Job Vacancy at Partners In Health (PIH) – Procurement Associate, Primary Care Expansion

Job Description

J ob title: Procurement Associate, Primary Care Expansion

Work Location: Freetown with 25% travel

Department: Operations

Report to: Procurement Manager

Line Management

Yes

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world.

Our Work In Sierra Leone: Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health centre and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

PIH-Sierra Leone is hiring a Procurement Associate to oversee procurement for an upcoming donor-funded health systems strengthening project. The Associate is responsible for working with site clinical and project leaders to develop and implement procurement plans for project activities. S/he executes day to day operations, including ordering, tracking, and financial and administrative tasks in accordance with applicable donor and government regulations as well as PIH's policies and practices. This individual must be detail oriented, organized, proactive, and flexible, with a passion and commitment for system improvements and serving PIH's patients around the world, with previous experience in public procurement for a high-compliance public sector donor . This person will report to the Sierra Leone Procurement Manager , and work closely with the Supply Chain Manager who is based between Boston and Sierra Leone, working closely with PIH Boston-based procurement staff , and will work closely with PIH Sierra Leone's procurement team to ensure compliance with donor requirements . The position is dynamic in nature and requires broad knowledge . The person in this position is expected to be proactive in improving and maintaining compliance with procurement and warehousing systems that support PIH's work. The position is full time and contingent on grant funding.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Public procurement and compliance

•  Accountable for making sure procurement operations are compliant with grant funding requirements, including through oversight , procurement training and mentorship for other PIH staff working on the project, as needed
•  Review all available programme documents to facilitate the establishment of procurement procedures for the management and implementation of the project;
•  Establish a management system for the donor-funded Primary Care Expansion project; based on the Regulations, guidelines and procedures for the conduct of procurement under projects funded by this donor, and the government regulations for the procurement of goods, works and services under the Public Procurement Act 2016 (PPA) of Sierra Leone;
•  Using the donor's preferred form of Bidding Documents, prepare customized Bidding Documents and Request for Proposals (RFP). These should include standardized Forms to be used for Requests for Quotations Methods.
•  Prepare and update the Annual Procurement Plan, detailing contract packages for goods, works and services, the estimated cost for each package, the procurement or selection methods and processing times till completion of each procurement activity;
•  Monitor procurement implementation and update the procurement plans for the procurement of goods and works, and the procurement of consultants services, annually and whenever it becomes necessary to do so;
•  Prepare the Specific Procurement Notices (SPNs), and Expressions of Interest (EOIs) whenever required;
•  Establish a register of qualified suppliers and consultants and periodically update this register per advertisements and requests for expressions of interest.
•  Oversee the preparation of Terms of Reference (TORs) for the preparation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) on consulting assignments, and Specifications for the preparation of bidding documents for goods and works activities
•  Receive bids and participate in bid opening sessions, evaluating goods and works bids and consultants' proposals as secretary and ensuring that the appropriate regulations and guidelines are followed to arrive at the recommendations for award in favor of suppliers, contractors and consultants;
•  Prepare the minutes of the Evaluation Panel meetings, and also prepare the requests for "no objection", and coordinate arrangements for the negotiation process, where necessary;
•  Ensure timely receipt of the Goods and consultant's monthly status reports; confirming acceptability of goods and works delivered and/or executed respectively, and also acceptability of consultants' reports as reviewed, and recommending payments to the services providers, i.e. suppliers, contractors and consultants, as they fall due;
•  Provide input into the monthly procurement report, Annual Work Plan and Budget for submission to the Donor Partners and the NPPA;
•  Establish and maintain both electronic (for upload in STEP) and manual procurement filing system, and ensure all related documents are included in the respective files, to ensure ease of retrieval of information and the ease of following the paper trail of procurement by independent external auditors or authorised agents
•  Train other staff project in donor procedures
•  Ensure effective use of internal Standard Operating Procedures in procurement, control of the workflows, continuous business processes monitoring and elaboration of improvements in the systems and processes, including proper filing of procurement documents for record and audit trail czbR8WC DmlpAv
•  Support and train team members to ensure compliance with internal and external procurement guidelines
•  Identify and implement opportunities for professional development and capacity building for procurement staff, including on the job training and organized learning
•  Partner with Boston based teams to coordinate and harmonize international operations with local organizational activities

Education and Work Experience Requirements: Required

•  Relevant University degree and multiple years relevant experience
•  Experience with donor-funded projects in global health
•  Demonstrated ability to manage and empower a diverse team focused on many priorities
•  Comfort with ambiguity, shifting priorities, and need to juggle competing demands in a fast-paced and challenging work environment
•  Strong quantitative skills with expertise in Excel and Enterprise Resource Planning systems
•  Ability to initiate, plan, organize, and lead projects
•  Exemplary interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate effectively with culturally diverse staff across departments and country
•  Strong organizational skills and operational and business analytics thinking
•  Proven ability to exercise good judgment, demonstrate political astuteness, and tact
•  Sense of humor and flexible disposition
•  Interest in social justice and global health

Preferred

•  Prior work experience in Sierra Leone, including working with Ministry of Health and Sanitation
•  Experience evaluating systems for donor compliance
•  Managing grants by high-compliance donors with similar rules and regulations e.g., USAID, US CDC, World Bank, Global Fund, EU, Global Affairs Canada, FCDO etc.
•  Information systems, preferably inventory management or ERP systems

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment

PIH is committed to the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. We strive to provide an inclusive and supportive working environment. PIH is committed to safeguarding staff, children and communities with whom we work, therefore any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of applicable background checks, including a criminal records checks.

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