing: Write ideas clearly, structured, logically, and credibly. Draft and support guidelines, policies, and procedures. Share relevant information openly. Ensure shared information is understood. Consider knowledge sharing constructive. Demonstrate organizational awareness. Furthermore, communicate effectively.
- Producing Results: Monitor own and others’ work systematically and effectively. Ensure required resources and outputs. Align projects with mission. Consistently solve problems effectively for self and team. Engage proactively in projects. Accept demanding goals aligned with Organizational Strategies. Demonstrate accountability for team’s work. Articulate lessons learned for benefit. Ultimately, drive success.
- Effective Resource Use: Strategize and set clear objectives. Monitor progress and use resources well. Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely objectives. Systematically analyze and anticipate priority projects. Allocate necessary resources. Identify cross-Organizational resources for large-scale projects. Anticipate foreseeable changes; adapt projects to unforeseen circumstances. Create measures to monitor progress. Create cost-effective solutions. Thus, optimize resource allocation.
- Partnership Building: Develop networks and partnerships. Encourage collaboration. Build and negotiate strategic partnerships and alliances. Work with key stakeholders. Ensure organizational results and success. Create innovative opportunities for synergies. Therefore, expand influence.
b. Technical Expertise:
- Procurement Specialization: Possess sound knowledge and professional competencies in procurement of health-related supplies and equipment. This includes pharmaceuticals, vaccines, insecticides, medical devices, laboratory equipment, and technology. Specifically, deep expertise is needed.
- Strategic Sourcing: Demonstrate strong professional competencies in strategic sourcing, supplier relationship management, contract, and risk management. Moreover, apply best practices.
- Analytical and Conceptual Skills: Exhibit mature judgment. Demonstrate strong technical, analytical, and conceptual skills. Possess a proven ability to assess complex issues, analyze data, synthesize information, and provide actionable recommendations. Consequently, make informed decisions.
- Managerial Acumen: Ability to integrate managerial and administrative inputs into strategic recommendations. Manage multiple priorities effectively. Navigate complex organizational environments. Indeed, leadership is key.
- Adaptability and Leadership: Ability to work independently. Adapt to changing circumstances. Assume additional managerial responsibilities during emergencies. Effectively lead, supervise, and develop a team of procurement professionals. Provide guidance, support, and mentorship. Therefore, exhibit strong leadership.
- Communication Prowess: Possess strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to develop clear and concise reports, presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for the highest organizational levels. Ultimately, communicate compellingly.
4. Language Requirements
- Very good knowledge of English or Spanish is required. A working knowledge of the other language is also necessary. Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese would be an asset.
5. IT Skills
- Demonstrated ability to effectively use current technology. Proficient with the Microsoft Office software suite. Understands technical aspects of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, specifically source-to-pay functionalities. Other IT skills and knowledge of other software programs such as Visio, Teams, One Drive, SharePoint and Project would be an asset. Thus, proficiency is crucial.
Remuneration:
- Annual Salary (Net of taxes): US $84,672.00 + post adjustment
- Post Adjustment: 55.8% of the above figure. Note that this percentage is indicative. Variations may occur monthly due to currency exchange rate fluctuations or inflation.
Apply now: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1753206845865
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the Strategic Procurement Advisor:
Q1: What is the primary function of the Advisor, Strategic Procurement Management role? A1: This role provides strategic, managerial, and technical guidance for procurement and contracting at WHO/PAHO. You’ll manage procurement goals, lead strategic sourcing, oversee health product procurement, and foster partnerships. This ensures efficient and ethical operations. Ultimately, you drive procurement excellence.
Q2: Is this position located in the United States? A2: Yes, this position is located in Washington, D.C., United States. Specifically, it is at the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (PAHO).
Q3: What kind of products will this advisor be procuring? A3: You will primarily manage procurement for health-related products. This includes vaccines, pharmaceuticals, essential medicines, kits, reagents, insecticides, and laboratory and hospital equipment for Member States. Therefore, product range is diverse.
Q4: What are the key experience requirements for this role? A4: You need a master’s degree and nine years of combined national and international experience in strategic procurement. This includes expertise in category management, negotiation, supplier relationship management, and leading teams. Furthermore, a strong track record is essential.
Q5: Does this role involve international travel? A5: Yes, the position may involve leading or participating in country missions. This provides technical cooperation to Country Offices, Centers, and government authorities involved in supply management. Consequently, international engagement is part of the role.
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