Procurement Specialist

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Procurement

• In accordance with Palladium’s procurement procedures and USAID’s rules and regulations, manage procurement of project supplies, services and other required items
• Depending on dollar value equivalents, develop, negotiate, administer and ensure compliance of vendor contracts and purchase orders throughout the Project award including closeout
• In collaboration with Palladium’s procurement committee, carry out pre-award due diligence review of vendors. Further, conduct due diligence on preferred vendors and maintain appropriate procurement and audit documentation.
• Maintain system for tracking contractual supplier documents, correspondence and reporting; apply the company’s policy of record management
• Verify budget and funds availability prior to processing of payments
• Together with the Palladium – Kenya Operations staff, annually negotiate VFM health, accident and life insurance packages.
• Further ensure all Project equipment and inventory are fully insured
• Interact with suppliers to resolve transaction issues and gather critical information on status of supplies and services, quotation and invoicing and tax documentation
• Maintain routine communication with the Finance & Administration Manager by providing relevant and timely procurement and logistics information for planning and decision-making purposes
• Scrutinize corporate office team requests, ensure relevant approvals are present and ensure value from money procurements are made for both programmatic and operational supplies
• Share on quarterly basis an updated vendor database with current contacts as well as update due diligence documents.

Travel and Logistics

• Coordinate travel and internal / external meeting for corporate office staff and partners.
• Collaborate with our HQ, EMEA, ARBP, and APAC corporate offices with technical and operations staff to ensure conference / meeting venues, equipment and required materials (information packages, data projectors, flip charts, notebooks, meals / snacks, etc.) are made available within required times
• Ensure in country travelers receive appropriate information and security briefing before and during travel
• Coordinate workshop registration processes and act as a contact person for workshop participants
• Work hand in hand with finance staff to ensure accuracy of payment information and timely reimbursement of per diems for conference / meeting participants
• Maintain and regularly update travel plans and records
• Assist in reducing costs by seeking quality budget conference facilities and meeting options

General Administration

• Ensure all new hires to the corporate office are provided with the necessary working tools including laptops, workspaces, and supplies etc.
• Maintain equipment inventory of all corporate office procurements and when applicable, liaise with Finance and Administration Manager for disposition of equipment
• Contribute to development of corporate office annual and period budgets, procurement plans, costing estimates and monthly cash forecast
• Schedule and follow up meetings for the Country Representative, APAC, EMEA and ARBP BD capture leads
• In his/her absence, serve as the Project backstop to the Finance Officer and perform duties as guided. Specifically, prepare payment vouchers for all approved expenditure, ensure accuracy of bank information of approved workshop participants, manage project petty cash, and prepare required files for internal and external audits
• Participate in the review of internal processes and controls of the corporate office. Assist in the preparation of recommendation for process improvements
• Maintain safe custody of project petty cash in the absence of the finance officer and ensure issuance is in line with the company policies and procedures
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned

Key Competencies Required:

• Solid experience with US Government (Centers for Disease Control, Department of State, USAID, etc.) or other donor clients
• Experience supporting procurement functions for large and complex projects
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Financial acumen and the ability to interpret and analyze financial reports.
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to work with a low level of supervision and as a part of a team when required