Senior Procurement And Contracting Specialist at GIZ South Africa, Lesotho & eSwatini

Based in our Country Office in Pretoria Hatfield, this position offers a unique chance to gain regional procurement experience within a renowned international organisation. You will play a crucial role in supporting our technical projects, partners, and beneficiaries. As our sustainable procurement organisation continues to grow, we are actively seeking a dynamic Senior Procurement and Contracting Specialist to join our team.

In this role, you will contribute to both strategic and operational tasks, driving results and outcomes. We are particularly interested in individuals who are passionate about organizational transformation, sustainability, and digitalization, and who possess strong leadership skills. We encourage applications from diverse candidates from all backgrounds and walks of life.
To be eligible for this role, you should possess the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree in Purchasing and Supply, Supply Chain Management, or Business Administration (preferably in Commerce)
• Postgraduate qualifications, along with membership or accreditation from a professional industry body such as CIPS or SAPICS, would be advantageous
• Completion of additional procurement training courses is necessary

Required Professional Experience:

To enhance your qualification, we are seeking candidates with a minimum of 10 years' relevant working experience and a strong understanding of the following:

• Excellent understanding of procurement processes.
• Experience in sustainable procurement is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with digital transformation is an added advantage.

To thrive in this role, the following qualities are essential:

• Proficient knowledge of ICT technologies and relevant computer applications/software (e.g., MS 365, SAP)
• Fluency in English is essential, and knowledge of German is an added advantage
• Highly developed organisational skills, including the ability to work independently, take initiative, and communicate effectively
• Experience utilising various communication media and technologies
• Comprehensive understanding and hands-on experience with end-to-end Procure-to-Pay processes
• Capability to balance achieving results and outcomes while maintaining a customer-oriented approach.
• Skilled team player with exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities
• Familiarity with different leadership styles, prioritization techniques, time management, and team dynamics
• Capacity to work effectively under pressure, stress, and during peak contracting cycles
• Proficiency in managing upward communication and proactively managing expectations
• Excellent negotiation skills and adeptness in senior-level stakeholder management
• Strong passion for working in an international environment, demonstrated intercultural communication competency and professionalism
• Willingness to enhance skills as required by the tasks at hand, with corresponding measures agreed upon with management
• Ability to make decisions within their domain of responsibility while keeping the Head of Unit (HoU) and Head of Finance and Administration (HoFA) informed

What you will be doing:
Strategic Contracts and Framework Agreements

• Directly manage the Procurement, Contracting, and Logistics requests owned by the Senior Management and Office Management teams, in line with the defined threshold, such as leadership and management initiated and owned contracting requests.
• Concludes the end-to-end contracting procedures for iDPPs (integrated Development Partnerships with the Private sector).
• Enters and maintains data relevant for procurement and contracting in SAP, ensuring timely contract/orders closure in SAP; producing reports for management on clear actions taken to ensure closure in SAP.
• Draft and submit the specifications, ToRs, Budget, and other request documentation for relevant CO Procurement and Contracting.
• Ensure quality and compliance of advertisements for the Procurement and Contracting in consultation with the Communications and project teams.
• Coordinate the Tender opening schedule with the timing of advertisements to ensure an organised and streamlined process.
• Lead the respective processes and procedures for establishing Framework Agreements in the Unit, working closely with other Specialists across Finance and Administration Units, HQ, the Head of Unit (HoU) and the Head of Finance and Administration (HoFA), and when necessary other GIZ CO teams.
• Design Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in conjunction with the Organisational Development (OD) Management team, specifically supporting new Framework Agreements and/or Strategic Contract types.
• Effectively deal with administrative queries related to their designated procurement and contracting areas of expertise, and correctly interprets and advises all colleagues in a manner that ensures GIZ Processes and Rules (PuR) Compliance.
• Ensure the correct Procurement and Contracting procedure selection and provides clarity, communicating new changes to colleagues as and when they occur.
• Periodically review and draft standard Procurement and Contracting Unit (PCU) documentation, ensuring compliance with new legislation, regulations, policies, and strategies, designing new templates for all communications such as mandatory declarations, letters, and forms.

