BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

WFP’s Regional Bureau for the West and Central Africa (RBD), based in Dakar, Senegal, provides strategic guidance, policy/technical support, and direction to WFP operations and activities in 19 countries. The WFP West Africa region extends from Mauritania to Chad and along the coast from Cameroon to Senegal. It consists of Benin Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.  The West Africa Regional Bureau (RBD) is based in Dakar and provides strategic guidance, technical support, and direction to country operations in these countries.

The Procurement Officer directly reports to the Regional Procurement Officer in the sourcing/retail team of the  Supply Chain unit. The incumbent will be responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on information to maximize the efficiency of procurement operations and activities.

HOW WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE?

Contribute towards the development of procurement plans and processes ensuring compliance with wider procurement policies and WFP standards.
Support or manage procurement programs and operational activities, (e.g. issue tenders, evaluate offers and negotiate/award contracts), following standard processes to contribute to the successful procurement of food and non-food commodities or services.
Track and analyse data to provide recommendations for process improvement.
Collate data and contribute to the preparation of accurate and timely reports of procurement activities, to contribute to a WFP-wide view that enables informed decision-making and consistency of information presented to stakeholders, leading to performance optimization.
Collate information and draft appropriate responses to recommendations to support auditing of procurement activities and ensure conformity with compliance rules.
Work in close collaboration with internal counterparts and external partners including suppliers, superintendents, companies, etc to align procurement activities with wider programmes and ensure a coherent approach to meeting food assistance needs.
Support training of WFP staff to take a strategic and proactive approach to the procurement of food and non-food commodities and services, for example designing and reviewing training materials.
Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as a point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries.
Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to respond quickly and deploy food and needed goods and services to affected areas at the onset of the crisis.
Act in an assigned emergency response capacity as required to meet emergency food assistance needs.
Other as required.
WHICH QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE ARE REQUIRED?

Education:

You have

Advanced university degree i.e., Master or equivalent (recognized by https://www.whed.net/home.php) in Economics, Commerce, Business Administration, Engineering, Legal or Accounting, or another field relevant to Procurement or Supply Chain, or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or trainings/courses.

Experience:  Three (3) or more years of progressively responsible professional work experience in the field of Procurement Management for holders of an advanced university degree or five years of relevant postgraduate professional experience in the field of Procurement Management for holders of a first university degree.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English and French

DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:

Experience with procurement activities (purchasing, vendor research, etc.).
Experience conducting cost analyses.
Experience working with vendors or other partners.
Why work at WFP

Meaningful and impactful careers – Our day-to-day work makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve.
Continuous learning and training – We provide learning tools for our staff to continually develop their careers.
Multicultural and stimulating working environment – We encourage gender and cultural diversity to make our teams stronger.

Note:

• Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.  WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
• WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.