VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Position: Procurement Officer
Reports to (Supervisors): Operations Director
Location: Goroka, Eastern Highlands , Papua New Guinea
Country Program:WCS Papua New Guinea Program
Position Type:Full-Time
Expected travel: If/when needed to field offices or other location
Organization Background:
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity.
WCS Papua New Guinea Overview:
WCS works with local communities and provincial, national and international partners, to sustainably manage and conserve the biodiversity and cultural values of Papua New Guinea’s wildlife and wild places. WCS PNG vision is “Gutpela sindaun, gutpela bus, gutpela solwara” (“Empowered people with healthy forests and seas”).
Job Summary:
The Procurement Officer is responsible for acquiring goods, works, and services in a timely, efficient, and compliant manner. This includes ensuring the right specifications, quantity, quality, supplier, cost, location, and timing for all procurements.
Key Responsibilities
- Procurement System & Process Improvement
- Review and adapt the WCS Procurement Policy and Guidelines to the local context and ensure any donor requirements are incorporated.
- Standardize procurement-related forms and formats.
- Finalize and implement procurement procedures/process maps and provide staff orientation.
- Maintain and manage the vendor roster, fostering strong supplier relationships and providing orientation to the supplier/ vendor
- Develop an annual procurement plan for all WCS PNG offices.
- Develop an in depth understanding of all procurement related requirements for grant funded projects and support colleagues to comply with said requirements.
- Develop any procurement plans required for grant funded projects, ensuring these are agreed with relevant colleagues and communicated to relevant stakeholders.
- Establish centralized/bulk purchasing systems where feasible.
- Maintain a purchase requisition (PR) register for tracking and documentation.
- Oversee the selection of annual preferred suppliers and long-term service contracts.
- Implement and manage a purchase order (PO) system.
- Facilitate and manage relationships with credit suppliers.
- Develop and enforce standard procedures for selecting consultants.
- Ensure an emergency procurement process is in place.
- Maintain digital records of all procurement-related documents.
- Procurement Management
- Identify, specify, and analyse procurement needs.
- Establish standard sourcing methods and supplier selection criteria.
- Issue purchase orders and contracts while ensuring compliance with WCS and donor procurement policies.
- Receive and inspect goods, works, and services (GWS) to ensure quality and compliance.
- Track orders and share progress updates with relevant stakeholders.
- Procurement Monitoring & Quality Control
- Maintain and update a procurement tracker.
- Conduct market research to identify new suppliers, market trends, and innovations.
- Monitor the delivery of goods, works, and services to ensure timely fulfillment.
- Prepare purchase vs. distribution reconciliation reports.
- Monitor and facilitate the supplier payment process in coordination with finance department.
- Implement cost-saving initiatives and analyse procurement data to identify cost-reduction opportunities.
- Prepare and distribute monthly procurement reports (Plan vs. Actual).
- Identify and mitigate procurement risks.
- Additional Responsibilities
- Provide support to the Operations Team as required.
Minimum Requirements:
Education/Credentials
- Minimum bachelor’s degree in business management / supply chain management OR; Bachelor Degree in any disciplines with minimal 5 years of professional working experience in procurement and supply chain.
Experience
- Minimum 3 years of experience in procurement and its related disciplines. Exposure to non-profit sector (NGO, International organisations) is an added advantage
- Experience in marketing, working with suppliers and supply chain
- Experience in the most current technologies and products used in the industry.
Critical Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Able to develop application to assist business requirement
- Good analytical and problem-solving skills
- Good knowledge of written and spoken English
- Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence
- Being a self-starter with drive and initiative and able to work as a team/individual with a positive attitude and an open mind
- Excellent organizational and leadership skills
Application process
Please send a CV and letter of interest to [email protected] with the subject line: Application for Procurement Officer. Application accepted until 2 April 2025. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.
