Procurement Officer

Position Title:Procurement Officer
Location:One Year with possibility of extension.
Department:Procurement and Logistic 

Mercy Corps is a non-profit, non-governmental international humanitarian and development organization, registered in the United States and Scotland with offices in more than 40 countries around the world, including the West Bank and Gaza, where the organization has been active in implementing relief and development programs for over a decade.  Mercy Corps ‘West Bank and Gaza’ has staff based in East Jerusalem and Gaza City offices that implement programs throughout the Palestinian territories.

The Procurement Department is committed to implementing and maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and integrity in the purchase of goods and services. The overriding objective for all Mercy Corps procurement activity is the prompt and effective provision of materials and services to Mercy Corps’ beneficiary populations in compliance with donor specifications.

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
The Procurement Officer is responsible for overseeing procurement aspects of Mercy Corps’ logistic operation.  Working closely with Program, Administration, Finance and Logistics the Procurement Officer is instrumental in supporting program activities through his/her services.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

-Daily coordination of MC procurement activities;
-Has a full understanding of MC procurement policies and formats. Assists, as needed in training staff on these policies;
-Assist Program and operational personnel in regular procurement planning meetings.
-Assists staff  as needed on creating clear and understandable purchase requests and other documentation;
-Collects quotations and bids from the market for PR-s as assigned by manager – as per Mercy Corps standards and formats;
-Interact with Vendors during collection of quotations – explain Mercy Corps formats and ensure that vendors will use the provided forms.
-Always accord prompt and courteous reception and fair and equal treatment to all vendors/suppliers and their representatives.
-Provide equal opportunity for vendors/suppliers to make price and specification quotations.
-Guarantee the confidentiality of all specifications and price quotations made by vendors/suppliers.
-Decline to take advantage of vendors/suppliers’ errors, and show consideration for vendors/suppliers’ difficulties by co-operating with them whenever possible.
-Avoid subjecting vendors/suppliers to needless expense or inconvenience when requesting quotations or returning goods.
-Explain as clearly and fully as possible to vendors/suppliers the reason(s) for the rejection of their bids/proposals.
-Remain scrupulously free of obligations to any vendor/supplier.
-Remain informed about sources of supply, methods, services and materials and encourage vendors/suppliers to test and develop improved or expanded products and services.
-Inform vendors/suppliers about current and anticipated requirements.
-If, for any reason, one vendor/supplier is permitted to re-quote (submit a revised quotation), all competitors should be given the same opportunity. Re-quoting should be kept to an absolute minimum.
-Interact with contractors, in coordination with the Sr. Program Officer;
-Prepare the required documentation of supplies and transactions are completed to MC standards.
-Preparation of status reports on deliveries for Sr. Procurement Officer recipient of supplies. Assist in the maintenance of thorough procurement files as outlined in the MC procurement policy; 
-Assist the Sr. Procurement Officer and office staff with procurement activities, as required;
-Assists Sr. Procurement Officer with asset management. Identify assets during the course of procurement and notify the Asset Controller on receipts of assets.
-The Procurement Officer will conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
-Other duties as assigned


SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None
ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountable for following Mercy Corps Field Procurement Manual, the MC Code of conduct regarding procurement activities and MC Conflict of Interest policy.

REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Senior Procurement Officer

WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Program and Warehouse staff, Logistics, Admin & Finance

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Degree in a relevant business field is desired. 2-3 years of experience in large scale supply chain management; Strong organizational skills; ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel. Excellent oral and written English skills. High computer skills on MS Office programs, especially in MS Excel. A demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action as to not delay program activities. A clear understanding of procurement ethics and donor compliance is essential. 

SUCCESS FACTORS:

-Conscientious with an excellent sense of judgment
-Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks
-Willingness and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of people
-Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with project personnel
-Good spoken and written English
-Computer literate and strong organizational skills.



Qualified persons are highly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit a one page cover letter and their CV by e-mail to”

  no later than Monday, April 25, 2011.
       
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please indicate in the email subject; Procurement Officer.
No application will be accepted if the email subject is not mentioned in the email subject line.
Please apply separate application for each position you are interested in.