Senior Procurement Officer

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow’s problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security and improving natural resources.

The CIMMYT Regional office for Africa is located at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) at Gigiri, Nairobi, with country offices in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. In Kenya, CIMMYT is hosted by World Agroforestry (ICRAF), that is headquartered on United Nations Avenue, Nairobi.

We invite you to learn more about CIMMYT and World Agroforestry by accessing our web sites: www.cimmyt.org and www.worldagroforestry.org

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.

The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.

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.

• 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.
• 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.

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.

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.

Application process
Click here to apply. The application deadline is 28 July 2024. CV and Cover Letter should be in PDF and Labelled with the applicants First and Second Names.
We will acknowledge all applications but will only contact short-listed candidates.
CIFOR-ICRAF is an equal opportunity employer. Staff diversity contributes to excellence.