Procurement & Contract Officer

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is the implementing agency of the Federal Republic of Germany for technical and international cooperation. It offers flexible, sustainable and effective solutions in political, economic and social change processes.  Most of the work of GIZ is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GIZ also operates on behalf of other German ministries as well as public and private bodies in Germany and abroad. These include the European Commission, the United Nations, the World Bank and governments of other countries.

The Agriculture and Food Security Cluster is comprised of four projects, which are part of the global initiative One World – No Hunger (SEWOH): Green Innovation Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector (GIC), Food and Nutrition Security and Enhanced Resilience (FANSER), Promotion of Agricultural Finance for Agri-based Enterprises in Rural Areas (AgFin) and Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture (F4F). Zambia is one of many African countries in which SEWOH is being implemented. SEWOH is a BMZ special initiative addressing the two challenges hunger and malnutrition. The key objectives are to increase income, employment and eradicate hunger and malnutrition by creating access to sufficient, affordable and healthy food and to create a framework to ensure that future generations will also have sufficient, affordable and nutritious food in spite of the rapidly expanding world population. In Zambia specifically, the Agriculture and Food Security (AgriFood) Cluster is working on increasing regional food supplies and promoting access to and better use of financial services in the project’s rural target areas in Eastern, Southern and Luapula Provinces. Two bilateral projects in the same sector and with similar target groups and objectives are also part of the cluster.

In order to meet the cluster’s growing administrative needs, GIZ is seeking a suitable candidate for the following position:

Procurement & Contract Officer (based in Choma)

REF: GIZ_GIC_PROC

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Office management for the Choma Office
• Local procurement and contracting for the Choma Office
• Administration, logistics and knowledge management for the Choma Office

Office management for the Choma Office

• Receiving visitors and handling the switchboard
• Managing, prioritising and organising incoming and outgoing correspondence
• Drafting letters
• Organising rooms for meetings
• Preparing and organising information materials for meetings or visitors
• Ensuring the necessary office supplies are available

Procurement and contracting for the Choma Office

• Purchasing office equipment, materials and supplies within the agreed limits locally, in accordance with GIZ regulations and in consultation with the AgriFood Procurement/Contract Officers in Lusaka
• Issuing local purchase orders (LPOs) for the programme and ensuring they are correctly numbered and filed
• Accepting goods and ensuring that receipt is documented and that goods received are checked appropriately and, when necessary, processing complaints
• Checking goods invoices, goods inward receipts and other (delivery) documents and payment instructions before handing them over to the Project Accountant/Cashier
• Inventory keeping for the Choma Office
• Local contracting within the agreed limits in consultation with the AgriFood Procurement/Contract Officers in Lusaka
• Documenting and filing completed orders and contracts properly and in line with GIZ rules and regulations

Administration, logistics and knowledge management for the Choma Office

• Preparing and organising meetings, events, workshops and seminars within or outside the project and assisting with documenting these
• Being responsible for vehicle and driver coordination
• Supporting the preparation of visitor programmes, drawing up travel schedules, organising transportation of visitors and making hotel and ticket reservations
• Making travel arrangements for Southern Province
• Preparing and following up on internal controls at the Choma Office
• Establishing and maintaining a filing system for the office or project, maintaining confidentiality, especially in the area of finance
• Labelling files in accordance with GIZ filing rules

Other duties/additional tasks

• Assisting with and/or carrying out other programme activities and other tasks as needed

Qualifications and requirements:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a relevant specialisation and qualification in Procurement and Logistics, Business Administration or a relevant field
• Must be a member of the Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply (ZIPS) with a valid practicing licence

Professional experience:

• At least 3-4 years’ professional experience in a similar position
• Experience in administration, office management, procurement and logistics
• Previous experience of working at GIZ or another international organisation is an added advantage

Other knowledge, additional competences:

• Fluency in English, both written and oral
• Good knowledge of administration, procurement processes; knowledge of accounting is an added advantage
• Good working knowledge of ITC technology (related software, telephone, fax, email, the Internet)
• Proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work in a multicultural and multidisciplinary team
• Strong organisational skills; must be proactive and be able to manage and prioritise workload
• Must be willing to travel within Zambia

The successful candidate will be expected to start full-time employment with GIZ, on a fixed term contract, as soon as possible. Interested candidates must send their CVs and cover letters, electronically, quoting the reference GIZ_GIC_PROC in the subject line to: [email protected] by 17:00 hrs on Wednesday, 8th April 2020. Certificates, qualifications, etc. must not be attached to the application. In addition, traceable references of previous engagements must be provided. Please note that only applicants selected for interview will be contacted. GIZ is committed to being an equal opportunities employer, therefore, women and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.