Procurement and Operations Specialist - USAID DRM Activity at Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Procurement and Operations Specialist - USAID DRM Activity

Employer: Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

Employment: Full-Time | Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa, Addis Abeba - Ethiopia

Posted date: 8 months ago

Deadline: Submission date is over

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) has over 30 years of experience assisting governments, communities, and the private sector. As a not-for-profit, independent research institute based in North Carolina, USA, RTI has roughly 6,000 employees with global experience implementing international development projects. RTI's Sustainable Growth & Resilience (SG&R) technical unit within the International Development Group brings together RTI experts and capabilities across food security, agriculture, energy, environment, water, governance, and economic opportunity. SG&R will leverage RTI's experience designing and delivering multisectoral programming and technical solutions to respond to climate change, build resilience, and promote economic growth worldwide.

SG&R’s Global Food Security and Agriculture portfolio is working to strengthen agricultural markets, engage youth and women as critical leaders in the workforce, address climate change, and tackle the dual burden of malnutrition around the globe. RTI’s work is helping foster stronger food systems, build resilience to climate and man-made shock, and engage the next generation of local leaders. RTI is currently partnering on nearly 30 projects in East Africa, including activities focused on private sector-driven agricultural growth in Rwanda and market systems development in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Project Description

The Ethiopia Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Activity is a five-year USAID-funded program implemented by RTI International. The USAID DRM Activity aims to strengthen DRM planning and preparedness capacity, improve DRM coordination, enhance resource mobilization and management, and enable timely implementation of anticipatory actions to preempt crises and reduce the impacts of shocks. The activity will also strengthen gender in emergencies (GiE) capacity, increase private sector engagement in DRM, and expand local organizations’ capacity to engage in DRM. The Activity will provide strategic support to DRM institutions in implementing Ethiopia’s new Disaster Risk Management Policy and Disaster Risk Finance Strategy.

Position Description

RTI is seeking a Procurement and Operations Specialist for the USAID Ethiopia DRM Activity. The Procurement and Operations Specialist will support the Subawards and Procurement Manager and will be responsible for leading local and international procurement processes, and providing operational support related to asset management, inventory control, and transport of procured goods. The Procurement and Operations Specialist will provide leadership and coordination of the entire procurement SOPs within the project.

This position will be based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will report to the Subawards and Procurement Manager.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with project team members on identifying procurement needs, requirements, and specifications.
• Conduct market research on potential suppliers and vendors, including small and diverse businesses and organizations, and document market research and source selection information and process.
• Support the preparation and implementation of the annual procurement plan supported with clear allocation of budget and timetables.
• Coordinate and lead end-to-end procurement processes for goods and services, including developing and issuing Request for Quotations (RFQ), compiling supplier quotations, managing competition and selection, coordinating negotiations, and preparing agreements and supporting documentation for internal and client approvals, by RTI processes and procedures and donor rules and regulations.
• Perform all phases of sourcing activity to ensure best value within required lead times for a variety of requirements in Ethiopia, including analysis of overall budgetary impact for all types of procurement transactions.
• Coordinate issuance of purchase orders by RTI policies and procedures.
• Create and maintain a tracking system for all active and delivered procurements.
• Ensure the timely and documented delivery of goods and services by purchase orders.
• Engage in frequent communication and follow up with vendors and suppliers to ensure delivery schedules and terms of the purchase order are adhered to
• Maintain detailed, complete, and well-organized procurement documentation
• Work closely with the sub-awards and finance team to carry out the procurement under the Activity and issue timely payments to vendors
• Manage the hotel booking for the staff lodging/accommodation, training, and workshops.
• Conduct procurement training workshops for staff as needed
• Develop and submit weekly and monthly reports to the supervisor and Chief of Party on procurement for submission to RTI/Headquarters
• Escalate risks, issues, and potential process improvements to his/her supervisor
• Provide operational support to the Logistics Manager, including but not limited to transportation of supplies and equipment to and from regional offices, management of project inventory and property, supply chain management and importation of goods, procurement of logistics services, tracking of restricted commodities, etc.
• Other duties related to the job.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and 5 years of experience, Master's degree and 3 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Additional professional training in procurement and logistics management is preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of competitive procurement processes and principles, procurement terminology, as well as basics of contract administration.
• Prior experience with and working knowledge of USAID procurement procedures, policies, rules, and regulations is strongly preferred
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint, and procurement software.
• Demonstrated a solid understanding of governmental regulations to ensure compliance with relevant procurements.
• Ability to perform duties that require close attention to detail.
• Strong ability to prioritize workload and competing tasks and follow tasks through to completion.
• Ability to understand prime contract contents to ensure procurements comply.
• Ability to understand and implement RTI processes and procedures for goods and services procurement and management.
• Very strong communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with various teams and external suppliers/vendors in person and remotely.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to travel and work throughout Ethiopia in difficult terrain/conditions at times.
• Verbal and written fluency in English is required.