Procurement Associate - Innovations for Poverty Action

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Field Office Kenya
VACANT POSITION: Procurement Associate (1 Position)
REPORTING TO: Deputy Country Director
START DATE: ASAP
LOCATION: Nairobi
DURATION: 1 Year
DEADLINE: 23rd October 2026
ELIGIBILITY: Position open to candidates authorized to work in the country only
About Innovations for Poverty Action: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems.
In close partnership with decision makers -- the policymakers, practitioners, investors, and donors working with the poor around the world -- IPA designs and evaluates potential solutions to poverty problems using randomized evaluations, the most rigorous evaluation method available. We also mobilize and support these decision makers to use these solutions to build better programs and policies at scale.
About the Position: The Procurement Associate manages IPA Kenya’s procurement functions. Reporting to the Deputy Country Director, the role supervises the procurement team and collaborates closely across all functions of the country office.
The role will hold end-to-end oversight of day-to-day transactional buying while driving the more complex, higher-risk sourcing of specialized service providers (such as research and survey firms) working in complex operating environments.
Duties and Responsibilities
Transactional procurement oversight

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• Own departmental budgeting and goal setting, including implementation and tracking
  
• Oversee procurement planning, consolidation and tracking across the department
  
• Ensure timely, rigorous supplier prequalification for routine purchasing
  
• Maintain risk management discipline across standard procurement activity
  
• Oversee full-cycle procurement: specification refinement, requisition review, vendor sourcing, tendering, bid evaluation, negotiation, selection and award
  
• Ensure contracts arising from procurement are properly drafted and actively managed
  
• Oversee inventory management, including the asset register, asset tagging, insurance and leasing
  
• Maintain strong supplier relationships across the existing vendor base
  
• Oversee the asset disposal process
  

Strategic sourcing leadership

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• Lead market and supplier research to identify qualified firms, assessing technical capacity, staffing and enumerator capability, local language ability, data security and privacy controls, and financial stability
  
• Manage the procurement process for each strategic assignment: scope of work, solicitation documents with objective evaluation criteria, tendering and proposal evaluation
  
• Lead commercial negotiations with shortlisted firms
  
• Coordinate contract drafting and management on the commercial and compliance side: pricing, payment milestones, variations, renewal and termination
  
• Maintain the strategic risk register: supplier capacity, local legal compliance, financial instability, cost overruns, political instability, delays in research permits, ethical issues, etc.
  

Cross-functional coordination & team leadership

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• Act as Procurement's point of contact in relations with projects, finance, and legal
  
• Supervise, coach and develop procurement staff
  
• Report to departmental and organizational leadership on performance across both transactional and strategic procurement
  

Qualifications and Experience
Required

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• Bachelor's degree in supply chain management, procurement, business administration or a related field
  
• Professional certification (e.g. CIPS, CPSM, KISM) strongly preferred
  
• 5 years' experience in Supply chain, Procurement or Logistics
  
• Demonstrated experience in complex or strategic sourcing (consulting, research firms)
  
• Experience sourcing or managing vendors in complex or high-risk operating environments
  

Preferred

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• RFP/solicitation design and structured proposal evaluation
  
• Negotiation and contract management
  
• Risk Management
  
• Budgeting
  
• Stakeholder Management
  
• ERP
  

How to Apply
Please CLICK HERE to apply online.
Candidates are encouraged to apply early as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Procurement Associate- Field Office Kenya. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA. Please contact us at jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org if you have any questions or concerns.