Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

We are an experienced team of scientists, professionals, and African and global partners.

Responsibilities or duties

The Procurement Manager is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership of the procurement and inventory management function at the Science for Africa Foundation. The role oversees procurement planning, sourcing, supplier and contract management, inventory management, cost optimisation, and supply chain risk management to ensure the timely and efficient delivery of goods and services.

The role provides strategic oversight of procurement and inventory management, ensuring value for money, compliance with the SFA Foundation's policies and Code of Ethics, and adherence to the principles of fairness, transparency, efficiency, and accountability. The role also drives continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building to strengthen procurement performance and governance. The role is accountable for measurable savings, responsive procurement services and delivery of agreed procurement improvements aligned with the COO’s objectives.

SFA Foundation is committed to fostering a culture grounded in Respect, Accountability, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and Excellence. We seek individuals who embody these values in their work and interactions.

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

Academic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field. Master’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Economics and/or other related fields is an added advantage.

Professional Qualifications

Holders of CPSP-K certification (Certified Procurement and Supplies Professional – Kenya) and valid registration with the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM), or internationally recognised qualifications such as MCIPS (Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) or CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management).

Experience needed

Minimum of 7 years’ experience in procurement, with at least 5 years in a managerial role.

Strong understanding of procurement law, compliance, and ERP systems.

Demonstrated experience delivering measurable savings, managing complex service contracts and leading procurement process or system improvements across departments.

Experience in a donor-funded, international or research-support organisation, including working with programme teams and funder requirements, is desirable.

Any other provided details (e.g., benefits, work environment, team info, or additional notes)

Knowledge, Skills and Attributes

Procurement Expertise: Demonstrates deep understanding of end-to-end procurement processes, vendor management, and tendering procedures.

Contract and Compliance Management: Skilled in drafting, negotiating, and overseeing contracts while ensuring adherence to internal policies and funder regulations.

Financial Acumen: Applies cost control strategies and financial analysis to drive value for money and informed procurement decisions.

ERP and Digital Systems Proficiency: Experience using integrated procurement and finance systems, translating procurement requirements into workflows, supporting user testing and adoption, and using data and dashboards to improve performance.

Risk Management: Identifies and mitigates procurement risks, ensuring strong internal controls and audit readiness.

Stakeholder Engagement: Builds effective relationships with internal teams, suppliers, and oversight bodies to support service delivery.

Communication and Negotiation: Communicates clearly, negotiates effectively, and presents procurement insights to leadership.

Leadership and Team Development: Leads, coaches, and motivates a high-performing procurement team aligned with organisational goals.

Strategic Thinking: Aligns procurement strategy with institutional objectives and anticipates future sourcing needs.

Policy and Process Improvement: Leads the development and refinement of procurement policies, SOPs, and workflows.

Leadership Competencies

Strategic and analytical mindset

Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration and relationship building

High integrity, transparency, accountability and ethical conduct

Results-oriented with excellent organisational skills

Ability to thrive in a dynamic, multi-stakeholder environment

Ability to coach and mentor colleagues and the procurement team

Change leadership: Ability to drive innovation and continuous improvement

Executive communication: Ability to distil complex procurement data into insights.

