Procurement Manager, Zambia

Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

We are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. We currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia – countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. Since our inception, Room to Read’s worldwide team has impacted over 5 million children by constructing more than 1,400 schools, establishing over 11,000 libraries, publishing 550 new children’s book titles in 22 local languages, and putting over 10,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$38 million and our global staff numbers over 420. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in Delhi, New York, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Tokyo. We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, and we are setting up operations and hiring staff for a new office in Tanzania.

Position Overview:

The Procurement Manager is a member of the Country Management team and is required to assist the Human Resources and Administrative Officer in procurement management. The Procurement Office is responsible for managing and implementing all program related procurement of the organization. This position will report to the Country Director. The overall purpose of this position is to assist Room to Read obtain high quality and value for money product and services at all times.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Prepare annual procurement plan for all procurement related (program and non program) as per approved budget with consultation with the Program Managers linking with the program implementation calendar
• Implement all procurement activities well in advance as per approved budget and annual procurement plan
• Oversee and manage programmatic procurement process including public bidding and ensure that the procurement is completed in time and in a very cost effective manner
• Arrange and follow Room to Read procurement policy and procurement guidelines/manual and procurement norms for all type of procurement
• Work with program teams in obtaining purchase requisitions with detailed specification in order to start the procurement process well in advance
• Work with procurement committee for all purchase above $5000 as per the organization policy
• Coordinate and work closely with Program Managers and Procurement Committee team to process procurement in timely manner
• Do a market survey regularly in order to assess the market trends and to know average costs of material/items needed by Room to Read, availability of types of goods/materials and services and share the same to the management
• Maintain market price/rate of all goods/materials that generally Room to Read purchases and help the program team to prepare the estimation before the purchase process is started
• Obtain and maintain the general practice of procurement process in other similar organization and local government
• Ensure Room to Read procurement norms are in accordance with the local statutory requirement. Any difference should be brought to the attention of the management
• Maintain vendors/suppliers list with their contract address according to the type of business and trade and update it regularly
• Update the Country Director, HR&A Manager and the program team on the status of the procurement process in a regular basis
• Maintain procurement file in an appropriate fashion and order including – requisition, quotes/bids, comparison, evaluation, approval, contract/purchase order, delivery note etc. for each purchase
• Coordinate process of receiving GINKI right through to delivery to warehouse. This includes communicating with the Global Office in the first instance, tracking the goods, discharging and release of cargo through to delivery.
• Perform any other duty that leads to the transparent, procurement of goods and services required by Room to Read.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Masters/Bachelor’s degree with minimum of five in an administrative position especially in procurement management
• Experience in successful completion of a wide range of procurement activities including manage public bidding
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Must be a member of the Zambia institute of purchasing and supply.

Preferred:

• Experience in procurement activities in International Development organizations.
• Strong planning, supervisory, and management skills
• Work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong negotiation skills.

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and-coming non-profit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker – you are not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

Compensation:

The salary range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. Health and retirement benefits are also provided. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

Interested and suitably qualified candidates must be Zambian Nationals and need to send their CVs and letters of motivation by e-mail to constance.pola@roomtoread.org. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by Room to Read. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing
the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.