Background

Tropical Heat was established in 1973 as a small ethnic snack cottage industry. Today, we are one of the leading manufacturers of spices and snacks in the East African region and our brand Tropical Heat is a household name in Kenya. With our very strong and expert technical team, we manufacture a vast range of spices and snacks. The spices include pure sp...

Job Purpose

The Senior Procurement Officer will oversee procurement operations, ensuring the timely, cost-effective, and efficient sourcing of goods and services to support business operations. The role requires a strong understanding of procurement planning, supplier management, inventory coordination, and cost control, with the ability to manage a high volume of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs). The successful candidate will also provide leadership and guidance to the procurement team, ensuring adherence to procurement policies, quality standards, and delivery timelines.

Key Responsibilities

Procurement Planning and Execution

• Develop and implement procurement plans based on business requirements, demand forecasts, inventory levels, and operational priorities.
• Manage end-to-end procurement activities, including sourcing, supplier evaluation, quotation analysis, negotiation, purchase order processing, and order follow-up.
• Oversee procurement activities involving a high volume of SKUs, ensuring accurate ordering, availability, and timely replenishment.
• Monitor stock availability and coordinate with inventory, warehouse, production, and other relevant departments to minimize stockouts and excess inventory.
• Ensure purchased materials, products, and services meet the required specifications, quality standards, and delivery schedules.
• Review purchase requisitions and ensure procurement activities align with approved budgets and internal procedures.

Supplier Management and Negotiation

• Identify, evaluate, and develop relationships with reliable suppliers to ensure consistent supply and competitive pricing.
• Negotiate prices, payment terms, lead times, and contractual conditions to achieve cost savings and value for money.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed service levels, quality requirements, and delivery timelines.
• Resolve supplier-related issues, including delayed deliveries, quality discrepancies, and pricing disputes.
• Maintain an updated supplier database and identify alternative sources of supply to mitigate procurement risks.

SKU and Inventory Management

• Manage procurement requirements across a broad and diverse SKU portfolio, ensuring accurate purchasing decisions and effective stock replenishment.
• Analyse SKU movement, consumption patterns, lead times, and demand trends to support procurement planning.
• Coordinate with the inventory and warehouse teams to maintain optimal stock levels and minimize slow-moving, obsolete, or excess stock.
• Monitor stock availability and procurement lead times to support uninterrupted business operations.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and ensure the integrity of purchasing and inventory-related data.

Cost Control and Reporting

• Monitor procurement expenditure against approved budgets and identify opportunities for cost reduction.
• Prepare procurement reports covering spend analysis, supplier performance, purchase orders, delivery status, and cost-saving initiatives.
• Analyse purchasing trends and recommend improvements in sourcing strategies, supplier selection, and procurement processes.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance with procurement policies, approval procedures, and audit requirements.
• Maintain accurate records of quotations, purchase orders, contracts, invoices, and supplier agreements.

Team Leadership and Supervision

• Supervise, guide, and support procurement team members to ensure efficient execution of daily procurement activities.
• Allocate tasks, monitor performance, and ensure adherence to established procurement procedures and timelines.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to team members to strengthen procurement capabilities and accountability.
• Review the team's work for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with internal controls.
• Foster collaboration between procurement and other departments to improve operational efficiency.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Purchasing and Supplies Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years' relevant experience in procurement, preferably in a structured, high-volume procurement environment.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coordinating, or managing other procurement staff.
• Proven experience handling a large and diverse SKU portfolio, with strong understanding of SKU-level purchasing, stock replenishment, and inventory coordination.
• Experience in supplier sourcing, contract negotiation, purchase order management, and cost control.
• FMCG, manufacturing, retail, distribution, or other fast-moving, high-volume industries experience will be an added advantage.
• Professional procurement qualification or membership with a recognized professional body will be an advantage.

• Develop and implement procurement plans based on business requirements, demand forecasts, inventory levels, and operational priorities.
• Manage end-to-end procurement activities, including sourcing, supplier evaluation, quotation analysis, negotiation, purchase order processing, and order follow-up.
• Oversee procurement activities involving a high volume of SKUs, ensuring accurate ordering, availability, and timely replenishment.
• Monitor stock availability and coordinate with inventory, warehouse, production, and other relevant departments to minimize stockouts and excess inventory.
• Ensure purchased materials, products, and services meet the required specifications, quality standards, and delivery schedules.
• Review purchase requisitions and ensure procurement activities align with approved budgets and internal procedures.
• Identify, evaluate, and develop relationships with reliable suppliers to ensure consistent supply and competitive pricing.
• Negotiate prices, payment terms, lead times, and contractual conditions to achieve cost savings and value for money.
• Monitor supplier performance against agreed service levels, quality requirements, and delivery timelines.
• Resolve supplier-related issues, including delayed deliveries, quality discrepancies, and pricing disputes.
• Maintain an updated supplier database and identify alternative sources of supply to mitigate procurement risks.
• Manage procurement requirements across a broad and diverse SKU portfolio, ensuring accurate purchasing decisions and effective stock replenishment.
• Analyse SKU movement, consumption patterns, lead times, and demand trends to support procurement planning.
• Coordinate with the inventory and warehouse teams to maintain optimal stock levels and minimize slow-moving, obsolete, or excess stock.
• Monitor stock availability and procurement lead times to support uninterrupted business operations.
• Maintain accurate procurement records and ensure the integrity of purchasing and inventory-related data.
• Monitor procurement expenditure against approved budgets and identify opportunities for cost reduction.
• Prepare procurement reports covering spend analysis, supplier performance, purchase orders, delivery status, and cost-saving initiatives.
• Analyse purchasing trends and recommend improvements in sourcing strategies, supplier selection, and procurement processes.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance with procurement policies, approval procedures, and audit requirements.
• Maintain accurate records of quotations, purchase orders, contracts, invoices, and supplier agreements.
• Supervise, guide, and support procurement team members to ensure efficient execution of daily procurement activities.
• Allocate tasks, monitor performance, and ensure adherence to established procurement procedures and timelines.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to team members to strengthen procurement capabilities and accountability.
• Review the team's work for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with internal controls.
• Foster collaboration between procurement and other departments to improve operational efficiency.

• Procurement planning
• Supplier management
• Inventory coordination
• Cost control
• High volume SKU management
• Sourcing
• Supplier evaluation
• Quotation analysis
• Negotiation
• Purchase order processing
• Order follow-up
• Stock replenishment
• Contract negotiation
• Cost reduction
• Spend analysis
• Team supervision
• Coaching
• Mentorship

• Bachelor's degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Purchasing and Supplies Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years' relevant experience in procurement, preferably in a structured, high-volume procurement environment.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, coordinating, or managing other procurement staff.
• Proven experience handling a large and diverse SKU portfolio, with strong understanding of SKU-level purchasing, stock replenishment, and inventory coordination.
• Experience in supplier sourcing, contract negotiation, purchase order management, and cost control.
• FMCG, manufacturing, retail, distribution, or other fast-moving, high-volume industries experience will be an added advantage.
• Professional procurement qualification or membership with a recognized professional body will be an advantage.