Procurement Manager at ACDI/VOCA

Job Summary: 

The position will be based in Nairobi and is responsible for managing and executing procurement operations pertaining to Resilience Learning Activity and USAID KUZA Projects operational activities and grant portfolio. Leads on procurement initiatives and prepares and processes requisitions, purchase orders and contracts for materials, supplies, lease contracts and services. Ensures they are in conformity with company policies and procedure and USAID regulations. Ensures all regular and ad hoc procurement reports and requisitions are completed in a timely manner and met the minimum quality standards.

Position holder reports to the Chief of Party.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities:

• Oversees the procurement operations in the project and ensures that procurement functions follow ACDI/VOCA’s Procurement Manual, USAID rules and regulations, and if applicable Kenyan law. Identify potential procurements which may require additional USAID approval (e.g., restricted goods) and work with appropriate project technical staff and HQ staff to obtain approvals in a timely manner.
• Liaises with appropriate ACDI/VOCA office staff regarding procurement issues, including compliance, as well as to ensure that the Procurement Department is adequately meeting the needs of the project staff. Ensures all capital assets are registered in the assets database and tagged prior to use by staff.
• Manages the work of an assigned employee. Prioritizes, organizes, distributes, and coordinates the flow of procurement activities. May provide necessary training, guidance and recommendations on procurement management, job performance, and employee professional development.
• Manages and executes procurements associated with the project’s grant portfolio. Leads in developing the standard pre-assessment criteria for prospective grantees. Prepares solicitation documents, solicits all competition requirements including advertisements for services, drafts final vendor selection or non-competition justification for files. Maintains appropriate procurement trackers. Maintains an inventory of grant funded items as part of the project’s inventory tracking. Monitors the grants procurement process and ensures completion.
• Leads in preparation and process of requisitions, purchase orders and contracts for materials, supplies and services. Ensures they are in conformity with ACDI/VOCA and USAID policy. Provides advice and guidance to staff on procurement matters for all office administration-related procurements. Analyzes procurement requirements and selects the most appropriate methods based on interpretation and assessment of established policies, practices and experience. Measures vendor performance and manages vendors concerns and questions. Develops and maintains and updated vendor list by category of items. Creates and maintains procurement records and ensures accuracy and integrity of data.
• Plans, organizes, and leads the bid solicitation process including drafting and issuing RFQs and RFPs, developing bid evaluation criteria and guiding staff on processes involved. Manages the bid evaluation process ensuring the integrity of the competitive process. Facilitates bidder debriefings. Organizes and coordinates technical review committees for RFQ and RFP responses. Analyzes, negotiates and prepares contractual agreements, ensuring appropriate terms and conditions are included to protect the interests of ACDI/VOCA. Conducts negotiations with project vendors during the contracting stage, including: rates, discounts, alternative fee arrangements and leverage spending. Monitors and reviews progress of contractual agreements. Reviews invoices prior to approval for payment, resolving any problems that arise. Performs post contract evaluations.
• Ensures all regular and ad hoc reports regarding procurement activities are completed in a timely manner.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in in relevant field is required. Preferably Business Administration, Purchasing and Supply. A Master’s degree in a related field will be an advantage.
• At least five years of procurement experience, with a minimum of three years in an equivalent position with an International NGO or an international organization project providing development assistance.
• Must have a minimum of one year of procurement/ contracting experience with USAID-funded projects.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex procurement operations with shifting priorities and deadline pressure.
• Strong analytical skills, including ability to gather and analyze a variety of information pertaining to issues and to develop appropriate recommendations for action.
• Ability to communicate effectively with persons on all levels both inside and outside the company on issues that could be complex or sensitive in nature.
• Strong written communication skills, including demonstrated ability to write required documents in a clear, concise, well-organized manner.
• Proven ability to effectively use databases, spreadsheet, word processing, and position-specific software