Procurement Officer (El Geneina) – CRS

Job Description

Organization	Catholic Relief Services
Job Title:	Procurement Officer
Section/Unit	Procurement
Duty Station	Sudan, West Darfur, El Geneina
Closing Date:	30 Sept 2024

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding

Duties and responsibilities:

Job Summary:

You will coordinate 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. S/he shall ensure that all procurement and services contract abide to the procurement policy. Full documentation of all procurement and services contracted are maintained, updated, and could be friendly tracked. S/he shall perform his/her responsibility in coordination with all interest parties in sub-offices and main office.

Roles and Key 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 and projects 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, and contract/purchase order preparation.
• ÂCommunicate 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.
• Organize Bid Review Committees (BRC) if needed, and ensure they follow all BRC guidelines as stipulated in the CRS Procurement Manual.
• Ensure that all procurement is processed for all applicable exonerations as established in the Host Country Agreement or through Donor Agreements, and draft any exemption letters for VAT, duty and tax whenever necessary.
• Track the status of each procurement request and update management and requestors through regular Procurement Status Reports (PSRs).
• Periodically generate an evaluation report on supplier/vendor performance with recommendations based on service delivery/track record (at least every 6 months).
• Assist in the preparation of award letters, agreements, memos and letters as needed
• Maintain an updated price list for commodities and frequent items.
• Provides support and training on procurement management to CRS staff and partners as found necessary by management.
• Provide coverage for other staff when required by workload or absence, and perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualification, Skills and Experience Required:

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or other relevant degree.
• Minimum of 3 years work experience in procurement/purchasing management, logistics, administration,
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferably with experience in an international organization.
• Specific CVA programming experience preferred.
• Knowledge of market assessments. Professional certification a plus. 
• Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Experience with database management systems (e.g. MS Access) highly desirable.
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Solid working knowledge of computers and the following software:  MS Excel, MS Word;  ability with MS Access a plus
• Experience working with INGO or UN preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities 

• Good planning and coordination skills and ability to prioritize competing priorities effectively 
• Good analytical skills with ability to make independent judgment and decisions
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented with focus on meeting customer needs 
• Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics 
• Good negotiation, communication, and relationship management skills
• Good time management skills with ability to work on multiple tasks at once
• Able to stay upbeat and positive when faced with repetitive tasks, maintaining focus and enthusiasm
• A strong team player
• Ability to work under stressful conditions
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic. Local Language skills are an advantage.

Required/Desired Foreign Language: Arabic and English oral and written communication skills essential

Travel Required: field based position, some occasional travel to project sites may be required

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory: n/a

Internal: ÂProcurement Manager, Administration Officer, State Office Manager, and SCM Manager. ÂHQ Global Procurement Team and all relevant CP staff making requisitions or with process roles from Programming, Finance, Administration, and IT.

External: Vendors, Transporters, Suppliers, Revenue Authorities, freight forwarders, transporters, consultants, donors, and peer agencies.

Agency REDI Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals.  These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability – consistently takes responsibilities for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity – consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust – shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. The Procurement Officer must perform additional (if there is any) provided by his/her line manager.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

“CRS’s emphasis on family values supports benefits, including maternity and paternity leave, policies that promote exclusive breastfeeding, the availability of a crèche at

the office, and flexible working hours where possible. “

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, human trafficking everywhere and at all times. I, the applicant, accept these requirements as part of my job application.

(The position is contingent on donor funding).

How to apply

If interested, please submit cover letter, resume and copies of your education and work certificates to Catholic Relief Services- Sudan West Darfur – ElGeniena Office. Ensure that your cover letter or resume has a phone number here you can be reached.