CIMMYT is looking for a:

Senior Procurement Officer

The Senior Procurement Officer will be involved in the development and implementation of a procurement strategy to ensure purchasing of goods, services and materials required in the Kenya office are acquired in a timely manner. The officer will drive negotiations with suppliers, analyze market trends, submit purchasing plans and budgets and manage relationships with key stakeholders.

Summary of responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the officer will be strategic sourcing of materials and services, managing and improving procurement processes, optimizing costs without compromising quality and managing the relationship with key stakeholders.

1. Procurement Strategy: Along with internal clients, produce and keep updated purchasing plan that includes potential suppliers, budget vs. actuals, estimated delivery dates and a set of KPIs to measure the success of the plan.
2. Managing Procurement Process:

• Review of specifications for accuracy.
• Support in creating purchase requisitions.
• Identifying, appraising and engaging potential suppliers within CIMMYT policies and procedures
• Maintaining relationships with suppliers and vendors, including negotiating contractual terms and prices
• Contributing to the redaction of contracts and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of CIMMYT while also adhering to the administrative procedure
• Ensuring goods and services are timely delivered.
• Accurate record Keeping of procurement documents electronically and manually

The Procurement Strategy should be attained with high standards on:

• Collaborating with a set of different stakeholders Scientists, Program or project administrators, administrative assistants, suppliers, and intermediaries to understand their needs and ensure procurement activities support their objectives.
• Prior Knowledge of the Agribusiness sector is an added advantage
• Continuously streamlining the procurement processes to make them agile and achieve the desired results in terms of delivery date, cost efficiency, quality of the goods and services.
• Accountability and reporting on each phase of the process by implementing KPIs.

Essential Academic and Professional Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, international commerce or Business Management.
• Professional qualification by Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supplies (CIPS) or Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM)
• Progressive experience of more than five years two of which must be as a senior officer.

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong presentation and communication skill.
• A strong command of written and spoken English language.
• Solid knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office software including Excel, PowerPoint and ERPs (Dynamics 365 will be an asset).
• Strong analytical skills and ability to process both quantitative as well as qualitative information.
• Advanced skills in Windows Operating System, LAN, and Internet.
• Ability to prioritize and organize work efficiently.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Good interpersonal skills, integrity, honesty and self-motivation.
• Ability to work well within a team.

Terms and conditions

• This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position and on competitive remuneration in local currency, commensurate with skills and experience.
• The appointment will be for a period of two (2) years, inclusive of a six-month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
• The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.