Senior Procurement/Contracts Officer ( Afghan Nationals Only )
Support supply chain staff during all phases of contracts for smooth transition to implementation.
Overview
Support supply chain staff during all phases of contracts for smooth transition to implementation.
You have:
- Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field. Master’s degree is preferred.
- 3-4 years of experience in procurement and contract management/similar position.
- Understanding and practical experience of project management principles throughout the project lifecycle (pre-award to closure).
- Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment.
- Strong diplomatic skills, including the ability to tailor language to different audiences and needs.
- Demonstrable experience of managing contracts and projects funded by donors such as BHA, FCDO, GIZ, UNICEF, ECHO, SIDA, with charity or private sector organizations.
- Contracts and financial management experience with varied contract and subcontract types.
- Experience of working with technical experts and project managers in complex project setups.
- Demonstrated ability to interpret regulations and implement actions accordingly.
- Strong communication skills both written and oral in English, Pashto, and Dari.
Job Description
- Support supply chain staff during all phases of contracts start-up/inception to help a smooth transition from pre-award to implementation and ensure that popper project management processes are developed. - Receive purchase request, issue PO/contract, process delivery, and process vendor payment. - Develop the sound contracts and risk management practices, taking a proactive approach to mitigate future risks. - Make sure that work is completed to a high standard and check on progress daily and work closely with field staff, quality controllers, logistics, and contractors to coordinate tasks effectively. - Support project teams with the resolution of contractual challenges such as performance issues, payment disputes, contract amendments, donor, and/or negotiations etc., escalating as appropriate to the line manager. - As required participate in program management meetings of contracts alongside project team. - Day to day follow of progress in project implementation and work confirmation with vendors and program team. - Manage invoices and follow up with the finance department to ensure timely payments to the vendors. - Provide timely updates regarding the contracts to the concerned colleagues with all the applicable details and arrangements. - Manage and document any amendments or modifications made to the contract/s. - Assess/determine and confirm any delay penalty charges, if applicable. - Keep a detailed record of the contract from start to finish/life cycle. - Recommend and manage any necessary changes to performance security in accordance with contract amendments. - Ensure adherence to the contract period and project timeline, as well as conduct visits to the project site. - Closely coordinate with vendor, field engineers, finance, and supply chain team about the project progress. - Maintaining constructive communication with contractors based on agreed terms and references. - Support responses to queries on donor and/or client compliance issues, referring non-routine and high-level compliance matters to the line manager and Compliance through the established mechanism. - Participate in Project Cycle Meeting (PCM) to provide the updates regarding each project. - Utilize the lessons learned / institutionalizing lessons learned for ensuring effective contract deliveries, within IRC. - Consolidating and updating all Master Purchase Agreements and Master Service Agreements in the contract tracker (MPA/MSA Price List Tracker) on timely manner. - Regularly sharing the tracker with all the relevant program sectors and operations units considering the updates. - Notifying the responsible and relevant units before expiry of contracts and ensuring the appropriate action is taken for renewal of the contracts or establishment of new MPAs/MSAs - Any other tasks assigned by supervisor. - Provide weekly/monthly required reports (contracts progress reports, amendment reports, expiry reports) on timely basis to the Deputy SC Coordinator and other colleagues as needed. - Share the draft copy of all the contracts with supporting documentation to the line manager for final review. - Conduct weekly meetings with the related colleagues for sharing the updates regarding the ongoing and planned contracts. - Ensure that the required documentation is regularly sent to the related colleagues/departments for the speed up of supplier payments in close coordination with line manager. - Share the possible challenges available in contracts management and administration for resolution with line management on regularly basis. - Ensure IRC’s partners related documentation is maintained including asset tracking, medicine consumption/receipt and right of use agreements etc. - Timely sharing the documented performance evaluation of suppliers with the line management.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field. Master’s degree is preferred - 3-4 years of experience in procurement and contract management/similar position. - Understanding and practical experience of project management principles throughout the project lifecycle (pre-award to closure). - Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively manage a variety of relationships in a multicultural environment. - Strong diplomatic skills, including the ability to tailor language to different audiences and needs. - Demonstrable experience of managing contracts and projects funded by donors; BHA, FCDO, GIZ, UNICEF, ECHO, SIDA, with charity or private sector organizations. - Contracts and financial management experience with varied contract and subcontract types, including, but not limited to, cost reimbursement, time-and-materials, fixed price, framework/umbrella, and performance evaluation/management. - Experience of working with technical experts and project managers in complex project set ups. - Experience of supporting start-up/inception phases of larger contracts and negotiations with donors, government clients, and/or prime agencies. - Experience of donor and client relationship management in providing advice and best practice on contract Management. - Demonstrated ability to interpret regulations and implement actions accordingly. - Demonstrated ability to work independently, think critically, and solve complex problems with limited oversight. - Strong communications skills both written and oral in English, Pashto, and Dari. Ability to work in multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural teams. - Good IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook).
Potential interview questions
| Can you give an example of a time you managed a challenging contract? | This question explores your practical experience in contract management. | Describe the issue, how you managed it, and the outcome. |
| How do you ensure compliance with donor regulations? | The interviewer wants to assess your understanding of compliance practices. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What strategies do you use for maintaining vendor relationships? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe a situation where you had to influence a colleague's decision on a contract. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you handle disputes or performance issues with contractors? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |