Senior Procurement Manager at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

The Global Procurement group is a new team at Mercy Corps, bringing together functions which are currently handled by Operations, Finance, Compliance and Legal departments. Procurement at Mercy Corps is currently decentralized with the majority of the agency’s procurement spending occurring at the field level.

General Position Summary

Develop tailored supply plans for each category and country. Establish long-term agreements with high-quality suppliers to reduce transactional work and receive better terms. Ensure all procurement is done through the supply chain team to eliminate ‘shadow’ spend. Develop excellent partnerships with suppliers and other organizations.

The Senior Procurement Manager has the responsibility for the development and maintenance of strategic initiatives within all sourcing categories of responsibility including NFI’s, vehicles, communications, water and sanitation, food, health and cash assistance. Specific responsibilities include development of category strategies, supplier negotiations, identification of cost saving opportunities and overall management of supplier relationships. A good proportion of the total category spend and suppliers will not be managed directly; however, the senior procurement manager will need to consider the total spend within the category and provide support and oversight.

Strategy & Vision

• Demonstrate significant expertise in contract negotiations and cost management
• Contract administration and management
• Support ongoing management of procurement policies and procedures
• Liaise with country program procurement teams to ensure global supplier performance is tracked
• Develop category strategies
• Manage RFX, RFP process
• Cultivate supplier relationships
• Lead strategic supplier relationship management to continually identify process improvements and cost reduction opportunities
• Maintain relationships with various business functions across the organization including legal, regional/country offices, marketing etc.
• Well versed in analysis of spend data and cost models for continuous improvement
• The complexity of categories and projects require high quality project and program management skills and a proven ability to manage change both internally and externally

Organizational Learning

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specificallyto our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Knowledge and Experience

• 8-10 years of procurement related experience
• BA/S in business management, supply chain management, or related field
• NGO experience preferred with thorough understanding of institutional donors’ (USAID, DFID, OFDA, ECHO) policies relating to procurement
• Ability to establish supplier specifications, measure conformance and identify process improvement opportunities in conjunction with internal customers
• Advanced knowledge of procurement industry cost structures and drivers
• Proven organizational, analytical and problem solving skills with the ability to conduct independent research and analysis, perform statistical calculations, identify issues, formulate options, and make recommendations
• Ability to provide fact based advice and development of market and industry analysis
• Ability to multitask productively and prioritize effectively
• Demonstrated openness to change and the ability to manage complexities in a timely, professional and quality manner
• General knowledge of applicable laws and regulations
• Knowledge of Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word as well as experience implementing and using procurement systems
• Must have proven project management skills and ability to analyze and resolve complex issues
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills, able to collaborate and motivate teams who are globally dispersed
• Excellent problem solving and negotiation skills
• Experience of working in Africa and Middle East