Internship - United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Development Programme

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP:  we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a 'leave no one behind' approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Background

UNDP, the global development network for the United Nations system, is present in over 170 countries and territories and is uniquely equipped to help developing countries build sustainable capacity to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In support of this, UNDP offers a wide range of solutions to global, regional and national development challenges through a comprehensive knowledge network, expert practitioners and focused strategic areas of support.

The Office of Procurement (OP) under the Bureau of Management Services (BMS) of UNDP, is responsible for development of procurement policy, corporate procurement services, procurement advisory services, as well as strategic procurement services to Country Offices and Central Bureaus. In addition, OP provides capacity building to the UNDP global procurement function.  OP supports UNDP's programme delivery in line with UNDP's Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and follows best practices in public sustainable procurement and the rules and regulations of UNDP, the accountability framework, while ensuring appropriate risk management for UNDP.   We are a global team based in New York (USA), Copenhagen (Denmark) and in Cyberjaya (Malaysia), with additional Regional Procurement Specialists located in each Bureau Hub (Panama, Addis Ababa, Amman, Istanbul and Bangkok).

The Central Procurement Team (CPT) within the Office of Procurement, based in New York, provides procurement support services for UNDP business units by centrally coordinating all procurement transactions over $5K. It serves central bureaus within UNDP to ensure cost and time efficiency, required compliance and added value to clients.

Those central bureaus identify procurement needs and make decisions, while CPT provides procurement services, guides the client through the process and decides on the best sourcing strategy. Routing procurement requests through CPT will lead to a quicker turn-around time, and a higher quality, cost effective outcome

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Procurement Specialist and the Chief of the CPT, the intern will be entrusted the following different tasks, among others:
Daily procurement support to Team Members:

• Attending CPT related meetings and taking notes thereof;
• Coordinating the logistics of candidates' interviews and setups for the procurement of individual contractors;
• Supporting CPT buyer in preparing draft evaluation reports including technical and financial evaluation matrixes for procurement processes; 
• Drafting contracts for new vendors and amendments of existing contracts;
• Assisting CPU buyers in organization of procurement processes:  Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Invitations to Bid (ITBs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Individual Contractors (ICs), Micro purchasing and Direct Contracting;
• Conducting other procurement related tasks upon request.

 Support to the CPT Team operational sustainability:

• Maintaining of the contract database;
• Reviewing, analyzing and updating the clients' feedback surveys and CPT website;
• Supporting in the preparation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents for CPT contract management;
• Notifying CPT clients about upcoming contract expirations and following up on expired/archived contracts;
• Assisting in market research tasks for the preparation of documents prior to the launching of tenders and during the assessment of value for money;
• Supporting the Procurement Focal Points in preparing presentations for procurement Knowledge Sharing sessions;

Supporting of future recruitment of CPT interns.

Competencies

• Innovation: Ability to make new and useful ideas work.
• Delivery: Ability to prioritize work and follow a chain of command structure.
• Technical/Functional: Ability to efficiently use the MS Office package (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Analytical: Excellent research skills, combined with a proven analytical aptitude and ability to tap into a vast array of traditional and new knowledge sources.
• Communication: Excellent writing skills, as well as strong analytical aptitude and strong communication skills in a team setting.
• Organizational: Strong organizational, time management, communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work flexibly.
• Teamwork: Demonstrates intercultural sensitivity in a multicultural environment.
• Additional skills
  • Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP's values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
     

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Students in development, business, international relations, law or related fields who are currently: i) enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); or ii) enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); or (iii) have graduated with a university degree and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation.

Experience:

• Working experience in procurement/finance/business administration is an asset, but not required. 
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• All applicants must be fluent in both written and spoken English;
• Additional UN languages are a distinct advantage

Eligibility:

Applicants to the UNDP internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements: 

• Be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree equivalent, or higher); 
• Be enrolled in the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum Bachelor's level or equivalent); 
• Have graduated with a university degree (as defined in (a) and (b) above) and, if selected, must start the internship within one-year of graduation. 

Availability: 6 months - Full-time 

Additional Information:

• Interns may be paid a stipend under the conditions prescribed below;
• Costs and arrangements for travel, visas, passports, accommodation and living expenses are the responsibility of the interns;  
• The intern will be expected to provide the following documentation once selected:
  • Certificate of Good Health from a qualified medical practitioner
  • Proof of medical insurance covering the period of insurance.
  • Proof of enrollment in or graduation certificate
  • Copy of valid Passport and 
  • Proof of Valid residence and work permit for the duty station for the duration of the internship.  
• Where an intern is not financially supported by any institution or programme, such as a university, government, foundation or scholarship programme, a stipend intended to help cover basic daily expenses related to the internship, such as meals and transportation at the duty station, must be paid by the receiving office.
• The monthly amount of the stipend will be determined for each duty station based on the stipend rates published yearly by the OHR Policy and Compensation Unit.
• Where an intern is financially supported by an institution, government or third party, UNDP will, subject to the rules of such institution, government or third party, pay the intern the difference, if any, between the external financial support provided and the applicable UNDP stipend.

Further Career Opportunities:

The purpose of internships is not to lead to further employment with UNDP but to complement an intern's studies. However, a number of interns, having completed their studies and met the necessary requirements, have gone on to further assignments with the UNDP or elsewhere in the United Nations system.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

• UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

• UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.  
• UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position:

• Application preparation: Before you apply for this position: Improve your application documents by registering for a Job Application Support. Our coaches are here to help tailor your application to the requirements of the job (service provided at your own cost).
• Interview preparation: When invited to the interview: Prepare for the interview by registering for a Job Application Support.
• Additional services for  Swiss nationals who get invited to the selection process (written test, interview, assessment centre, etc.):
  • Let us know by writing to recruitment@cinfo.ch. We flag matching applications to HR partners and SDC/SECO for visibility.
  • Benefit from free interview/assessment preparation by registering here : Interview and Assessment Centre Preparation for Jobs in Multilateral Organisations. Our coaches stand ready to help prepare for upcoming interview/assessment centre.

Sector: Nonprofit/Community/Social Services/International Cooperation

Role: Other

Working hours (%): 80-100% / 100%

Job type: Internship