At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization.

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Do you have experience in procurement of high-tech supplies or civil engineering infrastructure? Would you like to participate in activities pushing the boundaries of science and technology? Do you want to help develop an environmentally friendly future for CERN’s infrastructure?

We're looking for 2 Procurement Professional, they will have the opportunity to take the lead in one of the following projects:

1.     Procurement project for the ATLAS and CMS upgrades

As the Procurement Professional working in the Research and Industrial Services (RI) unit, you will be responsible for developing, implementing and following up on a global strategy for contracts up to 200’000 CHF for the ATLAS and CMS Phase-II upgrades. Managing this project from beginning to end, you will:

• Work with technical departments and experiments to identify the procurement needs, timescales and budgetary constraints within the framework of the ATLAS and CMS Phase-II upgrades;
• Research relevant market and technological trends that can impact on the experiment upgrades, such as evolutions in raw material prices and currencies, the impact of economic conditions on the financial stability of contractors, and changes in applicable regulatory frameworks;
• Based on the above, work with the technical departments and experiments to define an overarching procurement strategy and set of policies that best support the experiment upgrade projects;
• Communicate and provide training as needed to users and fellow procurement officers on this;
• Source a pipeline of potential providers with the technologies and profiles appropriate to meet the procurement needs identified in your strategy;
• Take the lead on specific procurements by carrying out price enquiries and negotiating and placing orders and contracts, where these are required for the implementation of your strategy;
• Report regularly to the management of the resource coordination functions in the major LHC experiments on progress against the strategy in terms of procurement budget, time, etc.;
• Following implementation of the strategy, document the lessons learned and suggest improvements that can be applied to future procurement projects at CERN.

2.     Procurement project for the FCC study and the construction of new environment responsible buildings on CERN site

As the Procurement Professional working in the Administration and General Infrastructure unit, you will be responsible for developing, implementing and following up on a global strategy for contracts up to 200’000 CHF for the Future Circular Collider study and for developing and implementing environment responsible procurement principles for the construction of tertiary buildings on CERN site. Managing this project from beginning to end, you will:

• Work with FCC study team and civil engineering group to identify the procurement needs, timescales and budgetary constraints, and define procurement approach and strategy;
• Take the lead on specific procurement by carrying out price enquiries and negotiating and placing orders and contracts;
• Research best practices and market trends with regards to environment responsible procurement applied to civil engineering projects;
• Based on the above work, suggest proposals that can be applied for the procurement of large future construction projects;
• Implement proposals for the procurement of large tertiary buildings on CERN site to be launched over the period 2023-24.
• Report and document the lessons learnt and suggest improvements.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State;
• You have a Master’s degree and between 2 and 6 years’ experience or PhD with up to 3 years of relevant experience in procurement, civil engineering or other related field;
• You should have a working knowledge of English or French.

Skills and/or knowledge:

• Writing skills, including of commercial and contractual documentation;
• Ability to review complex technical specifications;
• Ability to lead a negotiation team in commercial, technical and contractual negotiations;
• Excellent communication, able to challenge constructively, adapt to feedback, and persuade others of your point of view Ability to deal with ambiguity and conflict;
• Excellent presentation skills;
• Working in cross-functional teams;
• Knowledge and experience of procurement of civil engineering work and/or indirect purchases.

What we offer: 

• An employment contract of 12 months;
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French;
• A monthly stipend ranging between 6050 and 6650 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax);
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund;
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract;
• 30 days of paid leave per year.

 How to Apply:

You will need the following documents to complete your application:

• A CV;
• A scanned PDF of your most recent relevant qualification;
• We recommend to add two recent letters of recommendation, giving an overview of your academic and/or professional achievements. You can upload these letters at the time of application if you have them to hand. You will also be provided with a link as soon as you have submitted your application to forward to your referees to upload their letters confidentially.

The earliest expected start date for selected candidates is May 2023.

Ready to take part? Then please submit your application by 23 January 2023 at  midnight (12.00 AM CEST).