The Pacific Community (SPC) invites applications for the position of Procurement and Grants Officer within its Operations and Management Directorate. This position will be located at its headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia.
Description
The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
The Operations and Management Directorate (OMD) provides corporate services to all SPC Divisions and Programmes. It consists of three key departments: Finance, Human Resources and Information Services. OMD is focused on improving the effectiveness of systems, policies and management to provide high-quality customer-oriented services.
The role – the Procurement and Grants Officer will manage procurement and grant activities, including developing of grant calls for proposals, sourcing of goods, and development of requirements; provide accurate, expert and specialist advice on procurement and grants activities; and ensure compliance with organisational policies.
The key responsibilities of the role include the following:
Operations: procurement and grants
- Manage the procurement and grants actions for allocated division/s, including Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs,) Calls for Proposals (CFP) and exceptions requests in accordance with SPC’s Procurement Policy and Grants Policy
- Prepare procurement documents for Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Requests for Quotations
- Provide support to allocated division/s with the formulation of their annual procurement plans, and development of their procurement and grants documentation
- External relationships with vendors, including preferred suppliers, are managed
Advice
- Provide expert advice to clients on procurement and grants processes
- Advice to decision-makers on complex procurement and grants issues taking into account stakeholder’s requirements to ensure value outcomes
- Advice provided to decision-makers on how to manage ethical issues
- Risks identified, mitigated and/or escalated
Outreach, education and training
- Provide capacity building to SPC staff in procurement and grants functions
- Provide capacity development support to potential grant applicants
- Ensure communication with key stakeholders and builds strong relationships
System and processes
- Contribute to improving procurement and grants tools and systems to assist with building understanding and compliance and facilitate project audits
- Implement improvements in processes, procedures and systems
- Identify recommendations on policy and process updates
- Process improvements collaboratively identified and implemented
Other duties as required
- Other support for the Procurement and Grants Team as required
For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.
Key selection criteria
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in law, finance, procurement, administration or international development or related field
- CIPS Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply Operations (or equivalent)
Technical expertise
- At least 6-7 years’ experience providing advice on procurement and/or grant matters in a public sector environment
Language skills
- Fluent in written and oral English
- Professional French
Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness
- Strong people skills and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment
- Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage
Salary, terms and conditions
Contract Duration– This vacant position is budgeted for 3 years and is subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.
Remuneration– the Procurement and Grants Officer is a band 9 position in SPC’s 2022 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 3,140–3,829 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately XPF 449,687–548,326 (USD 4,491–5,476; EUR 3,768–4,595). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration being given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale is based on annual performance reviews. SPC salaries are not presently subject to income tax in New Caledonia.
Benefits for international staff employees based in New Caledonia– SPC provides subsidised housing in Noumea. Establishment and repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave travel, health and life and disability insurances and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 working days of annual leave per annum and other types of leave, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8 % of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).
Languages– SPC’s working languages are English and French.
Recruitment principles– SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilinguism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will begiven to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s private policy.
How to apply
Application procedure
Closing date: 16 October 2022 – 11:00 pm (Noumea time)
Job Reference: SH000170
Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/
Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.
For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:
- an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
- a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
- responses to all screening questions
Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference.
Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
Screening questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):
- Please describe the nature of your experience in procurement and/or awarding grants in public sector or not-for-profit organisations.
- Please describe how you would provide procurement support to a colleague who is a technical or scientific specialist, but has limited operational knowledge on how to undertake international procurement.
- Please describe a time when you have had to work closely with other team members and across teams to achieve high quality results to tight deadlines. What was your main contribution to the team?
- Please describe your experience working in a multi-sectoral, multi-national and multi-cultural environment.