Reporting, Marketing Intelligence, and Knowledge Management

• Establishes performance reporting tools for the PCU, to share progress updates with key stakeholders including the CO, Leadership Teams, Management Forums, and other CO.
• Provides real-time transparency and tracking of requests through tools such as the Common Portal, consolidating for short, medium, and long-term overviews.
• Develops a dashboard for cross-project collaboration, creating visibility on joint initiatives and business partners across the organisation.
• Utilises findings and observations as part of the Organisational Development (OD) continuous improvement drive, generating recommendations and presenting solutions to management.
• Ensures Knowledge Management (KM) of all Procurement Categories in the Unit: cementing knowledge generation, implementation, and retention in the PCU through GIZ systems such as the Integrated Digital Applications (IDA) social intranet of GIZ and Document Management System (DMS) or proposing new KM systems in line with GIZ approved standards.
• Implements Records Management guidelines within the unit to facilitate Internal Control, Information Management, and KM.
• Updating the PCU IDA page immediately when internal and external changes occur, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and user-friendly nature of the information presented.
• Develops, consolidates, and maintains the database of standard specifications and ToRs for all PCU, for dissemination to projects and programme structures to enable the streamlining of requests.
• Advisory by building and gathering Market Intelligence that can be shared with Projects, for shared/ common procurement and contracting categories, bridging knowledge gaps.
• Facilitates and schedules knowledge exchange between CO, projects, and programmes, HQ, and other GIZ CO, encouraging the sharing of best practice.
• Maintains the Consultancy Service Fee Grid and benchmarks annually with internal contracts, as well as comparable external sources and organisations.
• Develops, tracks, and monitors Value Creation for the PCU on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, regularly communicating performance to internal stakeholders.
• Develops content and coordinates monthly and quarterly procurement and contracting Onboarding, Induction, and Training sessions together the HoU.

Administration, Internal Control, and Audits

• Monitors the equal and even distribution and deputisation of procurement and contracting requests amongst the respective Seniors and Specialists in the PCU. Consolidates the reporting data submitted by respective Categories.
• Monitors and reports on the division and flow of tasks monthly to the HoU, to support employee Health & Wellbeing, using tools such as SAP and Common Portal.
• Ensures the Signatory Policy/ Schedule of Authority is always up to date, for the PCU.
• Signs procurement and contracts up to the approved limit as defined by CO Management.
• Quality checks contracts/orders prepared by the Seniors and Specialists and signs off for conformity and compliance before submission to management for signature.
• Utilises the outcomes of the Procurement engagements (such as consultation hours, Teams channels, and workshops) to improve KPIs, processes, and turn-around times.
• Informs the Heads of Units and Head of Finance and Administration of rising issues timeously.
• Establishes PCU Internal Control (IC) readiness, procedures, and revisits checklists for the unit, working closely together with the Seniors and Specialists, auditors, and controllers during the process to upload complete and compliant documentation required.
• Ensures that current SOPs fully support IC and Audits. Proactively analyses gaps and implements Corrective measures in advance, and subsequently closes Completeness following ICs/ audit.
• Oversees the Filing and Archiving function for the PCU, ensuring PuR filing structure compliance and completeness, improvements in systems that monitor digital and physical file locations, digitation, sustainability, and optimal space utilisation.

Supplier and Customer Relationship Management

• Develop a Supplier Relationship Management Programme for GIZ, including a database accessible to project structures in line with GIZ PuR.
• Establish and maintain a Supplier Database with a dynamic user interface, for dual access: internal and external registration, that can double as a Procurement Portal.
• Ensure the timely quality administration and processing of procurement and contracting requests, identifying bottlenecks, and recommending improvements, and informing in advance where delays may occur.
• Adopt a customer-orientation and solution-mindset in challenging and complex scenarios with CO Units and Project Structures.
• Co-creates solutions with the HoU that can be submitted to the relevant organisational structures and decision-makers, for changes.
• Participates in internal and external networking forums, representing the PCU professionally in global conferences, dialogues, and forums.
• Fosters positivity and good working relationships within the Unit, with other Units, projects, and HQ colleagues.

Content-related and General Tasks

• Contributes to the realization of management goals and aspirations derived from Country Planning outcomes and the GIZ Corporate Strategy.
• Actively engages in localizing and implementing Sustainability guidelines established by HQ. Executes additional duties and tasks as assigned by the immediate supervisor and management.
• Displays a proactive attitude towards personal development and growth, willingly undertaking relevant job training related to the position and responsibilities.
• In case of necessity, specific training requirements will be identified in collaboration with the Head of Unit and Head of Finance and Administration, followed by the selection of suitable programs.

To apply for this position, please follow the instructions below:

• Prepare a concise motivation letter (maximum 1 page) highlighting why you are the ideal candidate and the value you will bring to the project - "Application for "Senior Procurement and Contracting Specialist" addressed to the Head of Human Resources
• Submit a detailed CV, emphasising your relevant tertiary qualifications
• Include a copy of your South African ID to demonstrate eligibility to work in South Africa
• Application Deadline: 10 July 2023
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications submitted without a motivation letter will not be considered.
• At GIZ, we offer a dynamic environment where you can utilise your expertise to make a difference. Join our team and be part of an organization that fosters professional growth, international collaboration, and meaningful impact.