Procurement Specialist - Ukraine Operations Office - Ukraine Jobs Opening

August 3, 2024

DAI

Київ

Procurement Specialist - Ukraine Operations Office

PROCUREMENT SPECIALIST, UKRAINE OPERATIONS OFFICE
DAI seeks qualified applicants for a full-time Procurement Specialist, to be based in Kyiv, Ukraine. This is an immediate opportunity and interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for consideration.

BACKGROUND
DAI has a significant presence in Ukraine, with five active projects totaling more than $758 million. While these projects vary in scope and focus, they are all involved in intricate and complex operational processes, including grant programs, procurements, and sub-contract relationships. The pressure on the project teams has been intense due to first the COVID 19 pandemic followed by Russia’s invasion, as USAID Ukraine has added significant new funding and responsibilities. In some cases, this required the projects to pivot significantly from their original objectives, and thus created gaps in alignment between the skills needed for success and those possessed by the core team.
Procurements have become a large part of DAI’s Ukraine projects’ portfolios, which has put increasing pressure on project teams to procure goods and services quickly and efficiently. This level of activity and scrutiny requires continuous oversight to ensure efficient, timely, and compliant operations.
As the number of procurements and other operational processes grow, however, it has become increasingly necessary for DAI to field a cross-project operational team to a) remove implementation roadblocks affecting all projects, b) build the capacity of project operations teams, c) serve as a liaison between members of DAI’s Home Office and field teams, and d) ensure compliance through focused oversight and training of project personnel.

ROLE’S PURPOSE
The Procurement Specialist for the Ukraine Operations Office will coordinate and support the procurement of goods and services in support of multiple projects while ensuring integrity, fairness, and openness in procurement processes and adherence to all relevant policies, procedures, and controls. S/he will ensure compliance with USAID policies and procedures, contractual limitations and requirements, and any other procurement policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems. The Procurement Specialist will support all projects in designing procurement strategies, conducting market research and other pre-procurement activities, and proactively addressing anticipated procurement issues on both project-specific and multi-project procurements. S/he will also provide surge support to targeted projects as needed and partner with appropriate staff on DAI’s Ukraine projects to streamline procurements and procurement processes.

OBJECTIVES AND DUTIES
The Procurement Specialist will be based in Ukraine and will be responsible for the following:

Conduct the full life cycle of procurement activities (developing specifications/scopes of work, requisitions, solicitations, cost estimates, collection of quotes, bid evaluation, cost/price analysis, source selection documentation) for procurements that support multiple projects
Ensure compliance of procurement activities with relevant USAID policies and procedures, contractual limitations and requirements, and any other procurement policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems established by the project’s Field Operations Manual (FOM) and general DAI policies and procedures.
Help to ensure integrity, fairness, and appropriate transparency in procurement processes while ensuring adequate competition is achieved per relevant policies and procedures.
Proactively conduct market research and other pre-procurement activities (vendor identification, expressions of interest) for all projects in anticipation of major procurements
Support all projects in designing comprehensive procurement strategies and procurement tracking mechanisms
Conduct market research and collect independent price information to inform price analysis, and prepare cost evaluation and source selection documentation, including relevant price data.
Maintain vendor databases, contacts, and pre-qualification lists to be shared with all projects
Facilitate evaluation of applications and bids with consideration for allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency.
Prepare complete, comprehensive, and compliant documentation for procurement processes, approvals, and resulting contracts or agreements.
Ensure proper filing for all required and relevant procurement documentation and records to the projects’ TAMIS and Share Point files, ensuring appropriate and timely organization and completeness of project records and relevant approvals in TAMIS.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s Degree (or foreign equivalent) or above in political science, international development, public/business administration, international relations, other social sciences, or a similar relevant field.
At least four years’ relevant professional experience, including experience in project management, financial management, operations, procurement, logistics, and/or related areas.
Excellent working knowledge and experience administering competitive procurements, government contracts, subcontracts, purchase orders and grants with FAR regulations is essential
Prior experience in procurement, administration, and/or operations for USAID or other international donor-funded development programs
Demonstrated knowledge and familiarity with USAID regulations (AIDAR) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
Ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities without compromising the quality of work
Ability to work effectively in a cross-functional team
Strong communication abilities
Proficiency with MS Office software, especially Excel
Excellent English writing, speaking, and reading skills
Experience in Ukraine desired