Senior Procurement Specialist at World Bank

Job #: 171245
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Family: Procurement
Job Type: Professional & Technical
Grade: CG
Recruitment Type: Local Hire
Language Requirement: English [Essential]

Background / General Description

• The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life.
• To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data.

The Governance Global Practice (GGP) comprises a variety of different professional disciplines and has the following three thematic areas:  

• Solutions and Innovations in Procurement (SIP) Group focuses on advancing modern and open procurement systems, integrity in procurement, as well as its fiduciary management functions of Bank-funded operations.
• Financial Accountability and Reporting (FAR) Group focuses on transparency, financial accountability, and financial Reporting in the private and public sectors (accountability of institutions, oversight bodies and regulators), as well as financial management functions of Bank-funded operations.
• Public Sector and Institutions (PSI) Group focuses on key areas that underpin public sector and institutional reform. Some of the high priority cross-cutting issues are revenue mobilization, global tax issues and fiscal decentralization, open government, and justice for the poor.
• The GGP interventions range from diagnostics, technical assistance, and advisory services, learning, innovation and knowledge management and sharing, creating peer learning platforms, lending and reform project implementation, and monitoring and reporting.  An important part of its responsibilities is to deliver operational support to other Practices, including through inputs for policy-based operations, hands-on implementation advice and direct fiduciary due diligence of investment financing.
• The Solutions and Innovations in Procurement (SIP) Department convenes a leading group of practitioners focused on advancing cutting-edge practices and innovations in the fields of procurement. In that context, the SIP Department supports governments and non-governmental actors in institutional strengthening and capacity building, improvement and modernization of procurement and information systems and ensure efficiency of transactions in order to improve governance and development outcomes. The SIP Department advances these efforts across sectors and across all regions of the world.

The key themes of the SIP Group are as follows:

• Provide technical advice on procurement fiduciary activities and lead policy dialogue on procurement with client countries
• Support client countries in achieving value for money in public procurement in order to enhance service delivery and development outcomes with integrity
• Create the space for procurement/governance innovation to happen
• Establish proactive processes to identify and deploy knowledge to solve specific problems, and improve development outcomes in client countries
• Facilitate and join global platforms to share knowledge and practices across the world.
• The Africa unit of SIP Department of GGP seeks to recruit a local Senior Procurement Specialist to be based in Abuja, Nigeria, to provide support for the Nigeria portfolio. This position is geared to assisting the World Bank staff, Nigerian Government and other agencies in implementing World Bank-financed programs by providing critical procurement advice and support.
• The ideal candidate shall combine a deep understanding of project procurement in different sectors with a considerable knowledge of the budget execution issues in developing countries. S/he will have demonstrated operational and analytic skills and will possess strong knowledge and understanding of project procurement management. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge and working experience with design and implementation of e-Government Procurement Systems and Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Plays a leadership and advisory role to clients and colleagues in handling complex procurement tasks and issues, which frequently cut across sectors, countries and/or work units.
• Employs appropriate methodologies for handling simple and complex procurement tasks and/or issues.
• Supports clients in achieving value for money in public procurement and in Bank funded operations in order to enhance service delivery and development outcomes with integrity.
• Makes significant contributions in evaluating and developing improvements to borrower's procurement regulations/practices, including influencing the design, reform and establishment of national and subnational public procurement systems and strengthening of institutional capacity within borrower entities.
• Plays a substantive role in improving Bank procurement practices and approaches; generates "concept notes" and best practices papers and develops innovative solutions to particularly difficult procurement and related issues.
• Supports the strengthening of borrower procurement institutions and systems.
• Plays leadership role in the design and implementation of e-Government Procurement system.
• Leads missions and supervises major projects as a technical expert; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Prepares and/or comments on draft operational directives and policy papers; produces major/complex reports.
• Develops and executes training modules on complex procurement topics.
• Works closely with other procurement specialists in the country office under general direction of Accredited Practice Manager and under direct supervision of Procurement Hub Coordinator, and guides and mentors junior staff.
• Works closely with management and counterparts across the Bank as well as with counterpart officials in government, multi-national organizations, donor and other agencies.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s Degree or equivalent qualification relevant to this position and minimum of 8 years’ relevant experience in carrying out technical duties in procurement and contract management.
• State-of-the-art knowledge of public procurement principles, systems, process and planning, and approaches of international procurement, with proven ability to independently provide well researched analyses of complex procurement issues and problems.
• Seasoned knowledge and specialized command of all major facets of Bank procurement policies and practices as applied across a wide range of Bank lending operations at all phases of the project cycle, and ability to address broader issues at sector/country level.
• In-depth understanding of Bank operational policies and practices related to project/sector work.
• Seasoned knowledge of public procurement systems including legal framework and institutions.
• Good understanding of critical linkages and relationships among clients' business drivers, business operations and objectives and Procurement processes.
• Proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement major projects.
• Ability to promote client commitment to ensuring implementation and longer-term sustainability of projects/programs.
• Demonstrable experience in leading discussions with top government functionaries on public procurement reforms.
• Strong communication skills and persuasiveness in presenting, negotiating and resolving highly complex issues, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to identify complex issues and to respond and handle them accordingly; does not add unnecessary complexity to tasks or projects.
• Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as a team leader and team member.
• Ability to lead a team of professionals in the execution of major projects.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
• Language Requirement: English (Essential)
• Knowledge and working experience with design and implementation of e-Government Procurement Systems and Supply Chain Management will be an added advantage.

Required Competencies
Delivers Results for Clients:

• Develops and implements solutions that show understanding of how clients and/or own work achieves results that are financially, environmentally and socially sustainable
• Shares new insights based on in-depth understanding of the client and recommends solutions for current and future needs of clients
• Holds self and team accountable for risk management and outcomes

Collaborates Within Teams and Across Boundaries:

• Collaborates across organizational boundaries, internally and externally with a sense of mutuality and respect
• Consistently engages others in open dialogue, brings out any conflicting viewpoints and incorporates viewpoints into solutions, giving credit where credit is due. Leverages expertise of all team members to ensure successful outcomes
• Makes choices and sets priorities with a WBG corporate perspective in mind

Lead and Innovate:

• Encourages and works with others to identify, incubate and implement relevant solutions
• Identifies opportunities in changing circumstances and energizes others to continuously improve, using intentional strategies to boost morale, team spirit, and productivity in context of WBG’s values and mission
• Helps others to understand problems, client needs and the underlying context

Create, Apply and Share Knowledge:

• Ensures systematic sharing of good practices and learning from lessons from across WBG, clients, and partners
• Is known across WBG in their subject area and is sought out by WBG colleagues to advise, peer review, or contribute to knowledge products of others
• Seeks mentoring opportunities with more experienced staff to deepen or strengthen their professional knowledge and mentors junior staff
• Builds networks across the WBG and as part of external professional groups/networks