Purchasing & Contracting Section Head (Headquarters Support)

Our Requirement:

Title: Purchasing & Contracting Section Head

(Headquarters Support)

Grade: 17

Duty Location: Brunssum, The Netherlands

Requirement filling date: as soon as possible

Closing date for applications: 17 May 2025

Our organisation

Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) provides a Joint headquarters to plan, prepare and conduct operations to support NATO’s core tasks, at the Joint Operational level, as directed by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

The Finance Directorate (J8) is responsible for all financial operations and correct application of all funds approved for use by JFCBS.

The Purchasing and Contracting Branch is responsible for the full spectrum of contracting activities in support of the JFCBS and its supported entities as well as in support of operations and exercises.

The Contracting Support Section is responsible for the initiation, processing and documenting of all contracting activities in the financial system FinS. The incumbent directs and manages all contracting related activities in the Contracting Support Section, is the JFCBS Senior Contracting Officer. The incumbent is the principal advisor to the Branch Head and the Financial Controller on procurement issues.

The main duties of P&C Section Head (Headquarters Support):

·         In line with articles III and XXXII of the Financial Rules & Procedures (FRP) holds the exclusive authority as a duly warranted contracting officer to commit the Organisation in legal binding contracts.

·         Directs and manages all contracting related activities in the Contracting Support Section and is the primary responsible senior contracting officer for FinS approval.

·         Directly supervises and administers HQ portfolio of bid solicitations, negotiations and awards, certifies vendor compliance and the Purchase Card Program.

·         Contributes in developing technical specifications and contracts for procurement actions, and co-ordinates bidding activities.

·         Researches, develops, and recommends procurement policy, procedures, and contracting acquisition strategies.

·         Coordinates with the legal office on all assessments and interpretation of laws pertaining to contractual activities and negotiates settlement of disputes.

·         Reviews and evaluates NATO service support provided by other NATO agencies and national agreements.

·         Responsible for decision whether or not to outsource to NATO Agencies on a business case basis and involved in proper tasking of the Agency if required.

·         Chairs Local Solicitation Review Boards prior to releasing International Competitive Biddings to industry.

·         Maintains contact with industry in order to track contractor progress and compliance, keep up with (new) commercial / industry standards / best practices / trends and to ensure industry interest in NATO biddings resulting in competitive pricing Maintains relations within the HQ with requirements owners and fund managers to ensure approved and funded requirements are met in a timely manner.

·         Proactively participates in defining, mitigating and managing the risks within the functional area of responsibility in the Finance Directorate/J8 and actively contributes to implement and maintain the internal control framework of the Finance Directorate / J8.

·         Performs key roles in directing, guiding and leading his staff towards achievement of assigned tasks and responsibilities, which includes the assignment of priorities. Performs key roles in directing, guiding and leading his staff towards achievement of assigned tasks and responsibilities, which includes the assignment of priorities.

·         Dependent on requirements may be required to direct and supervise the work priorities of one or more HQ multifunctional teams.

·         Supervises tasks, duties and activities of the other COs in such a manner to safeguard the interest of JFC Brunssum, SHAPE and NATO in all the contract relationships in order to avoid present and future claims for liability.

·         Legal accountability for contracts.

·         Contracting warrant.

The incumbent may be required to undertake deployments in support of military operations and exercises, and/or TDY assignments, both within and without NATO boundaries. Such operational deployment may exceed 30 days duration up to 183 days in any period of 547 days, and may be on short notice. For NATO International Civilian Staff, acceptance of an employment contract linked to this post constitutes agreement to deploy in excess of 30 days if required.

Required Qualifications are:

Ø  English – good – NATO Standard Language Proficiency 3333

(Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) in accordance with NATO standard agreement (STANAG) 6001.

NOTE: The work both oral and written in this post and in this Headquarters as a whole is conducted mainly in English.

Ø  University Degree or equivalent in supply chain management, commercial and mercantile law, logistics, inventory management, procurement, business administration, management or related discipline.

Ø  Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in acquisition processes in a senior management position.

Ø  Minimum 3 years’ professional experience supervising and managing personnel.

Ø  Minimum 4 years’ professional experience managing procurement operations within a large national / multinational / International Organization.

Ø  Experience with International and/or public sector contracting policies and regulations.

Desirable Qualifications are:

Ø  Comprehensive understanding of operational logistics.

Ø  Professional experience in financial management positions, supply management or logistics.

Ø  Experience with NATO contracting policies and regulations.

Ø  Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) certification.

Ø  Completion of relevant courses / training / certifications.

The successful candidate possesses following personal attributes:

ü  Excellent communication skills, both oral and written - able to communicate at all levels;

ü  High level of interpersonal skills including tact and diplomacy;

ü  Able to work effectively in an international environment;

ü  Good analytical skills;

ü  Supervisory skills;

The successful selected candidate needs to have a NATO security clearance and is required to pass a medical examination before an employment contract offer will be released. The medical examination will take place with our medical consultant, is required to determine if the recommended candidate is fit to perform the duties, and is deployable to NATO's areas of operation.

Due date for receipt of applications: Saturday 17 May 2025, 23:59.

Candidates have to apply electronically in NATO Talent Acquisition Program:

https://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en

Please be aware that a Selection Board will only assess the information provided in the job submission form including the answers to the pre-screening questions and description of your work experiences (Attachments are supporting documents and should not be referred to in the job submission).

Only candidates meeting ALL essential required qualifications will be considered and be assessed in competition with other candidates.

Results will be communicated by beginning of June 2025; test and interviews will be organised in Brunssum, The Netherlands end of June 2025.