The United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) is hiring a Chief (Procurement) at the P-4 level in Vienna on a temporary basis for 364 days. The role leads worldwide procurement of complex goods and services for UNODC, UNOV and other UN entities, and the application deadline is 1 September 2026.


Where This Role Sits

This position is located in the Procurement Unit (PU) of the General Support Section (GSS) of the Division for Management (DM), United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV). The incumbent works under the direct supervision of the Chief, General Support Section.

What You Would Lead

🛒 Serving as a senior procurement and contracting expert responsible for supervising a team carrying out worldwide procurement of a wide variety of supplies and services associated with highly complex (technically and legally) contracts, in accordance with the UN's Established Procurement Procedures and Financial Rules and Regulations, and planning and leading procurement for UNODC, UNOV and other UN entities as required.

🧭 Providing policy procurement guidance to the Chief of the General Support Section and technical advice on strategic procurement activities to officials at all levels during all phases of the procurement cycle.

📑 Analyzing, evaluating and processing procurement requests, ensuring thorough technical specifications and appropriate, measurable evaluation criteria in line with best-value-for-money principles.

📝 Monitoring and supervising the development of highly complex contracts for non-routine and technologically advanced commodities or long-range services, overseeing international tender invitations, supervising evaluation of tenders, recommending awards, signing procurement orders up to the authorized limit, and preparing submissions to the Contracts Committee where amounts exceed signature authority.

📈 Developing new strategic and tactical approaches to contracts based on market research, supervising the implementation of institutional procurement policies and procedures, and monitoring the development of standards and criteria for the evaluation of goods, services and supplier capacity.

🔎 Supervising the identification, review, qualification and registration of potential suppliers, evaluating manufacturers' productive capacities and performance, and approving the Source Selection Plan for formal procurement cases.

🤝 Establishing approaches for negotiations and conducting or coordinating all phases of negotiations, including disputes arising from contracts, and supporting the Chief, GSS, in developing a well-managed and agile supply chain for UNOV, UNODC and other UN Vienna-based or Secretariat entities.

🌍 Designing, managing and monitoring a sustainable and scalable delegation of authority framework for procurement, carrying out capacity-building and fact-finding missions to UNODC field offices, and managing, guiding, developing and training the staff of the Unit.

Who Can Apply

🎓 An advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in business administration, public administration, commerce, law or a related field is required. A first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu.

📜 An adequate professional certification by an internationally recognized procurement certification authority (CIPS or equivalent, e.g. CIPS4) is required.

📅 A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in procurement, contract management, administration or a related area is required, along with working experience in an ERP system. Experience with UN Financial Regulations and Rules, SAP (Umoja), implementing procurement structures or supply chain initiatives involving change management, delivering training, and data analytics are among the assets.


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Language

🗣️ For this job opening, English is required. German is desirable.


How Candidates Are Assessed

🧪 Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by a competency-based interview.


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Good to Know

⌛ This temporary position is available for 364 days, with actual filling and duration subject to availability of funding. If the selected candidate is an internal UN Secretariat staff member, the selection may be administered as a temporary assignment, and payment of a Special Post Allowance to the post level may be considered after three months subject to conditions. Vienna is classified in the H category (family duty station).

🚫 The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.


Deadline

⏳ 01 September 2026


Link

🔗 https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/283559?language=en

⚠️ Important Notice

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