Contract
Description
Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund supplies smallholder farmers with the agricultural services they need to make their farms vastly more productive. We provide quality farm supplies on credit, delivered within walking distance of farmers’ homes, and agricultural training to improve harvests. We measure our success by our ability to make farmers more prosperous: On average, farmers harvest 50 percent more food after working with One Acre Fund.
We are growing quickly. We currently serve more than 800,000 farm families in Eastern and Southern Africa, with more than 7,500 full-time staff, and we aim to serve 1 million farm families by 2020.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Global Procurement teams are responsible for over $5M in spending each year across over 12,000 transactions and are responsible for all operational goods and service purchasing on behalf of over 800,000 smallholder farmers. We are seeking a strong individual to help improve process efficiency, drive 5% of purchasing cost out of the system, implement process/systems improvement projects, and help build team capacity across multiple countries of operation.
You will directly oversee procurement operations in at least 2 countries of operation and contribute to delivering a world-class purchasing department at the feet of our 800,000+ farmers across East and Southern Africa.
The overarching goals of this role are to:
Manage procurement teams while driving execution excellence
Save costs through improved process efficiency and effective negotiation
Drive process adherence and compliance
Drive data-based decision-making
Build team capacity and support staff professional development
Responsibilities of the Global Procurement Associate will include:
Team Management
Directly manage 2+ in-country procurement teams (i.e. Tanzania and Zambia) providing support on daily operations and capacity building
Deliver requested items to clients 100% on time, at the right specifications and at prices consistently below-market rates
Set clear and well-documented expectations for all staff members and hold staff accountable to clear, rigorous expectations
Tap into strong local talent pools to higher top performers with strong potential for growth
Save Costs for the Organization – Your goal is to save over $500K every year in new cost savings across the value chain for the procurement of operational goods and services.
Coordinate cost-saving measurement activities across OAF countries and continuously improve cost-saving measurement techniques and tools
Coordinate operational goods and services forecasting activities across countries to help increase on-time delivery, benefit from economies of scale and reduce process repeatability
Drive procurement cost reduction by developing and implementing strategies including, but not limited to, process-automation of repeatable tasks
Provide support to in-country teams on major tendering activities
Map out current procurement practices to identify and implement cost- and time-saving improvements that drive efficiency through reduced cycle times, the increased value per transaction, and increased transactions per full-time employee (FTE).
Tighten Controls Environment – Drive efficiency across the Procurement team by tactically implementing loss prevention tactics and smooth processes.
Support in-country Procurement Managers in running and assessing of monthly controls to ensure process compliance and minimal fraud risks. This includes developing and running process compliance controls checks across all country procurement teams and reporting on controls to systems and organizational leadership on a monthly basis
Help reduce financial losses due to fraud by running fraud prevention controls & checks across all OAF countries & rolling out fraud prevention training by delivering training directly and monitoring compliance to fraud training
Re-think and implement reinforced quality assurance and inventory management processes to reduce % stock-outs and eliminate quality issues across the supply chain for operational goods
Support the implementation of internal audit findings across countries that relate to processing improvements and performance metrics
Quality check data collection and help maintain 100% accurate procurement data to support in/cross-country analysis and procurement strategic decisions. This includes collaborating with SAP Data team to standardize product categories and improve data granularity.
Performance Management
Support in-country Procurement Managers in identifying operational challenges and defining strategies to reach KPI targets. This involves helping country managers with professional development goal setting, accountability, and capacity building initiatives.
Collaborate with SAP Data team to improve performance tracking tools in terms of accuracy, usefulness, and transparency
Coordinate procurement performance reporting activities while providing visibility to country program leadership
Success in this role means:
Reduce sourcing cycle times to 14 days max across all countries through streamlined processes and staff performance improvement
Procurement data is 100% accurate and entered on time
Drive new cost savings of $500K per year
Goods & services delivered 100% OTIF at the right specifications and following the correct procurement procedures in countries you directly manage
Increased value per transaction and transaction per FTE through reduced process repetition, bulk procurement of commonly requested goods, and other process automation
Full transparency in team performance metrics to Purchasers and country leadership
CAREER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You’ll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You’ll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.
QUALIFICATIONS
We are seeking exceptional professionals with experience in and a passion for procurement and supply chain. Experience in an entrepreneurial environment is a plus. Candidates that meet the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply:
Professional Skills: Work experience in a demanding professional environment, preferably in positions where frequent cross-department communication was required
Experience in procurement, supply chain, engineering, or consulting preferred, but not required
Ability to work and make decisions independently
A passion for world-class customer service
Strong sense of ethics, honesty, and integrity
Creativity and strong problem-solving skills. You don’t take no for an answer and constantly look for alternative solutions to problems.
Management Skills:At least 5 years’ experience including 2 years of people or project management experience
Passion for capacity building and investing in others
Experience managing remote teams is a plus
Execution SkillsStrong computer skills in at least Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required, experience using SAP preferred
Able to independently structure analyses related to procurement subject matter
Strong attention to detail
Strong verbal and written communication skills with reports, peers, and management
Academic BackgroundRelated Master’s Degree is an asset, but not strictly required
Language: Fluent in English, French preferred
Requirements
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