• Lead the development and implementation of a procurement strategy that aligns with the Foundation’s strategic objectives and delivers value to the organisation.
• Interpret and respond to operational procurement needs to ensure timely, cost-effective, and high-quality support to programmes and professional services departments.
• Ensure procurement decisions adhere to value-for-money principles (efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and economy) and SFA Foundation’s Code of Ethics.
• Coordinate annual procurement planning with Finance and departments, aligning requirements and lead times with approved budgets and programme workplans, and maintain a prioritised procurement pipeline to reduce avoidable emergency and single-source procurement.
• Engage departments early to clarify requirements, challenge specifications and market-test budget estimates, and support proportionate business cases and sourcing decisions.
• Advise executive, line management and programme teams on strategic sourcing of goods and services.
• Ensure that SFA Foundation procurement management meets international standards and complies with relevant regulations.
• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes and coordinate inventory receipt records, stock verification and reconciliation with Finance and Business Support, in line with agreed responsibilities.
• Ensure all procurement activities comply with SFA Foundation’s procurement policy, funder regulations, and applicable laws.
• Lead the development, review, and implementation of procurement policies, SOPs, and workflows.
• Identify and recommend policy amendments in line with the SFA Foundation and funder changes.
• Monitor policy adherence, implement internal controls, and support audit readiness.
• Lead all tender and sourcing processes, including preparation, advertising, evaluation, negotiation and supplier debriefing, ensuring fairness and transparency.
• Ensure tender requirements, evaluation criteria, weightings and approval arrangements are agreed before issue, and maintain conflict-of-interest declarations, evidence-based scoring records and documented award recommendations.
• Ensure supplier claims are supported by appropriate evidence, clarifications are handled consistently under the published process, and material gaps are resolved or formally addressed before award.
• Develop and implement cost-effective sourcing strategies and maintain a robust up-to-date supplier database through equitable, open, and ethical prequalification processes.
• Oversee vendor identification, registration, supplier relationship management and regular performance reviews against agreed service levels, ensuring corrective action and escalation of persistent underperformance.
• Conduct market analysis to benchmark supplier costs and secure value for money on all purchases.
• Analyse spend and develop sourcing strategies for high-value and recurring categories, using framework agreements and approved suppliers where appropriate to improve value and sourcing efficiency.
• Deliver and report measurable savings and cost avoidance using baselines and methods agreed with Finance, evaluating total cost of ownership, service quality and relevant fees, commissions and rebates.
• Agree procurement service standards with user departments, hold regular stakeholder reviews, act on feedback and resolve supplier and user issues to improve turnaround times and customer satisfaction.
• Work with Finance to implement risk-based procure-to-pay controls, including purchase-order approval, evidence of receipt or service acceptance, three-way matching where applicable, and documented resolution of exceptions.
• Manage the full lifecycle of procurement contracts, including commercial negotiation, renewal and close-out, coordinating legal review with Legal, Risk and Compliance and execution by authorised signatories.
• Ensure contracts align with Foundation policies and risk requirements and define agreed scope, pricing, service levels, deliverables, acceptance criteria and internal contract owners.
• Maintain an updated contract register covering commitments, cumulative expenditure, variations, renewal and notice dates, performance issues and agreed actions.
• Ensure proposed variations, extensions and additional costs are assessed for scope, value, budget availability and cumulative exposure and approved under the Approval Framework before commitments are made.
• Work with internal contract owners to verify delivery and acceptance, address supplier underperformance and plan renewals, transitions and exits in time to maintain service continuity.
• Ensure procurement requisitions have clear requirements, supporting documentation and confirmed budget approval before sourcing or commitment, subject to authorised exception procedures.
• Assess, evaluate and maintain a procurement risk register and implement mitigation measures.
• Ensure segregation of duties and compliance with SFA Foundation's Approval Framework.
• Apply proportionate supplier due diligence covering ownership and conflicts, financial and delivery capacity, relevant insurance and business continuity; coordinate data protection and security checks with Legal, Risk and Compliance and ICT where suppliers handle SFA information.
• Escalate material procurement risks, control breaches, delays and unapproved commitments promptly to the COO and relevant control owners, with recommended action, a named owner and a resolution date.
• Support internal and external audits, implement audit recommendations and promote audit readiness. Ensure timely and effective implementation of corrective and preventive action.
• Maintain procurement quality assurance and decision records, support committees and working groups under approved terms of reference, and ensure transparent evaluation, approval and exception processes.
• Embed proportionate sustainability and supplier inclusion considerations in sourcing and supplier reviews, alongside value for money, service quality and applicable funder requirements.
• Lead, coach and mentor the procurement team and key staff engaged in procurement activities within SFA Foundation.
• Assign duties as per key procurement departmental objectives and performance indicators, develop performance initiatives and conduct performance reviews.
• Lead staff training and policy interpretation, and coordinate grantee procurement guidance and training with Grants Operations and programme teams in line with grant requirements and agreed responsibilities
• Ensure adequate internal procurement capacity exists within the SFA Foundation to support delivery of its programmes, compliance and operational requirements.
• Act as the business owner of procurement processes within the procure-to-pay system, defining requirements and controls with Finance, coordinating technical delivery with ICT, and designing processes with Business Optimisation Services.
• Lead procurement user acceptance testing, data-quality checks, staff training and adoption of digital workflows, and track improvements in turnaround time, compliance and management visibility.
• Ensure complete, accurate and accessible procurement records in the Document Management System, with appropriate version control, access permissions, retention and an audit trail of key decisions.
• Provide a monthly procurement dashboard to the COO and quarterly and ad hoc reports for Executive Management and the Board, covering pipeline progress, cycle times, savings, supplier performance, customer feedback, contract renewals, exceptions and overdue audit actions.
• In consultation with the COO and CFO, ensure asset disposal processes align with policies and regulations.
• Provide technical guidance on appropriate disposal methods.
• Document and report on disposal activities.

• Procurement Expertise
• Contract and Compliance Management
• Financial Acumen
• ERP and Digital Systems Proficiency
• Risk Management
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Communication and Negotiation
• Leadership and Team Development
• Strategic Thinking
• Policy and Process Improvement

• Bachelor’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Economics and/or other related fields is an added advantage.
• CPSP-K certification (Certified Procurement and Supplies Professional – Kenya) and valid registration with the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM), or internationally recognised qualifications such as MCIPS (Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply) or CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management).