Procurement Officer Position

Profile of Organization

Our client is a global humanitarian organization operating in Zambia. Their Christian witness is seen in communities where they provide sanitation and hygiene education through their core competencies of stakeholder mobilization to achieve behavior change, improve sanitation infrastructure, and support water supply development. Their vision is to achieve to their God given mandate and reach more communities in Zambia.

Job Purpose

Responsible for ensuring the Program Area Office has the right materials and equipment necessary to function. This includes evaluating suppliers to find the best deals possible on goods that are needed for operations.

Reporting and Place of Performance

The Procurement Officer will be based in Chipata and shall report to the Project Manager with a matrix reporting line to the Head of Human Resource and Administration in Head Office.

Primary Responsibilities and Duties

• Follow all the policies of the organization’s Procurement Manual and use all the procurement forms adequately.
• Compares prices amongst various vendors to make sound purchasing decisions
• Works within a given budget to purchase goods and services for the WPA Office
• Ensures that products are delivered in a timely manner, and that the quality of the goods received is satisfactory
• Negotiates with contractors on price, mode of shipping, and delivery time
• Orders goods such as office supplies on a continuing basis to maintain certain inventory levels.
• Checks invoices for accuracy and recommends to the Finance Manager/Officer to issue payment.
• Ensures that all payment vouchers have all the necessary supporting documents before submitting to finance for processing.
• Evaluates the performance of certain vendors to decide whether to continue doing business with them.
• Inventories items to determine which ones need to be purchased
• Enters data concerning inventory and order amounts into a computer database

Minimum Education and Experience and Competencies

• Diploma (or equivalent) in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration or related field.
• 3 years’ direct experience in procurement.
• Possesses strong negotiation skills
• Fluent in reading, writing and speaking local language and English
• Is timely in following up on contracts and checking on backordered items
• Capable of staying within a given budget
• Has good math skills and is quick to calculate the cost of goods and services
• Is trustworthy and does not abuse authority or misappropriate funds
• Proficient in Microsoft programs