Senior Procurement Officer – IECD-R

Job Title: Senior Procurement Officer – IECD-R

Department: Procurement

Reports To: Procurement Manager

Country/Location: Rwanda/Kigali

Background

As part of the universal mission of the Catholic Church, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) works with local, national and international Catholic institutions and structures, as well as other organizations, to assist people on the basis of need, not creed, race or nationality. The primary goal of CRS/Rwanda programming is to ensure that vulnerable households in Rwanda achieve full, integral human development.

Job Summary:

The Improving Early Childhood Development in Rwanda (IECD-R) programs responds to the challenge of limited access to integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) services in Rwanda and focuses on the conception to three-year-olds (0 – 3) age group. It seeks to build the knowledge and skills of parents and caregivers, enabling better stimulation, learning, protection, nutrition, and health and as a result better physical, social, cognitive and emotional development for approximately 730,000 children.

You will coordinate local procurement activities and processes for the project to acquire goods and services in support of the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable. Your knowledge and experience will allow you to successfully coordinate the quality and efficiency of procurement and purchasing activities and ensure stewardship, integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Job Responsibilities:

• Coordinate fully compliant procurement systems and operating procedures. Assess effectiveness and efficiency and recommend improvements. Contribute to ensuring compliance with CRS procurement principles, standards, and policies, donor regulations, and local statutory requirements.
• Coordinate with the project staff to develop and maintain an up-to-date procurement plan and needs, including travel logistics needs, with all quantities, quality and delivery requirements for goods and services. Provide pricing information to assist budget holders with budget preparation.
• Coordinate the sourcing process and perform various activities to assist with ensuring the best value for money: market research, cost estimates, solicitation documents, bidding process facilitation, supplier identification and research, quality and availability of goods assessment, negotiation, contract/purchase order and other documents preparation.
• Communicate with other procurement staff and various program and operations units to coordinate and track goods/services delivery and receipt and keep everyone informed of the status. Collect information to confirm that goods/services delivered are what has been ordered in the correct quantities and quality, they arrive on schedule and at the right cost.
• Maintain correspondence and constant contact with suppliers to follow up on the execution of contractual terms and conditions, and handle issues if needed. Monitor and report on supplier performance, noting current and/or potential issues and/or inefficiencies and assist with contract/purchase order modifications.
• Accountable for transparency within the procurement department through ensuring a complete, accurate and up-to-date document trail of all procurement processes, vendor files, procurement, and inventory database to assist with control and accountability. Prepare reports and facilitate document retrieval.
• Coordinate with a fleet to arrange transportation of project staff and goods as needed.
• With Contract Compliance Officer, work to build the capacity of local partner staff in a contract and CRS- compliant procurement and logistics through training and on-the-job mentoring.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or other relevant degrees. Professional certification a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in procurement/purchasing management, logistics, administration, preferably with an international organization.
• Good knowledge of various donor procurement regulations (e.g. DFID/UKAID, USAID)
• Knowledge of international and national procurement regulations and local market conditions.
• Knowledge of contract terms, as well as a proven ability to successfully complete purchase orders against specifications.
• Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Experience with database management systems (e.g. MS Access) highly desirable.

Personal Skills

• Good planning and coordination skills and ability to prioritize competing priorities effectively
• Good analytical skills with the ability to make independent judgment and decisions
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented with a focus on meeting customer needs
• Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics
• Good negotiation, communication, and relationship management skills

Required/Desired Foreign Language Full working proficiency in English and Kinyarwanda required.

Travel Required A minimum of 10% of field-based travel is required for this position.

 Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: Programme Assistant; Drivers

Internal: IECD-R Program Staff; Finance Manager; Contract Compliance Officer

External: Local partner procurement staff  

Agency-wide Competencies:

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Accountability and stewardship
• Builds relationships
• Develops talent
• Continuous improvement and innovation
• Strategic mindset

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

How to apply

Electronic applications-Only a motivation letter and a current detailed CV should be addressed to the CRS Country Representative exclusively at RW_HR@crs.org not later than Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 5:00 pm. Please, include “MEAL Manager/IECD” and your name in the subject line.  Due to anticipated high interest in this post and the expected number of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.