ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

In 2020, WFP Ethiopia Country Office launched its CSP 2020-2025. The five-year country strategic plan is based on WFP’s recognized strengths and on strong strategic and operational partnerships with the Government, private sector entities, non-governmental organizations and other United Nations agencies. While the bulk of operations will continue to address the immediate short-term needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and other food-insecure and undernourished people, there will be a gradual expansion and intensification of climate change adaptation, resilience and livelihood diversification initiatives also linked to the humanitarian–development–peace nexus. WFP will focus on the prevention of malnutrition, the building of resilience and the integration of nutrition concerns and gender equality throughout the portfolio.

WFP is working with the Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners to strengthen the resilience of people, communities, and systems. Our interventions are highly contextualized and adapted to the specific needs of our beneficiaries, including smallholder farmers, pastoralists, refugees, and host-communities who are most vulnerable to climate shocks.

WFP-supported resilience-building interventions in the drought-prone lowland areas in Ethiopia are focused on supporting vulnerable beneficiaries with an integrated climate-smart package that includes cash for work, indexed insurance, financial services, nature-based disaster risk reduction, restoration of degraded agricultural and range lands, improved access to water through watershed management, fodder production, and livelihood strengthening activities. We work with both pastoral and agro-pastoral beneficiaries, supporting sustainable natural resource management while enabling restoration of degraded rangelands and agriculturally productive riverine areas to increase local productivity and strengthen market systems in support of diversified, nutritious diets. We simultaneously focus on strengthening capacities of national and local institutions for improved early warning systems, gender transformation, and climate resilient diversified food systems.

JOB PURPOSE

Ethiopia Country Office is one of the largest Country Offices in procuring Food, Goods & Services within the Eastern Region. With the increased level of Delegation of Authority for Procurement, there is a need to put additional effort to strengthen ETCO procurement processes and procedures, ensuring adequate controls are in place.

In addition, due to the ongoing Assurance Project, there is an increased procurement activities on top to the regular portfolio of the Procurement Unit in Ethiopia.
To support increased procurement activity, WFP Ethiopia is seeking for an experienced staff to manage the procurement of goods and services required for its operations as well as lead the implementation of Local and Regional Food Procurement Policy being piloted at Ethiopia Country Office.

During the assignment, staff will also support ETCO Procurement Unit in ensuring adequate controls are in place, optimizing the procurement process, enhancing processes and procedures in compliance with WFP rules and regulations and minimizing the risk of non-compliance.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

1.    Support on all Assurance Projects procurement tasks and ensure timely turnaround of processes
2.    Act as the lead team and focal person for implementation of local regional food procurement policy (LRFPP) in Ethiopia Country Office.
3.    Facilitate and liaise with programme units and for effective and efficient implementation of local and regional food procurement policy.
4.    Support on increasing procurement of commodities from local and regional markets as per signed policy.
5.    Prepare local food procurement plan or concept note on yearly basis to guide the procurement of food commodities from smallholder farmers.
6.    Prepare and review food procurement tender documents and contract for traders and smallholder farmers procurement processes.
7.    Provide support to procurement activities following standard processes and contributing to the effective procurement of goods and services.
8.    Identify, assess and recommend potential suppliers, and ensure necessary data/documents are distributed to support the selection of suppliers, ensuring standard processes are followed.
9.    Review, amend and prioritize purchasing requests, and provide recommendations to requisitioners, to support the procurement of goods and services, at lowest cost to WFP.
10.    Contribute to negotiations with new suppliers on terms and conditions of orders, with guidance from Head of Procurement unit, to obtain the best terms and lowest costs for WFP.
11.    Review and prepare Purchase Orders, contracts, and any supporting documentation for approval by the appropriate stakeholder, and approve purchases within delegated authority, in order to enable the swift purchase of goods and services.
12.    Conduct research and analysis on a range of data, and produce substantive reports providing insight and recommendations to Procurement Officers and enabling informed decision-making.
13.    Design, develop and oversee the maintenance of databases and records, to ensure information is accurate, organized, and available for others to access, and supports reporting requirements.
14.    Act as an escalation point, liaising with suppliers and providing solutions to complex issues related to delivered goods, using initiative, and following process, to ensure timely resolution of problems.
15.    Work in collaboration with internal counterparts, in order to align procurement activities with wider programme’s and ensure a coherent approach to meeting food assistance needs.

16.    Manage a team of staff, providing advice, guidance, and training, to ensure individual and team objectives are delivered to agreed standards and deadlines.
17.    Render technical advice on procurement activities, following rules, procedures and regulation;
18.   Contribute to any preparedness actions such as early warning, risk analysis and contingency planning and make the necessary recommendations;
19.    Collate data and contribute to 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;
20.    Collate information and draft appropriate responses to recommendations to support auditing of procurement activities and ensure conformity with compliance rules;
21.    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;
22.    Guide and supervise more junior staff, acting as point of referral and supporting them with more complex analysis and queries;
23.    Follow standard emergency preparedness practices to ensure WFP is able to quickly respond and deploy food and needed goods and services to the affected areas at the onset of the crisis;

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1.    Support Good & Services procurement activities to maximize efficiency of the operations, especially with complex process ensuring that planned goods and services are timely procured in accordance with the Goods & Services manual.
2.    Assessment of complex and high value goods & services procurement process: identification of gaps, risks and controls needed and corrective measures.
3.    Compliance review of procurement process and procedures.
4.    Review the procurement strategy and planning in place.
5.    Training and guidance of requesting and technical units, evaluation panel members and procurement staff to reinforce processes and procedures in line with the Goods and Services Procurement manual.
6.    Perform and review procurement process tracking and monitoring tools that are in place as well as filing system

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: University degree in Supply Chain Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics, Law or Social Sciences.

Experience: At least Six (6) years of relevant work experience in the field of Procurement, WFP procurement experience is an asset.

Knowledge & Skills:

Proficiency in Windows MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoints, Outlook).

Language: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English (proficiency/Level C). Knowledge of the local language is an added advantage.