Regional Procurement Manager at British High Commission Nairobi

Main purpose of job:

• To serve as a member of the Regional Procurement Hub within the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Commercial Directorate, supporting the delivery of professional procurement services across the Africa Network. The role requires close collaboration with customers, suppliers, and key stakeholders to ensure effective procurement delivery, contract management, performance monitoring, compliance, reporting, and continuous improvement across all procurement activities.
• The FCDO Commercial Directorate is responsible for acquiring the goods and services required by the organisation, both in the United Kingdom and across its global network of over 260 offices. This includes managing complex and high-value procurement activities, establishing commercial policies and procedures, and ensuring the delivery of value for money, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
• The FCDO operates a regional service delivery model for Finance, Procurement, and Human Resources across its global network. This approach is designed to achieve efficiencies, reduce costs, and maximise value from expenditure while maintaining high standards of service delivery through consistent and effective procurement practices.
• The Procurement Operating Model embeds procurement expertise within the regional structure to provide specialist commercial support to FCDO Posts worldwide. Procurement acts as a strategic delivery partner, providing professional advice and expertise throughout the procurement lifecycle, supporting the delivery of procurement projects, and maintaining strong links with the central Commercial Directorate in the UK.
• The Regional Procurement Manager will support the Regional Procurement Hub in delivering procurement services across the Africa Network. The role is responsible for managing regional procurement projects, ensuring the consistent application of procurement policies and processes, developing effective relationships with stakeholders and suppliers, and contributing to the successful delivery of the Regional Procurement Hub’s strategy and objectives.
• The job holder will lead the day-to-day commercial relationship with the Africa Network, proactively forecasting requirements for goods and services across category areas, developing category strategies, conducting market research, and identifying suppliers capable of delivering value-for-money outcomes. Working closely with a broad range of internal customers, the Regional Procurement Manager will support the identification, specification, sourcing, and delivery of goods and services required by Posts and regional stakeholders across all procurement category areas.
• The role is based at BHC Nairobi, which serves as the legal employer. However, on a day-to-day basis, the post holder will operate within the FCDO Commercial Directorate and Regional Procurement Hub structure, receiving tasking, direction and performance oversight from the relevant FCDO commercial leadership.
• The Regional Procurement Hub team, including the line manager for this role, is based in Pretoria, South Africa. While the Regional Procurement Manager will work closely with colleagues across the Africa Network, the position has no direct line management responsibility for staff at individual Posts.

Delivery of Regional Procurement Projects with a Lifetime Value Exceeding £25,000 (55%)

• Lead and deliver regional procurement projects with a total contract value exceeding £25,000, ensuring compliance with FCDO commercial policies, procurement regulations, and governance requirements. Work collaboratively with Posts and regional stakeholders to identify business requirements, assess opportunities for aggregation and standardisation, and leverage existing frameworks where appropriate. Where suitable arrangements do not exist, undertake end-to-end procurement activities for goods, services, and works.
• Provide commercial leadership throughout the procurement lifecycle, including market engagement, sourcing strategy development, tender management, contract award, and implementation. Ensure procurement activity effectively manages risk, delivers value for money, and supports the achievement of operational and strategic objectives. Contribute to the development and implementation of Regional Category Strategies and collaborate with UK Commercial teams on the development of Global Category Strategies.

Management of Regional Procurement Activity (10%)

• Support the effective operation of the Regional Procurement Hub through the coordination and management of day-to-day procurement activities across the Africa Network. Contribute to the delivery of the Regional Procurement Hub’s objectives, priorities, and service commitments by ensuring procurement requests are managed efficiently, consistently, and in accordance with established procedures and governance requirements.

Procurement Support and Commercial Advice to Posts (15%)

• Provide professional procurement and commercial support to Posts undertaking procurement activities exceeding £25,000. Work closely with customers and local teams to define requirements, challenge assumptions where appropriate, identify opportunities for improved procurement outcomes, and optimise supplier engagement.
• Provide guidance on procurement best practice, contract management, sourcing strategies, and commercial risk management to ensure that procurement activities are compliant, proportionate, and deliver value for money. Foster capability development across the network by sharing procurement knowledge and promoting consistent application of commercial standards.

 Procurement Performance, Governance and Reporting (20%)

• Monitor and manage procurement performance across the region through the effective administration of key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and Strategic Procurement Plans. Conduct regular compliance reviews and quarterly self-audits to ensure adherence to FCDO policies, governance requirements, and procurement processes, including the use of Jaggaer, contract management systems, procurement records, and tender documentation.

Prepare and provide accurate management information and performance reports for the Head of Procurement Hub, including but not limited to:

•  Regional Procurement Hub activity reporting.
• Supplier Maintenance Form tracking and monitoring.
• Weekly and monthly procurement performance dashboards.
• Procurement data integrity and reporting within Jaggaer.
• Jaggaer pipeline and activity reporting.
• Savings and benefits realisation tracking.
• Monthly procurement performance reports.
• Contract database management and reporting.
• Quarterly spend analysis and reporting.
• Annual spend and forward procurement pipeline reporting.
• Regional compliance and governance reporting.
• Any other procurement-related activities, reports, or analyses as required by the Head of Procurement Hub.

Resources managed

• No line management responsibility

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

• A minimum of 6 years procurement experience across various industries with 4 years in Strategic Sourcing.
• Contract Management Experience
• Degree/qualification in Procurement, Business, Supply Chain or similar
• Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

• To be enrolled with CIPS (or an equivalent qualification) and actively studying towards MCIPS or higher
• As a minimum, the applicant must have advance Microsoft Excel/MS Office suite experience
• Experience of working in a multinational environment across multiple time zones
• Project Management experience
• Experience in using eSouring platforms/tools