Deputy Director of Global Procurement

Relief International

Title: Deputy Director of Global Procurement

Department: Supply Chain & Operations

Location: Preferably UK or USA, but any country where RI is registered (Remote, home based)

Reporting to: Director Global Supply Chain and Operations

Direct reports: Not Applicable

Budget responsibility: When deputizing for the Director Global Supply Chain and Operations

* This role is classified as requiring advanced pre-employment checks

About Relief International

Relief International (RI) is a leading non-profit organization working in 16 countries globally to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and chronic poverty.

RI combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact and resilience. We focus on health/nutrition, education, economic opportunity, and water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) programming while integrating protection, environment/climate change, and conflict mitigation in partnership with the communities we serve. We empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

RI includes the three corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, and MRCA/RI-France. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure.

About our Programs

RI is active in 16 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to highly vulnerable communities.

RI employs about 5,000 staff and auxiliary workers

97% of staff are local nationals and there are about 90 international (expat) staff.

2021 programs budget is about $125M

RI receives funding from a broad range of institutional donors – US,UK, Europe, and the UN, to delivery life-saving and resilience building programming with communities and local and international partners. RI supports solutions that reinforce and improve upon existing in-country systems. Where such systems do not exist or are chronically underperforming, RI’s crisis response lays the foundation for long-term, sustainable change.

Position Summary

The Deputy Director of Global Procurement will work to ensure professional procurement standards.

This role will lead on optimizing procurement across RI country offices and set up and manage global strategic supplier agreements to ensure the high quality, efficient, compliant and value for money delivery of supplies, services and works in support of on time program delivery.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Leadership (20%)

  • Represent the RI Supply Chain and Operations Department internally and externally, showcasing internal good practice and incorporating internal and external learnings into RI ways of working
  • Support the Global Supply Chain and Operations Director with the implementation of the Supply Chain and Operations Strategy
  • Deputize for the Global Supply Chain and Operations Director when required
  • At all times work to strengthen staff capacity at all levels, including through fostering strong communities of practice related to Supply Chain and Operations across the organization.
  • Support procurement related incident investigations and improvement recommendations and support Regional Support Office (RSO) and Country Offices (CO) implementation of procurement related recommendations following from such investigations.
  • Develop and implement structured, inclusive awareness and refresher trainings on procurement related policies that will reach cross functional stakeholders at all levels.
  • Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve. Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, ensure all people who come into contact with Relief International are as safe as possible.

Strategic Procurement (40%)

  • Review and approve country procurement strategies

  • Support Regional and Country Supply Chain and Operations staff to ensure these strategies improve procurement delivery in the country

  • Ensure that country office strategic supplier agreements as per approved procurement strategies are in place, used, monitored, and renewed/updated.

  • Ensure that project procurement plans are in place, updated and used to enable timely delivery of supplies, services and works

  • Work with Country and Regional Supply Chain and Operations staff to analysis procurement processes and category spend to refine the country procurement strategy, strategic supplier agreements and overall procurement support to program delivery

  • Generate, analyze and communicate procurement KPIs analysis and associated recommendations at a country and global level. Ensure that communication is targeted to enable understanding and decision making by operations and management staff at all levels.

  • Work with management and project staff at all levels to embed procurement planning into project design, setup, delivery and close.

  • Lead on reviews, updates and implementation of the following policies

    • Procurement Policy
    • Medical Supply Procurement Policy
    • Construction Procurement Policy
    • Supplier Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence, including watchlist process optimization
    • Gift in Kind Policy

  • Ensure procurement related policies are cross functional, are concise and focus on principle and key processes, and are supported by guidance, training material and practical tools for relevant procurement experts

  • Ensure procurement related policies meet donor and legal requirements and enable staff at all levels to increase efficiency, improve quality delivery and increase value for money.

  • Lead on RI procurement information system selection, design, build, testing rollout and implementation, with support from the Supply Chain and Operations IT systems project manager for project management.

Procurement (30%)

  • Lead on setting up relevant global strategic supplier agreements, including for medical supplies, freight, insurance brokerage, cash transfer technology
  • Lead on setting up strategic supplier agreements to support rapid deployment of supplies in an emergency response
  • Be the contact person for all global strategic supplier agreements, including for issue resolution, order delays, quality or service issues.
  • Review and approve/reject waivers to the procurement process, as per the Procurement Policy
  • Review and approve/reject medical supply procurement notes to file, as per the Medical Supply procurement policy
  • Review and approve/reject procurements that require GSO Supply Chain and Operations sign off (e.g. >$250,000)

Other (10%)

  • Support internal or external procurement audit requests, in collaboration with the finance, audit and compliance teams
  • Work with the SCO GSO Administration Coordinator to ensure that relevant procurement information is available and easily navigable on RI Connect (intranet), including policies, tools, approved supplier lists, useful links, etc.

Safeguarding

  • Uphold and promote RI’s commitment to ensuring the safeguarding and safety of the vulnerable communities we serve.
  • Consistent with RI’s safeguarding and protection policies, contribute to ensuring that all those who come into contact with Relief International staff and the communities we serve can be trusted to work safely with them
  • Support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse and promotes the implementation of the Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies.
  • Work collaboratively with the Global Safeguarding Manager to advocate for the inclusion of safeguarding activities and resources within program
  • Ability to demonstrate knowledge of donor requirements of safeguarding standards and protection from exploitation and abuse

Culture and Leadership

  • Ensure a positive and productive work environment which is free from harassment and bullying.
  • Ability to demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of diversity and cultural differences, gender issues and the commitment to equal opportunities
  • Ability to demonstrate and uphold RI’s values and ethics

Other related tasks that may arise from time to time.

Role requirements

Experience and skills required for the role.

  • Relevant qualification in procurement, preferably CIPS Diploma or other recognized qualification
  • Strong experience with strategic and international procurement, including for medical supplies
  • Track record of achievement in a previous senior role that involved local and international procurement
  • Experience in Humanitarian operations that specifically includes supply chain and logistics which are compliant with US, UK, EU, and UN donor policies.
  • Experience with project and change management in support of implementing strategic projects at a global level
  • Preferable to have knowledge or expertise in field of Procurement IT systems (e.g. MS Dynamics, Oracle Netsuite, other) and MS Office including Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, etc.
  • Proven track record of success preferably within fragile settings, emergencies and developing countries.
  • Ability to analyze complex organizational challenges and present innovative solutions.
  • Strong, positive track-record of collaboration – able to work with diverse teams in diverse locations.
  • Ability to lead/motivate teams remotely in a positive and professional manner
  • Ability to work under pressure and to meet challenging deadlines.
  • Excellent relationship management skills and ability to communicate in all forms (written, verbal, negotiation, presentation skills, etc.)
  • Willingness to travel, sometimes at short notice, as required for the successful implementation of the role.

RI Values

Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:

We value:

  • Integrity
  • Adaptability
  • Collaboration
  • Inclusivity
  • Sustainability

How to apply

To apply, please click on the following link:

https://phg.tbe.taleo.net/phg01/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=RI&cws=44&rid=1834

Closing date: 12/8/2022