Procurement Officer – Catholic Relief Services – CRS
Logistics, Transport and Supply Chain
Catholic Relief Services – CRS
“Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.”
In Ethiopia, CRS has a long and rich history of providing emergency relief and development assistance to the people of Ethiopia since 1958. At present, CRS/Ethiopia implements multiple projects through different partner organizations. CRS/Ethiopia has a highly diverse portfolio ranging from very large food-supported emergency response to cutting edge development programs. The current CRS/Ethiopia budget stands at $100 million with funding from the U.S. Government, UN agencies, private foundations, individual donors, and CRS private funds.
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. For nearly 60 years, CRS has taken the lead in responding to natural and man-made disasters affecting Ethiopia’s most vulnerable communities. Moving beyond emergency response, CRS’ disaster mitigation and recovery projects in drought and flood-prone areas have rebuilt individual and community assets through non-food aid in the form of agriculture, livestock, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation assistance. CRS’s humanitarian work in Ethiopia also provides livelihoods support to farmers and entrepreneurs, promotes equality and inclusion, and mitigates the impact of COVID-19.
As part of CRS family, you will join the more than 5000 strong and vibrant individuals working globally to accomplish the mission of CRS. CRS/Ethiopia invites you, the qualified candidate, to apply for the following position.
Job Title: Procurement Officer
Band: VI
Required number: One
Department: Supply Chain – Procurement
Employment Term: Indefinite Term
Reports To: Sr. Procurement Manager
Country/Location: CRS Ethiopia/Addis Ababa
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.
Job 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 and services. Provide pricing information to assist budget holders with budget preparation.
- Coordinate the sourcing process and perform various activities to assist with ensuring the best value for money: market research, cost estimates, solicitation documents, bidding process facilitation, supplier identification and research, quality and availability of goods assessment, negotiation, contract/purchase order and other documents 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 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 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.
- Ensure the highest level of transparency and integrity amongst the procurement department and prevent fraud along the procurement.
- Maintenance of contracts and record system in hard copies, soft copies and OneDrive platforms for subsequent review by Procurement Managers, internal users and/or Auditors.
- Maintenance of databases/rosters of the best suppliers, contractors and service providers, activities, and procurement statistics.
- Preparing of Contract Purchase Agreement (CPA) and Purchase order (PO) on INSIGHT by attaching all scanned copy of supporting documents
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.
- Integrity
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Builds Relationships
- Develops Talent
- Strategic Mindset
- Accountability & Stewardship
Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration or other relevant degree. Professional certification a plus.
- Minimum of 3 years’ work experience in procurement or 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.
- Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Experience with database management systems (e.g. MS Access) highly desirable.
Personal Skills
- 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