Procurement Officer at Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services a Development Organization is seeking qualified, experienced, and highly motivated Procurement Officer who will coordinate in collaboration with the Procurement Manager, local procurement activities and processes 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. You will provide consistent and high-quality service and contribute to the proper stewardship of resources to help ensure operational effectiveness in support of high-quality programming.

The position is based in YAOUNDE/Cameroon

Primary 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 various departments to develop and maintain an up-to-date procurement plan with all quantities, quality and delivery requirements for goods, cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and services. Provide pricing information to assist budget holders with budget preparation.

· Coordinate sourcing process to ensure the best value for money. Key activities include: market assessments and price monitoring, defining supplier evaluation criteria, facilitating transparent and consistent bidding and vendor selection processes, quality and availability of goods assessment, negotiation, and contract/purchase order 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 and CVA assets delivered are what have been ordered in the correct quantities and quality, they arrive on schedule and at the right cost.

· Maintain correspondence and constant contact with suppliers and voucher vendors 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.

Qualifications and Experience:

· Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or other relevant degree.

· Minimum of 3 years work experience in procurement/purchasing management, logistics, administration, preferably with an international organization.

· Good knowledge of various donor procurement regulations (e.g. USAID, EU, UN)

· 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.

Personal Skills

· Good time management skills with ability to work on multiple tasks

· Strong customer service orientation with good communication and interpersonal skills

· Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented

· Extremely flexible and have the ability to cope with stressful situations.

· Excellent analytical skills with ability to make sound judgment and decisions

· Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics

· Good negotiation, communication, and relationship management skills

· Ability to work collaboratively

· Professional certification is a plus.

· Knowledge of market assessments

Required Travel: Must be willing and able to travel up to 20%.

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